UFC Vegas 87 felt like a pit stop between Mexico City and UFC 299 this weekend. Originally booked for Saudi Arabia, the fight night card was demoted to the Apex instead.
A somewhat pedestrian main event still saw an improved Jair Rozenstruik however, while a few other fighters shined through. Here’s another stab at playing matchmaker as we see what comes next for Saturday’s main card winners.
Jairzinho Rozenstruik
Rozenstruik bounced back from his last loss by sending unbeaten Dagestani Shamil Gaziev packing from the UFC Apex on Saturday afternoon. The only Surinamese UFC fighter will move up a few spots after his victory, and will look to add another to his tally in order to gain his first win streak since 2019.
As a knockout artist, the choice for his next fight is fairly obvious, it’s a opponent which has loomed for years: Derrick Lewis. They are ranked close to each other, and pitting the heavyweight with the most knockouts ever against the HW with the most knockouts since 2019 just makes sense.
Rozenstruik’s Next Fight: vs Derrick Lewis
Vitor Petrino
It was hardly the most impressive of victories, but Petrino’s decision win over Tyson Pedro in Saturday’s co-main event represented his fourth straight UFC win. The twenty-six year old undefeated Brazilian is ready for his first shot at a ranked opponent.
Dustin Jacoby, the fifteenth-ranked light-heavyweight, is a logical opponent. Jacoby has had great successes in the UFC but is coming off a 1-3 run recently and needs to fight to keep his place in the rankings. The former GLORY kickboxer would be the stiffest challenge of Victor’s career thus far.
Petrino’s Next Fight: vs Dustin Jacoby
Muhammad Mokaev
With the flyweight title picture so fragmented, undefeated Dagestani Muhammad Mokaev’s fight with Alex Perez at UFC Vegas 87 on Saturday was a chance to earn a title shot with a good performance. Unfortunately for him, he did little to stamp his place with a close decision victory in a low-damage outing.
Mokaev definitely needs one more win to earn a title shot, with the other men in the running being Amir Albazi, Manel Kape, and Brandon Royval. Royval is just coming off a big win over Brandon Moreno, but also needs another win to claim his spot as the next challenger after losing to the champ twice already, so he is a perfect opponent for Mokaev.
Mokaev’s Next Fight: vs Brandon Royval
Umar Nurmagomedov
Thirteenth-ranked bantamweight Umar Nurmagomedov is one of the best talents in the bantamweight division at 17-0 with five UFC wins, but has not yet faced a ranked opponent. It may be logistically difficult to find him one, but Cory Sandhagen has already accepted to face him once. Umar pulled out of that matchup, but it should be made again.
Sandhagen is top-ranked and one win away from a title shot. He is injured but should be ready to fight this summer, and presents a challenge the likes of which Nurmagomedov has never seen before. The winner would be in pole position to strike at the belt in a stacked bantamweight division.
Nurmagomedov’s Next Fight: vs Cory Sandhagen
Steve Erceg
Australia’s Steve Erceg has beaten three quality opponents in his time in the UFC, facing ranked opposition in his debut against David Dvorak. He continued his precipitous rise at UFC Vegas 87 on Saturday with a highlight-reel knockout of Matt Schnell, and could be a win or two away from a title shot.
He came into the fight ranked twelfth at flyweight, and his victory over number nine will shake up the division by launching him into the top ten. There are any number of fighters he could face there, but the one that makes the most sense is Kiwi Kai-Kara France. KKF is coming off a controversial loss, and could reassert his status as a near-future title contender by beating Erceg, from a rival nation. This fight would be massive if held in either Australia or New Zealand, as well as a striker’s delight.
Erceg’s Next Fight: vs Kai-Kara France
