UFC Abu Dhabi saw undefeated bantamweight Umar Nurmagomedov notch his biggest win yet, while rising star Shara “Bullet” Magomedov picked up another win at middleweight. The six-fight main card washed away a mostly dull preliminary line-up, and saw Magomedov vs. Oleksiejczuk earn Fight of the Night honors. Now, it’s full steam ahead for some of the night’s big winners.
Umar Nurmagomedov
Being undefeated is one thing, but beating an elite fighter like Cory Sandhagen in your first fight against a ranked opponent is truly the most impressive feat in young Umar Nurmagomedov’s career to date. ‘Sandman’ was the second-ranked bantamweight in the UFC going into UFC Abu Dhabi, so Umar should take that spot now. Going forward there are basically two clear options for him.
The UFC could justifiably say that Nurmagomedov has done enough to earn his title shot. Although he only has the one ranked win in the promotion, that win alone proves he is a top-five bantamweight. Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili will compete for the belt at Noche UFC/UFC 306 in the Las Vegas Sphere next month, so the winner could defend against Umar in early 2025.
The UFC could also say that Deiveson Figueirdo, who also won at UFC Abu Dhabi, is equally deserving after beating Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera, winning three in a row at bantamweight, and of course being a former multiple-time flyweight champion. However, Vera is already on a poor run of form while Sandhagen was at the peak of his powers. Umar Nurmagomedov deserves the next title shot after Dvalishvili.
Nurmagomedov’s Next Fight: Winner of O’Malley/Dvalishvili
Shara Magomedov
The one-eyed self-proclaimed pirate Sharaputdin ‘Bullet’ Magomedov is now 3-0 in the UFC and 14-0 as a professional after beating Michal Oleksiejczuk in Abu Dhabi. The UFC clearly think highly of ‘Shara bullet,’ having given him this co-main event slot over former champion and title challenger Figueiredo and Vera, so this winning streak should be enough to push him near the rankings. There are a few fighters who float just outside of the top fifteen at middleweight, but the one that would produce the best fight with Magomedov is Gregory ‘Robocop’ Rodrigues.
Rodrigues is known as arguably the most exciting 185-lber in the sport today with his aggressive style, heavy hands, and lethal jiu-jitsu. On a three-fight winning streak of his own, Gregory would be the toughest test of Shara’s career to date and the winner would surely be propelled into the rankings. As a bonus, this hypothetical fight has true ‘Fight of the Night’ potential.
Magomedov’s Next Fight: Gregory Rodrigues
Deiveson Figueiredo
Former multiple-time flyweight champion Deiveson ‘Deus da Guerra’ Figueiredo showed he is a serious contender at 135-lbs as well by beating Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera, the most recent challenger to the bantamweight throne. As discussed above, his three-fight winning streak could see him in a number one contender fight soon. If Umar indeed does get the next title shot after Merab, then Figueiredo and former bantamweight king Petr Yan are the next best challengers at present.
The winner could fight the winner of Umar’s title fight later in 2025, but on a more immediate note, the fight would be pure action. Yan and Figgy have both won multiple ‘Fight of the Night’ and ‘Performance of the Night’ bonuses with the UFC, even earning consideration for ‘Fight of the Year’ a few times each. They are both well-rounded fighters, though with very different styles of both striking and grappling; fights like these represent the best MMA has to offer, elite operators from different disciplines and schools of thought clashing in the cage.
Figueiredo’s Next Fight: Petr Yan
Michael Chiesa
Chiesa made it look easy when he tapped out former UFC interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson in a welterweight bout at UFC Abu Dhabi, but as a near seven-to-one favorite and facing a man who is now on an eight-fight losing streak, the win is less impressive than it would have been a few years ago. Though Tony is old, Michael Chiesa himself is 36 years old and lost three fights in a row coming into this one. This relatively sweat-free win will only serve to put him back in there with young, hungry welterweights who will challenge ‘the Maverick.’
The top few fighters just outside of the rankings at 170-lbs are Michael Morales, Rinat Fakhretdinov, Randy Brown, and Chiesa himself. Morales and Rinat are already scheduled to throw down, so why not book Brown and Chiesa? This clash of styles between a flowy striker and a submission grappler would end with one man ready to face a ranked foe in their next outing.
Chiesa’s Next Fight: Randy Brown
Mackenzie Dern
Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Dern’s close decision win over Lupita Godinez may have been somewhat controversial, but it was unanimous and Mackenzie broke her two-fight losing streak as a result. Dern has already fought all of other top strawweights except for Tatiana Suarez. Either Suarez or another BJJ black belt, Virna Jandiroba, will be next as challenger for champion Zhang Weili. Jandiroba did fight Dern before, but it was a competitive fight and was four years ago, meaning a rematch could be in order.
Whoever the UFC decides will be next as the title challenger, Dern should fight the other woman. Either fight is compelling; Suarez is an elite folkstyle wrestler which could create a similar dynamic as Dern vs Jandiroba. Neither would necessarily be a thriller for the ages, but high level grappling is a treat to watch for the educated fan. The winner may just be in line for a UFC title shot thereafter.
Dern’s Next Fight: Tatiana Suarez OR Virna Jandiroba
Joel Alvarez
Spain’s Joel ‘El Fenomeno’ Alvarez impressed in a beatdown of Chutebox fighter Elves Brener at UFC Abu Dhabi on Saturday. With perhaps-improved takedown defense, Alvarez may be ready to be a true threat to fighters in the top-15 like his fellow massive, flawed, athletic dynamo Jalin Turner. With two wins in a row under his belt and his only losses in the UFC having come to top talents Arman Tsarukyan and Damir Ismagulov, Alvarez could be thrown in there with any fighter right outside the rankings at 155-lbs.
Fighters like Drakkar Klose, Ludovit Klein, and Carlos Diego Ferreira are there and on winning streaks, any of them would be a good matchup. Of those, CDF is the strongest wrestler, so perhaps that matchup would be best as the UFC tries to ascertain if Joel’s takedown defense is where it needs to be in order to enter the lightweight rankings.
Alvarez’s Next Fight: Carlos Diego Ferreira
