Ciryl Gane defeated Tai Tuivasa in the main event of the UFC’s debut in Paris, France this past weekend. In the UFC co-main event, Robert Whittaker solidified himself as the best of the rest in the middleweight division with a decision win over Marvin Vettori. Today we will be looking into what is next for the losers of UFC Paris.
Tai Tuivasa
Before his loss this past weekend, Tuivasa was on a five-fight win streak that included knockouts over Augusto Sakai and Derrick Lewis. It has been rumored that Stipe Micoc will be fighting Jon Jones later in the year for what fans assume is a number one contender fight. The winner of that fight would likely challenge Francis Ngannou for the heavyweight title and the loser should probably be fighting Ciryl Gane in their next bout.
With that being said Tuivasa does not have many options in the top five of the division. Sergei Pavlovich is currently riding a four-fight win streak. In his most recent fight, he knocked out Derrick Lewis back in July. Pavlovich would make for a perfect opponent for Tuivasa. He is well-rounded and has a very exciting striking style that would make for an explosive matchup with Tuivasa.
Tuivasa’s next fight: Sergei Pavlovich
Marvin Vettori
Vettori is now 1-1 since losing his title shot against the champion, Israel Adesanya. He has a decision win over Paulo Costa and a decision loss to Robert Whittaker at UFC Paris. In his next fight, Vettori should be looking to solidify himself as the best grappler in the middleweight division. The two best grapplers in the division are Vettori and Derek Brunson who surprisingly enough have not fought yet. Brunson is coming off a knockout loss to Jared Cannonier in February and would love the chance to get back in the win column against Vettori in his next fight. Brunson is fighting Jack Hermansson in December; if that falls apart, or should Brunson win, Vettori would make sense.
Vettori’s next fight: Derek Brunson
Joaquin Buckley
Joaquin Buckley lost a unanimous decision to Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Paris. Buckley looked exceptionally good in the third round but ended up falling short. He is now 5-3 in the UFC and has been knocked out in two of his three losses. In his next fight, Buckley should be looking to fight someone with a big name to keep himself relevant.
Bruno Silva is a world-class kickboxer that is coming off back-to-back losses to Alex Pereira and Gerald Meerschaert. Before that losing streak, Silva was 3-0 in the UFC and has continued to show his expanded striking skills even in his two losses. This match-up would be perfect because it would seem both men need a win to get resigned by the UFC.
Buckley’s next fight: Bruno Silva
Alessio Di Chirico & Charles Jourdain
Alessio Di Chirico was knocked out by Roman Kopylov this past weekend while Charles Jourdain lost a decision to Nathaniel Wood.
Di Chirico is now 32 years old, and he is 1-5 in his last six fights. Jourdain is 4-5-1 in his time with the UFC but is on a two-fight losing streak.
There is a very big possibility that Di Chirico will be cut following his loss at UFC Paris. A lot of that will likely depend on the possibility of the promotion heading to Italy sometime next year. UFC Senior VP on International and Content, David Shaw, said following the Paris show that while they’d love to go to Italy, they do not have a venue set there.
Jourdain might have another chance in the UFC, but the promotion will probably have to weigh their options before bringing him back. His biggest UFC wins are over Andre Ewell and Lando Vannata. When he fought better guys like Shane Burgos, Julian Erosa, Andre Fili, and Nathaniel Wood, he ended up losing those fights. This could mean he is just not on the level of the top 15 of the UFC’s featherweight division. That said, he puts on exciting fights, and Canadian dates are a goal for the promotion next year. There are plenty of options outside the top 15, however, with Makwan Amirkhani coming off a loss in July.
As for Di Chirico, if he’s kept, a newcomer makes sense.
Jourdain’s next fight: Makwan Amirkhani
Di Chirico’s next fight: A newcomer, or outside UFC
