UFC Vegas 96 featured a five-fight undercard and a special six fight main card that featured two The Ultimate Fighter 32 tournament winners being crowned. And in the main event two top ranked middleweight fighters, Caio Borralho and Jared Cannonier went to war for five straight rounds. A few veterans on UFC Vegas 96 have to look for their next steps while a couple fringe UFC fighters have to ‘get in where they fit in’.
Jared Cannonier
Jared Cannonier lost a unaimous decision to surging Caio Borralho in the main event of UFC Vegas 96. It was a bout that saw Jared severely hurt at one point. Cannonier headed into the fight as the #5 ranked UFC middleweight while Borralho was ranked at #12 going in. Cannonier has now lost three of his last five fights dating back to his July of 2022, unsuccessful title challenge, opposite of Israel Adesanya.
Jared’s next fight should be against Paulo Costa. Both fighters are on two fight losing streaks. The pair were also supposed to fight in August of 2021 before Costa withdrew from the fight. Costa is ranked at #8 in the UFC’s middleweight rankings. Costa has also lost four of his last five fights dating back to his 2020 unsuccessful title challenge against one Israel Adesanya.
It’s a fight that would make sense for both men as well as fans.
Cannonier’s next fight: Paulo Costa
Angela Hill
Angela Hill lost an entertaining fight to Tabatha Ricci in the co main event of UFC Vegas 96.
Hill entered the bout ranked at #9 in the women’s strawweight division while her opponent, Ricci, was ranked at #11. Hill has now lost two of her last six fights dating back to her August of 2022 unanimous decision victory against Lupita Godinez.
Angela has fought so many people in the division, and with her active muay thai style she always makes for an entertaining fight.
Hill should fight Looma Lookboonmee in her next fight. That fight would be a rematch of the pair’s February of 2022 fight, in which Angela Hill won a unaimous decision. Since that bout, Looma is 5-1, only losing to Lupita Godinez in November of 2021. Looma is still unranked, but it would be a perfect time in both women’s careers for this muay thai rematch.
Hill’s next fight: Looma Lookboonmee
Robert Valentin
Robert Valentin was TKO’d while trapped in a crucifix in the second round of his bout with Ryan Loder on Saturday. The bout was to decide who was to be crowned The Ultimate Fighter 32 at 185lbs.
Valentin had not lost in five fights dating back to 2022 and will now look to see if he will potentially get a contract with the UFC. Robert will very likely get some fights in the UFC thanks to his persona, fight style and the current state of the UFC’s middleweight division.
Tresean Gore and Antonio Trocoli are slated to fight on November 11th. Robert should get the loser of that fight. Gore was also nearly a TUF winner like Valentin (Injured ahead of TUF 29 finale). Gore is still very inexperienced at just 4-2 as a pro. Antonio Trocoli is a Contender Series vet that lost his short notice UFC debut to Shara Magomedov back in June. Either match up would be a good fight for Valentin based off the skill level of both fighters.
Valentin’s next fight: Tresean Gore vs. Antonio Trocoli Loser
Kaan Ofli
Kaan Ofli was brutally KO’d by his opponent, Mairon Santos, in the second round of their bout on Saturday at UFC Vegas 96. The bout was to decide which fighter would be crowned The Ultimate Fighter 32 at 145lbs.
Heading into the bout, Ofli had not lost since 2016. He won eight fights in a row in order to secure his spot on TUF 32.
With the result on Saturday and the current state of the UFC’s featherweight division, it’s unlikely Ofli is picked up by the UFC. At 31 years old it is possible that the UFC comes looking for him if they need a short notice replacement or someone to match up with a Contender Series guy, but outside of that, there isn’t really a matchup that stands out for Ofli at this point.
Ofli’s next fight: Contender Series Winner/ Short Notice Fight
Neil Magny
Neil Magny was smoked in the first round of his bout against undefeated prospect, Michael Morales. Magny, a UFC OG, with 33 fights with the organization, has now lost four of his last seven fights. This dates back to his June of 2022 loss opposite of Shavkat Rakhmonov.
Neil Magny entered the fight ranked at #12 in the welterweight division while his opponent, Michael Morales was an unranked hot prospect.
With that in mind, Neil Magny should fight Randy Brown. Magny is a bonafide gate keeper at this point and might lose his ranking when the new rankings come out. Brown is on a three-fight winning streak (Wellington Turman, Muslim Salikhov and Elizeu Zaleski). He deserves a shot at cracking into the rankings. The two long rangy welterweights should scrap as it’d be a good one.
Brown’s next fight: Randy Brown
Edmen Shahbazyan
Edmen Shahbazyan was submitted in the opening fight of the UFC Vegas 96 main card, when Gerald Meerschaert completed the miraculous comeback, pulling off a second-round submission. The heartbreaking loss for Shahbazyan earned his opponent a performance bonus for the submission. And a spot in the record books as Gerald passed Anderson Silva for the all-time UFC middleweight finish record.
Shahbazyan has now lost five of his last seven fights dating back to his 2020 step up in competition against Derek Brunson. Edmen has struggled mightily since that step up in competition and now has a record of 6-5 with the UFC.
Shahbazyan should fight Michal Oleksiejczuk in his next fight. Michal is currently on a three-fight losing streak having lost to Michel Pereira, Kevin Holland and most recently, Shara Magomedov. Michal’s last win came in August of 2023 when he finished Chidi Njokuani in the first round. Oleksiejczuk is 7-7 with 1 NC in the UFC since 2017. This fight has the potential to be a great standup banger.
Shahbazyan’s next fight: Michal Oleksiejczuk
