Jessica Andrade submitted Amanda Lemos in the first round of the main event this past weekend at UFC Vegas 52. She managed to pull off an extremely rare standing arm-triangle choke after Lemos missed a punch early in the round. So rare that it was the first time the submission has been used successfully in the UFC. Today we will be looking into what is next for the winners of UFC Vegas 52.
Jessica Andrade
Jessica Andrade is now on a two-fight win streak, winning a Performance of the Night bonus in her return to strawweight this past weekend. Amanda Lemos was ranked 10th in the division before losing to Andrade at UFC Vegas 52 so Andrade will likely be fighting someone inside the top 10 in her next fight, especially as a former champ. She is a dominant striker with great submission skills both on the ground and standing. Her next fight should be the highest-ranked opponent she can face.
Mackenzie Dern won her most recent fight against Tecia Torres and is riding a good bit of hype into her next fight. Dern has significantly improved her striking and has always been known to be a world-class grappler. Dern would be a great test for Andrade’s submission skills while also giving Andrade the best shot to climb the strawweight rankings.
Andrade’s next fight: Mackenzie Dern
Claudio Puelles
In the UFC Vegas 52 co-main event, Claudio Puelles made quick work of Clay Guida, submitting him via kneebar early in the first round. As soon as Guida tested Puelles’ grappling skills, Puelles made him pay sinking in a painful kneebar. Puelles is now on a five-fight win streak submitting his opponent in three of those five wins. He is building a ton of hype around himself with his grappling but should be looking to show that he can also strike with the best in his next fight.
Jalin Turner is a tall lightweight who has great submissions and even better-striking skills. Turner has a 100% finish rate with nine of his wins being knockouts and three of them being submissions. He is on a four-fight win streak, knocking out Jamie Mullarkey in his last fight at UFC 272.
Puelles’ next fight: Jalin Turner
Maycee Barber
Maycee Barber extended her win streak to two at UFC Vegas 52 with a unanimous decision win over Montana De La Rosa. All three judges gave all three rounds to Barber in what was a very dominant performance. Barber deserves an opponent that will help her improve her position in the rankings in her next fight. Joanne Wood is currently ranked number ten in the women’s flyweight division. Wood is currently on a three-fight losing streak, losing to Lauren Murphy, Talia Santos, and Alexa Grasso. Even though Wood is on a losing streak, she would still be Barber’s most skilled opponent to date. Wood is a world-class kickboxer and would be a perfect test for Barber in her next bout.
Barber’s next fight: Joanne Wood
Charles Jourdain
Charles Jourdain submitted Lando Vannata in the first round of their bout at UFC Vegas 52. Jourdain has great striking skills but proved that he can also get it done on the ground with his win this past weekend. In his post-fight interview, he called out UFC legend, Edson Barboza.
Barboza is currently ranked 12th in the featherweight division but he is 2-3 since joining the division in 2020. Barboza is coming off back-to-back losses to Giga Chikadze and Bryce Mitchell in his last two fights. Jourdain’s striking would be a great match-up for Barboza and would give Barboza a chance to prove he still belongs in the top 15.
Jourdain’s next fight: Edson Barboza
Marc-Andre Barriault
Bumped up to the main card on short notice at UFC Vegas 52 was Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Jordan Wright. The Canadian got the job done with a guillotine choke, as would fellow Canuck Charles Jourdain. After a rough start to his UFC career, the “Power Bar” is now 3-1 in his last four bouts.
Anthony Hernandez is coming off a win over Josh Fremd at UFC 273 earlier this month. The timing here works, and Hernandez knows a thing or two about submissions himself.
Barriault’s next fight: Alexander Hernandez
