The final Fight Night of 2023 went down this past weekend, as the UFC headed back to the confines of the Apex got UFC Vegas 83.
Song Yadong was victorious at the top of the bill, dominating Chris Gutierrez over five rounds, beginning to build momentum in a stacked bantamweight division. Let’s take a look at what could be next for the winners.
Song Yadong
Still at just 26 years of age, Song Yadong’s skillset continues to impress. After suffering just his second UFC loss in 11 fights against Cory Sandhagen last year, the Chinese fighter needed to bounce back with a big 2023 to keep his name near the top of the division.
He began his year with a perfect performance over Ricky Simon, which put him in place to headline an event before the year was out. “Kung Fu Kid” was hoping to be headlining in his home country of China, but just weeks before the event, it was confirmed it was being moved to the Apex. Ultimately it didn’t affect his performance, and he is now set to have a big 2024.
There is one name that makes the most sense at the moment due to their recent decline, and the fact that they still occupy a high rank. That name being, Petr Yan. It was recently announced that Henry Cejudo and Merab Dvalishvili would face off in February, only really leaving Yan as a possible opponent.
Yadong’s Next Fight: Petr Yan
Khalil Rountree Jr.
Rountree Jr. continued his extremely impressive run with a win over Anthony Smith in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 83. Despite Smith’s drastic decline over the past few years, it is still a big name for Khalil to add to his resume.
With “The War Horse” now likely to enter the top 10 of the light heavyweight rankings, he may find himself a few fights away from title contention. Having said that, I think it is fair to say that during this five fight win streak, he has been given favourable matchups throughout, and that can’t continue.
Unexpectedly, Khalil called for a fight with the champion, Pereira, but obviously that’s in another universe. Aleksander Rakic is scheduled to make a return to the Octagon after some time away injured, and that could be a fight that makes sense for both going forward.
Khalil Rountree Jr’s. Next Fight: Aleksander Rakic
Nasrat Haqparast
The Afghan born lightweight continued his impressive run, with a blockbuster KO over the durable, Jamie Mullarkey.
Haqparast’s last two losses came to fighters who are currently ranked inside the top 15 of the 155lb division, in Bobby Green and Dan Hooker. I think over his last three performances, the 28-year-old has proved that he is once again ready for that top 15 test.
He has made incredible improvements to his striking game and riding the momentum, could prove to be a dark horse in the division heading into 2024.
The issue for Haqparast is that the fighters just inside the top 15 are already booked to fight each other. Fighting the loser of Renato Moicano vs Drew Dober could make sense, despite him having already fought Dober.
Haqparast’s Next Fight: The loser of Renato Moicano vs Drew Dober
Tim Elliott
Tim Elliott’s awkwardness proved too much for Sumudaerji as the 36-year-old secured the submission in round one of his late notice fight.
Coming into this fight on just over a weeks notice, Elliott didn’t have much to lose, despite still being ranked 10th in the flyweight division. Elliott is now at a point in his career where it is unlikely that he will make a run to the title, but because he is still ranked in the top 10, he will likely have to fight young contenders.
One of them being Steve Erceg, who has looked sharp in his first two UFC outings. That is a fight that I could see happening next. Failing that, if Cody Durden picks up a win at UFC 296, he could aim for a fight with Elliot.
Elliot’s Next Fight: Steve Erceg
Andre Muniz
After suffering two losses to begin 2023, Andre Muniz needed to bounce back with a win to snap his losing skid.
He was able to do that by the skin of his teeth, picking up a split decision win over “The Iron Turtle”, Jun Yong Park. Shara “Bullet” is seemingly going to be fast tracked to the middleweight top 15, and Andre Muniz is a name that could make sense for him next, as unfortunate as that may be for the Brazilian.
Muniz’s Next Fight: Sharabutdin Magomedov
