An abbreviated UFC Vegas 70 card lost its main event at the eleventh hour on Saturday, resulting in a four-fight affair topped by Brendan Allen vs. Andre Muniz.
Such is the danger of some of these thinner Apex-based cards. To see a main event fall through last minute is a rarity, but this is the second time in recent months (following Derrick Lewis vs. Serghei Spivac last November) that such a setback has occurred. Luckily, Allen made the most of his opportunity, as did a handful of others on the night, resulting in every finishing fighter picking up a bonus. Others weren’t so lucky, of course, and will have to rebuild.
Here’s what could be next for those.
Andre Muniz
The man who sent Jacare Souza into retirement with a broken arm found himself choked into submission by Brendan Allen in what turned out to be the UFC Vegas 70 main event.
The loss snapped a nine-fight win streak for Muniz, and though Allen essentially beat him at his own game, it shouldn’t push him back too far. Muniz, after all, had been undefeated in the UFC prior to Saturday, and was ranked #11. That will fall, Allen will jump up, but Muniz will probably still be hanging around the #15 spot or thereabouts when the rankings update. He just fought down against the unranked Allen, and may have to do so again.
Nassourdine Imavov would have been a great option, given he also hit a road block against Sean Strickland last month, but Imavov just hand ankle surgery. Instead, we’ll go a different route: Makhmud Muradov has lost two straight but was on a huge roll prior to that. He was the first MMA fighter signed to Floyd Mayweather’s The Money Team, and got some extra eyeballs because of that. He doesn’t currently have a fight booked.
Muniz’s next fight: Makhmud Muradov
Don’Tale Mayes
Augusto Sakai was a step up in competition for Don’Tale Mayes, one that did not go his way. Were his loss to Hamdy Abdelwahab not overturned to a No Contest, Mayes would be sitting on two straight losses at the moment. Instead, he’s coming off one loss, and had two wins prior to that No Contest.
Mayes hasn’t taken the easy road in the UFC, mind you: he asked for tough fights and has got them against Ciryl Gane, Rodrigo Nascimento, and the formerly ranked Sakai. If he wants to keep taking tough fights, Blagoy Ivanov is also coming off a recent loss.
Mayes’ next fight: Blagoy Ivanov
Montana De La Rosa
With no disrespect to Montana De La Rosa, her fight at UFC Vegas 70 was a setup fight for opponent Tatiana Suarez. Despite her injury struggles many still see the TUF 23 winner as a future champ. Suarez didn’t look quite that Saturday, but she still looked good in her first fight in over three years, submitting De La Rosa with a guillotine.
For De La Rosa, who has now lost two straight, it’s time to regroup. She’s batting .500 in the UFC, with a 4-4-1 record. Coming up, Gillian Robertson fights Piera Rodriguez. That fight goes down in April, giving De La Rosa some extra time in the gym. Book her against the loser.
De La Rosa’s next fight: Robertson vs. Rodriguez loser
Yohan Lainesse
With the UFC absent in Canada since 2019 and the country undergoing an MMA lull, it was almost cruel to pit Quebec’s Lainesse against Ontario’s Mike Malott at UFC Vegas 70. There just aren’t that many Canadian fighters on the roster these days, after all.
Lainesse fell to 1-2 care of a submission loss, and a win is essential in his next fight. Anyone but another fellow Canadian will do, and in this case, a match-up with Mounir Lazzez, coming off a loss with a 2-2 record in the UFC, sounds like a fun fight.
Lainesse’s next fight: Mounir Lazzez
