UFC Vegas 99 was a night of decisions. There were some exciting fights, but on the 11-fight card there was a total of only two finishes. In the main event, Michel Pereira fell to Alexander Hernandez in the only finish on the main card. And in the co main event, Kyler Phillips was stunned by the veteran Rob Font, in a 15-mintue back-and-forth, action-packed fight. With a retirement on the main card, there are only four fighters on the losing side who need matchups moving forward.
Michel Pereira
Michel Pereira was thoroughly dominated in nearly every aspect of the fight until he was mercifully finished in the final round by his opponent, Anthony Hernandez. Pereira entered the fight ranked at #14 in the UFC’s middleweight division, while his opponent was ranked at #13.
The loss snapped an eight-fight winning streak that dated back to February of 2020. The streak has spanned over two weight classes as Pereira went 5-0 as a welterweight and then went 3-0 at 185lbs. Leading into this bout, every middleweight bout Michel had participated in the UFC, he had not only won in the first round, but also had received a performance bonus (Andre Petroski, Michal Oleksiejczuk, Ihor Potieria).
Pereira should face an up-and-comer for his spot in his next fight. Stand-out prospects, Shara Magomedov and Armen Petrosyan are scheduled to fight at UFC 308 next weekend. Shara is undefeated at 14-0 and is a perfect 3-0 in the UFC. Petrosyan is 8-3 and 3-2 in the UFC. Armen already has solid wins over studs like Gregory Rodrigues and Christian Leroy Duncan. The winner of that fight on the October 26 will be more than ready to step up to take on a ranked fighter like Pereira.
Michel’s next fight: Shara Magomedov vs. Armen Petrosyan winner
Kyler Phillips
Kyler Phillips lost a unanimous decision at the hands of Rob Font in what was one of the biggest upsets at UFC Vegas 99. The loss snapped a three-fight win streak that dated back to July of 2021 (wins over Marcelo Rojo, Raoni Barcelos and Pedro Munhoz).
Kyler entered the fight ranked at #12 in the bantamweight division while his opponent, Rob Font, was ranked at #10.
Montel Jackson would be a good next fight for Phillips. Jackson is currently just barely in the top 15 at the #15 spot at 135lbs. Montel has won five in a row including three stoppages coming in the very first round and two performance bonuses in the same time period. Jackson was last in action back in July when he KO’d Da’Mon Blackshear with a straight left in just 18 seconds.
Kyler’s next fight: Montel Jackson
Sumudaerji
Sumudaerji was soundly defeated in a very competitive back and forth striking battle with Charles Johnson. With that loss ‘The Tibetan Eagle’ now falls to 3-4 with the UFC. Sumudaerji has now lost his last three fights in a row after starting off with the UFC going 3-1 from 2018-2021.
A good next fight for Sumudaerji would be a fighter like Jimmy Flick. Jimmy has lost three of his last four fights since his mini retirement ended spanning from 2021-2023.
One of the fighters he lost to since his retirement was none other than Charles Johnson, who finished him in the first round of their bout, last January. Flick was last in action back in June when he lost a unanimous decision to Nate Maness.
Sumudaerji’s next fight: Jimmy Flick
Jake Hadley
Jake Hadley was stunned on Saturday night when he lost a unanimous decision to the short notice newcomer Cameron Smotherman. With the loss Hadley now falls to 3-4 in the UFC and has lost three of his last four fights.
Hadley should fight Brad Katona in his next bout. Katona fought and lost on the undercard of UFC Vegas 99 to Jean Matsumoto in a unanimous decision. He is 4-4 in the UFC and 2-2 since winning The Ultimate Fighter Season 31 last August. The timing for this fight would make sense and it seems like a more appropriate fight than trying to rebook the fight with Brady Hiestand.
Jake’s next fight: Brad Katona
Daniel Pineda
Daniel Pineda put on an extremely gutsy performance against Darren Elkins but was ultimately defeated in a bloody three round unanimous decision war. The fight would go on to win fight of the night honors.
In his post-fight speech Pineda took of his gloves and laid them in the center of the octagon. He then took to the mic to announce his retirement from the UFC and MMA.
Daniel’s next fight: N/A
