This past Saturday’s UFC Vegas 96 turned out to be one of the more entertaining Apex-based cards in a good long while (though we’ll still be happy to see the venue in the rear-view come November). A very compelling, and thoroughly action-packed main event, a solid co-headliner, and comeback to open the main card, and two of the more memorable Ultimate Fighter finale finishes in recent memory all helped boost a card that might have otherwise been “just another” show at the UFC’s private venue.
What comes next for the night’s big winners, including new Ultimate Fighter champs Ryan Loder and Mairon Santos? Let’s see how the matchmaker hat fits and do a bit of fantasy booking.
Caio Borralho
Fighting Nerd Caio Borralho’s UFC run thus far has been nothing short of extraordinary. For those that remember his 2021 Contender Series showing, he was forced to fight twice in the season despite winning his encounter against Aaron Jeffrey, a bonafide top prospect now with Bellator. That second fight came at light heavyweight and resulted in a finish, following which Borralho dropped back down to middleweight and never looked back.
The Brazilian now sits on a 16-fight win streak with seven of those fights coming under the UFC banner (and adding those two DWCS fights, you should have an idea of how impressive Borralho has been). UFC Vegas 96, however, was still something of a gamble: Borralho, ranked outside the top 10, was paired up with a former title challenger in Jared Cannonier who, at 40, was still ranked #5 in the UFC’s 185lb division.
If this was a test, Borralho passed it with top marks. We can’t say “flying colours” here, because Cannonier held his own and had Borralho hurt at times. But the fight, while competitive, belonged to Borralho, who won on all three scorecards and had two near-finishes, first by TKO and later by submission.
Rest assured, while Borralho may not shoot up to the top of the division, he will almost certainly be in the top 10 when the rankings update. And there’s no looking back now. Middleweight has a new Sherriff in town in the form of Dricus Du Plessis, and while Sean Strickland is likely next in a rematch of their UFC 297 meeting, beyond that it’s anyone’s ballgame, with Alex Pereira at light heavyweight and Israel Adesanya just having lost to the champ (yes, there’s the Whittaker-Chimaev winner, but as we all know, anything can happen when it comes to title shots).
Bottom line, Borralho needs another big fight. It should be easy enough to sell him as headliner on another Fight Night card, or put him high up on a PPV. Either way, he needs another top 10 foe. While Brendan Allen and Marvin Vettori were busy going at it in a casino recently, Allen is actually booked against Nassourdine Imavov in Paris next month. The winner of that fight makes perfect sense for Borralho. Both would be in contention but probably a fight or two away from a title shot anyway. And Allen in particular is on a very impressive run.
Borralho’s next fight: Allen vs. Imavov winner
Tabatha Ricci
The “Baby Shark” was swimming well at UFC Vegas 96 as Tabatha Ricci flowed against Angela Hill. The three-round co-main event might have been overshadowed by the excellent headliner that followed, but it was still a very good fight. Ricci, who started the night ranked #11, should find herself back in the top 10 shortly.
Here’s where things get tricky: Mackenzie Dern and Amanda Ribas are booked to face off in Tampa later this year. They’re ranked #8 and #7 at strawweight. #9, Loopy Godinez, Ricci has fought, losing to the Mexican-Canadian last November. It’s too soon for a rematch, honestly. Marina Rodriguez has a fight booked in October, and any higher might be too much of a jump at the moment. That means fighting down the rankings, and the only option not booked (or whom Ricci hasn’t already faced) is Karolina Kowalkiewicz. She’s sitting at #15 and though coming off a loss was on a four-fight win streak prior to that.
The former strawweight title challenger still carries some name value, and doesn’t have a fight booked. It’s a fight that should work for both women.
Ricci’s next fight: Karolina Kowalkiewicz
Ryan Loder
Ryan Loder defeated a very formidable opponent in Robert Valentin in the second of two Ultimate Fighter 32 finales at UFC Vegas 96 on Saturday. He gets the six-figure contract and TUF crown as a result, but let’s not overlook the fact that Loder still has less than 10 pro fights to his name (he’s 7-1), plus his two exhibition bouts on TUF.
That means there’s no need to fast track here. Honestly, as unsexy as it may be, the best option here it to book Loder against a debuting DWCS fighter. Or, if the timing works out great, someone who has just a single fight in the company. Jose Medina fought and lost on the same card, but given Loder just won TUF, that’s a step back. With no 1-0 fighter available, let’s give him a Contender Series winner coming into the company on a head of steam.
Loder’s next fight: Any debuting middleweight off DWCS
Mairon Santos
With 15 pro fights Mairon Santos, the TUF 32 featherweight winner, is just a little more seasoned than his middleweight counterpart. Like Loder, he looked fantastic over a very good Kaan Ofli, who was a standout on the show. In fact Santos’ biggest challenge of late has come at the scale, but he did hit the mark on Friday after stripping down.
As for his debut, Contender Series 2023 winner Hyder Amil is 10-0, and has won his first two UFC fights. That feels like a very fun match-up.
Santos’ next fight: Hyder Amil
Michael Morales
More people need to be talking about welterweight Michael Morales. The man finished UFC welterweight fights and wins leader Neil Magny at UFC Vegas 96, won a Performance of the Night bonus for his efforts, and is 17-0. The problem is, 170lbs is stacked with unbeaten top prospects at the moment: Shavkat Rakhmonov is 18-0 and you can’t really call him a prospect anymore, he’s a contender. Ian Machado Garry is 15-0. Add in Jack Della Maddalena, who isn’t unbeaten but is on a 17-fight win streak, and Morales often gets overlooked. Those other three names are ranked; Morales was not heading into Saturday. That’s about to change, however.
There might be some pressure to book Morales against one of the three, especially since none have a fight booked. But Garry is ranked #7, Maddalena #5, and Rakhmonov #3. He may in fact be next for champ Belal Muhammad, and all three may be out of reach of Morales for now. The two men ahead of Magny’s #12 spot in the division, Geoff Neal and Joaquin Buckley, both have fights booked for later this year. Sean Brady, however, is scheduled to face Gilbert Burns in less than two weeks. Brady is ranked #8, and Burns #6. The loser of that fight (despite Morales coming off a win) might make sense rankings-wise. The winner might work as well, as it’s unlikely either is anywhere near a title shot, but really Brady seems like the better option, having once been in a similar spot to Morales.
Morales’ next fight: Sean Brady
Gerald Meerschaert
Middleweight Gerald Meerschaert has so much dog in him we’re worried he’s going to start chasing (and submitting) cars soon. Back in 2019, at UFC Newark for his 40th fight, he admitted he had more bouts on his record than the numbers showed. Even then, he was calling his skillset “old man jiu-jitsu.” Well, Meerschaert now has 54 fights to his name, and two wins this year. He’s never going to fight for a title at 36 and outside of the rankings, but he’s a very dangerous opponent for those looking to break into the top 15.
Roman Kopylov might make sense in that regard. He’s 5-1 in his last six fights with two performance bonuses, and was supposed to fight on Saturday before a bout with Appendicitis took him off the card. Once he’s ready to go, booking these two could work.
Meerschaert’s next fight: Roman Kopylov
