The UFC was back in action at the Apex in Las Vegas for UFC Vegas 97, where Sean Brady picked up a decision win over Gilbert Burns in the main event. Natalia Silva collected her own decision over Jessica Andrade in the co-headliner, leaving two high-profile UFC stars in need of regrouping. We’ll play a little matchmaker now and see what comes next for those and other fighters who struck out on the main card.
Gilbert Burns
At 38-years old, Gilbert Burns is on the tail end of his career. That’s just the reality of it. After challenging for welterweight gold in 2021, Burns is 3-4 in the promotion. That’s not dreadful, but three of those four losses have come about consecutively across his last three fights.
Burns is unlikely to ever get another crack at gold, and the UFC being the UFC, will likely now be booked against a number of younger stars, much like Brady. If they do go that route, it wouldn’t be surprising to see someone like Michael Morales booked against Burns. Unfortunate, but not surprising. That said, the man Morales just beat, Neil Magny, is the preferable option here. He remains ranked, at #15, and has been trading wins and losses the past few years. He’s 37. He did lose to Burns in January 2023, but if you book this, say, four months on down the line, that’s two years between fights, and not the worst rematch. Preferable to feeding the old(er) to the young.
Burns’ next fight: Neil Magny rematch
Jessica Andrade
Former women’s strawweight champ Jessica Andrade is far from old, but she’s got a lot of mileage on her these days, and a lot of outside distractions. Ahead of UFC Vegas 97, word broke that she was suing a former coach for embezzling millions of dollars. Previously, she tried her hand at OnlyFans, only to see explicit photos leak to the public.
Despite having two straight wins at strawweight, Andrade returned to flyweight at UFC Vegas 97, only to lose a decision to Natalia Silva. In all honesty, if she can handle the weight cut still, the move is still strawweight. And if you kind of discount the loss at 125lbs, she’s still a player there, and has yet to face another fellow Brazilian in Amanda Ribas. Coincidentally, Ribas also just dropped a fight at flyweight, to Rose Namajunas, but before that had a win at strawweight. Book these two, 115lbs, and maybe have them stick with strawweight for the time being.
Andrade’s next fight: Amanda Ribas
Kyle Nelson
What an unfortunate turn of events for Kyle “The Monster” Nelson. Sitting on a solid win streak, the unranked featherweight had been granted a shot against a big name in Calvin Kattar, only for Kattar to drop out of UFC Vegas 97. Steve Garcia stepped in, Nelson missed weight, and to add insult to injury, Garcia picked up the TKO victory.
Now, there’s an argument to be made that Garcia deserves the Kattar fight. As for Nelson, he’ll have to lower his aim a fair bit. Jamall Emmers could fit the bill; he’s coming off a loss to Nate Landwehr, and has been trading wins and losses of late.
Nelson’s next fight: Jamall Emmers
Matt Schnell
Fare thee well Matt “Danger” Schnell. The flyweight left his gloves in the octagon following a third consecutive loss at UFC Vegas 97, in this case to Cody Durden. We all know what that means.
Schnell’s next fight: retirement
Trevor Peek
A 2022 Contender Series winner, lightweight Trevor Peek fell to 2-3 under the UFC banner this past Saturday, taken to a decision by Yanal Ashmouz. He’s now lost two straight and three of his last four, and this early in his career with the 2024 Contender Series underway, that could be a death sentence (or more accurately a pink slip).
Should the UFC keep Peek around for another shot, an incoming Contender Series fighter wouldn’t be a bad call. Peek’s fought three to four times a year the past few years, so one more towards the end of 2024 isn’t a bad idea, against an early DWCS Season 8 winner looking to make a quick debut.
Peek’s next fight: 2024 DWCS winner
