It was a rough, rough night at the office for several key members of the UFC Vegas 87 card on Saturday. Those included card opener Matt Schnell, co-main event star Tyson Pedro (who retired following his loss to Vitor Petrino), and headliner Shamil Gaziev, who some have accused of quitting in the fight.
There’s a lot to unpack before we get to what comes next for these athletes, so let’s get to work!
Shamil Gaziev
In the eyes of many a fan and pundit, Shamil Gaziev was the heavy favorite heading into UFC Vegas 87, where he faced Surinamese kickboxer Jairzinho Rozenstruik. A lot of that likely came down to Gaziev’s undefeated record, but looks can be deceiving. There are a lot of 0-0, 1-0, and 2-0 records belonging to the Bahraini’s opponents on his resume; through his first seven fights, he didn’t face anyone with more than five fights’ worth of experience, and even that was an outlier. Pro fight number seven, Gaziev was fighting someone making their pro debut.
A lot of that matchmaking comes down to where Shamil was competing and how thin heavyweight is. So not knocking him, just the reality is, not all undefeated records are created equally. Even when he got to stiffer competition, Darko Stosic is barely a heavyweight (he fought at 205 in the UFC).
As for Gaziev quitting in this fight, it comes down to an argument between fighter and corner about being unable to see between rounds. Here’s what quashes the quitting argument: at the end of it all, Gaziev appeared ready to soldier on for the fifth round. Nor was he trying to get the ref’s attention, as he wasn’t speaking English. Credit to ref Marc Goddard for having the presence of mind to a) recognize something was wrong and b) demand the translator explain what was going on. He made the right call in stopping the fight. Gaziev made the right call in telling his corner. The only fault really is his corner urging him to carry on with impaired vision, but even that is understandable in the heat of the moment.
Ultimately Shamil will now regroup and probably needs a slower path up the division. He was exposed pretty badly by Jair Rozenstruik’s jab, and there are obvious cardio issues. When Gaziev is ready to rumble again, let’s go with someone outside of the rankings. The loser of Josh Parisian vs. Olympian Robelis Despaigne at UFC 299 works.
Gaziev’s next fight: Josh Parisian vs. Robelis Despaigne loser
Tyson Pedro
Australian light heavyweight Tyson Pedro retired after his loss to Vitor Petrino, so we don’t need to do any matchmaking for him. But Pedro’s retirement has sparked the fighter pay debate yet again, just over six weeks out from the UFC heading to the biggest fight in company history: not UFC 300, but an antitrust lawsuit that sees them risking the loss of over a billion dollars, and the possibility that some of their business practices be deemed illegitimate.
Since fighter pay is no longer disclosed in Nevada, it’s hard to say what Pedro made on Saturday. That’s a black mark on the Nevada Athletic Commission, which never should have caved to pressure from promoters to hide fighter pay behind the curtain (in short, fighter’s no longer have a point of reference as to what their peers make when negotiating contracts with the promotion, and it keeps the unseemly low pay of high level athletes out of the public eye). But in 2023, Pedro fought twice, going 1-1. Right off the bat, that means he earned 75% of his potential salary, because of the show/win system. Beyond that, he had travel expenses, gym fees, and taxes. While Pedro cited the need to be with his family as a factor in retiring, he also joked that he’d need to mug someone in the parking lot after losing half his paycheck on Saturday.
This is a very bad look for the UFC, though the usual pack of dimwits rushed to Dana White’s defense, blaming Pedro for accepting a bad deal. That brings us back to the antitrust suit, which alleges the UFC used their market dominance to force a bad deal on pretty much everyone. At least from 2011 to 2017. Pedro joined the promotion in 2016, so he is part of the class period and entitled to compensation should the outcome favor the fighters. But that fact is, it’s 2024, and entry-level UFC fighters are making the same money they were a decade ago, despite soaring inflation. Mid-tier fighters barely earn enough to squeak by. Playing in the Canadian Football League gives you a more reliable paycheck than the UFC at this point. It’s shameful.
And the timing is really, really bad for the UFC, as it just reminds everyone of the upcoming lawsuit, as settlement talks remain ongoing.
Pedro’s next fight: Retirement
Alex Perez
Ex-flyweight title challenger Alex Perez looked decent in a loss to top-flight prospect Muhammad Mokaev at UFC Vegas 87, and some have suggested he even exposed “The Punisher” to some degree. Let’s not get too crazy, but it was a competitive fight. Perez doesn’t lose too much shine from the loss itself, but rather from having dropped three straight, and his lack of activity, fighting three times in four years.
This would be a good time to rebook the Matt Schnell fight. It’s fallen through more than once, it feels like there’s unfinished business there, and Schnell fought and lost on the same card.
Perez’s next fight: Matt Schnell
Bekzat Almakhan
You land your UFC debut, and it’s against Umar Nurmagomedov. Man, what a gut punch. But Bekzat Almakhan didn’t hesitate, where a number of UFC veterans did. Credit to the Kazakh for taking the fight, and even knocking down Nurmagomedov early in the bout. He was dominated from there, but let’s see how he looks against someone not from the Nurmagomedov clan before we pass judgement.
Daniel “Willycat” Santos is 2-1 in the UFC and doesn’t have a fight booked. Let’s see how that goes.
Almakhan’s next fight: Daniel Santos
Matt Schnell
Matt Schnell was flatlined by Steven Erceg in the UFC Vegas 87 card-opener. That’s something you don’t see often at flyweight. Now seems like the perfect time to get that fight with Alex Perez back on the books, as we’ve already discussed. They both lost on the same night so the timing works out, though Schnell might need a slightly longer layoff to heal up.
Schnell’s next fight: Alex Perez
