In the main event of UFC Vegas 49, Islam Makhachev finished Bobby Green in the opening round. The fight was Green’s first main event — but came on short notice, and saw him making a short turnaround. Wellington Turman meanwhile defeated Misha Cirkunov in the co-main event via submission in the second round. Today we will look into what is next for the losers of UFC Vegas 49.
Bobby Green
Bobby Green took this fight against Islam Makhachev on ten days’ notice. He has great striking but struggled to keep Makhachev from taking him down. Prior to this fight, Green was on a two-fight winning streak and was 5-2 in the last two years.
Renato Moicano is 2-1 since moving to lightweight. Racking up back-to-back submission wins over Jai Herbert and Alexander Hernandez. Moicano is getting better with his stand-up but is a polished grappler. He has nine of his 16 wins via submission and has been knocked out in three of his four losses. Moicano would be a great test for Green to see if he can stop the takedown and use his striking to get a finish.
Green’s next fight: Renato Moicano
Misha Cirkunov
His loss this past weekend puts Cirkunov on a three-fight losing streak. Cirkunov is 2-6 since 2017 only defeating Jimmy Crute and Pat Cummins. Gerald Meerschaert is a veteran of the sport on a three-fight win streak. All three of his most recent wins are against young up-and-comers. Meerschaert has great grappling and has been getting better with his stand-up in his last few fights. Cirkunov might be on his way out of the UFC but a win against Meerschaert would save his spot in the company.
Cirkunov’s next fight: Gerald Meerschaert
Ji Yeon Kim
Ji Yeon Kim lost a controversial decision to Priscila Cachoeira at UFC Vegas 49. This loss puts Kim on a three-fight losing streak, dropping decisions to Alexa Grasso, Molly McCann, and now Cachoeira. Kim has been in the UFC since 2017 racking up a 3-5 record with the company. She won Fight of the Night in both of her most recent fights and will likely get another shot in the UFC.
Erin Blanchfield is 2-0 in the UFC winning decisions over Sarah Alpar and Miranda Maverick. She is 8-1 and has five wins by decision. Her only loss was a split decision against Tracy Cortez in 2019. A fight with Blanchfield would definitely help Kim’s shot at staying with the company.
Kim’s next fight: Erin Blanchfield
Joel Alverez
Joel Alverez was knocked out in the second round against Arman Tsarukyan this past weekend at UFC Vegas 49. He is now 4-2 in the UFC with his only losses being against Tsarukyan and Damir Ismagulov in his UFC debut. 16 of his 19 wins are by submission and he has submitted guys like Joe Duffy and Alexander Yakovlev in the UFC.
Jordan Leavitt is 2-1 in the UFC and is coming off a submission win over Matt Sayles. Leavitt has six of his nine wins via submission and has never been finished in his professional career. Leavitt versus Alverez would be a perfect fight for two up-and-comers wanting to progress and make their way up the rankings. Leavitt is scheduled to face Victor Martinez in April, if he gets the win there, it’s the fight to make.
Alverez’s next fight: Jordan Leavitt
Gregory Rodrigues
Brazilian middleweight Gregory “Robocop” Rodrigues lost a split decision to open up the UFC Vegas 49 card, with Armen Petrosyan getting his hand raised. It’s a fight that could have gone either way, and never mind that 30-27 score for Petrosyan — MMA judges gonna judge.
The loss snapped a four-fight win streak for Rodrigues, and he’s now 2-1 in the UFC. It’s real tempting to put Rodrigues in against another fighter with less than four fights in the UFC. But, if we’re being honest, Rodrigues has had some fun fights so far. His outing prior to Petrosyan, he shared Fight of the Night in a win over Jun Yong Park. Rodrigues has a strong submission base, but likes to throw.
So let’s book something fun: the UFC has informed Sam Alvey that they’ll let him fight out his contract, despite being on an eight-fight winless streak. He’s 0-7-1 since 2018, but has always been a company man. Book him vs. Robocop. Rodrigues probably wins that, whether it’s on the feet or on the ground, but it feels fun.
Rodrigues’ next fight: Sam Alvey
