Despite losing part of the main card thanks to Derrick Lewis’ sudden withdraw, UFC Edmonton proved to be a competitive, tactical night of fights. The 13-fight card produced just four finishes with half of them coming on the special, six fight main card. In the five-round co main event, Erin Blanchfield rallied and completed the comeback against former UFC Strawweight Champion, Rose Namajunas, in a title eliminator bout. And in the main event, Brandon Moreno returned from his short leave of absence to completely shut down Amir Albazi. A lot of unique matchups for the losers on the main card of UFC Edmonton are out there, so let’s take a look.
Amir Albazi
Amir was on the wrong end of a one-sided beating in main event on Saturday night, against the former flyweight champion, Brandon Moreno. Moreno entered the fight ranked at #2 in the UFC’s flyweight division after taking some time off. Albazi entered the fight ranked at #3. With the defeat Albazi had his 6-fight winning streak snapped- dating back to his April 2019, pre-UFC, loss against Jose ‘Shorty’ Torres. Albazi was 5-0 in the UFC heading into this fight; if he would have won impressively, he would’ve likely been the next person to fight for the belt (after Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Asakura, of course).
Now, after being badly beaten and outclassed over the course of five rounds on Saturday, Albazi will have to pick up the pieces.
It would be advantageous for Amir to do a complete reset. A fight against a veteran in Tim Elliott, a former title challenger, makes sense. Elliott is currently ranked at #11 and last fought in December of 2023 opposite of Sumudaerji. He scored a first-round sub that earned Tim a cool 50k. Elliot was supposed to compete against Tatsuro Taira in May but withdrew from the bout. At 37 years old and with an 11-year UFC run spanning 20 fights, Elliot is a good measuring gauge for Amir to see if he is 125lbs. top 10 caliber.
Amir’s next fight: Tim Elliott
Rose Namajunas
Erin Blanchfield mounted a comeback in the five-round co-main event on Saturday to defeat Rose Namajunas by unanimous decision. Rose’s striking looked good in the first two rounds but after tiring slightly, Blanchfield crept back up on the scorecards thanks to her ground game and aggression.
Rose is now 2-2 in her last four fights since moving up to the flyweight division in September of 2023. Rose’s losses to Manon Fiorot and now Blanchfield illustrate that while she’s still elite, she is not yet in the title picture at 125lbs.
With that being said, Rose should fight Katlyn Cerminara. Katlyn is currently ranked at #7 and her most recent fight was a unanimous decision loss opposite of Maycee Barber at UFC 299 in March. Rose was temporarily matched up to fight Maycee back in July but Barber, who is now ranked at #4, withdrew. With Barber on a five-fight win streak and Cerminara having lost her last two, it’s an obvious choice which opponent to go with here. Namajunas and Cerminara also share recent common opponents and outcomes as they both recently lost to Manon Fiorot and defeated Amanda Ribas.
Rose’s next fight: Katlyn Cerminara
Caio Machado
Caio Machado lost his third straight at UFC Edmonton when he dropped a split decision to Brendson Ribeiro. Macha is now 0-3 in the UFC since earning a contract last August on the 2023 season of the Contender Series.
The former Battlefield Fight League heavyweight champion will likely be on the verge of getting cut. However, due to how shallow the UFC’s light heavyweight division currently is he could get one more fight.
Caio should take a fight against another Contender Series guy like Jose Medina. Jose would be a fun matchup. Medina won a contract from his October of 2023 slugfest with the undefeated Magomed Gadzhiyasulov, even though he lost the bout. Medina lost his UFC debut to Zach Reese and was outgunned in a similar fashion. But he showed heart and tenacity for all 30 minutes of both of those bouts. Medina fought at 205lbs. for the Contender Series and 185lbs. for his debut. Medina might give up some size but he’s a hard-nosed fighter and a good competition to see who stays with the promotional giant.
Caio’s next fight: Jose Medina
Ariane Da Silva
Ariane Da Silva got caught in an arm triangle in the last round of her bout with Jasmine Jasudavicius on the main card of UFC Edmonton. Ariane’s striking looked great for most of the fight but the skill gap on the ground was vast. Da Silva came into the fight ranked at #13 in the UFC’s women’s flyweight division, while her opponent was ranked at #14.
It’s a tough loss to stomach for Da Silva especially being a finish. The women’s flyweight division is incredibly active at the moment and snagging a ranked name could prove difficult.
Ariane Da Silva should fight Tereza Bleda in her next fight. Bleda is 7-1 and at just 22 years old, the fresh blood in the division. Tereza was an OKTAGON flyweight champion before she won a contract on the 2022 season of the Contender Series. Her first fight in the UFC was against Natalia Silva who is now ranked at #6 in the flyweight division. Bleda was finished by a spinning back kick in the third round but put on a good showing. She bounced back in her last fight defeating Gabriella Fernandes in June of 2023. Tereza was scheduled for another step up in competition in the form of #15 ranked flyweight, Casey O’Neil at UFC 305. Unfortunately, Bleda had to withdraw from that bout, but this step up in competition still makes sense for her.
Ariane’s next fight: Tereza Bleda
Marc-Andre Bariault
Marc-Andre Bariault lost another fight turned barn burner brawl on Saturday when Dustin Stoltzfus KO’d him in a frantic exchange. Bariault has now lost three fights in a row and been stopped in the first round of two of those bouts.
Bariault is now 5-8, 1 NC in the UFC and his last win was over Eryk Anders in June of last year. With that in mind, Bariault is in a bit of danger of being cut. It’s likely the 34-year-old middleweight will get at least one more chance.
For that fight, Marc-Andre should take on Bruno Silva. Silva was last in action at UFC 308 when he lost an incredibly lackluster decision to Ismail Naurdiev. At points during the fight, the 10-fight UFC veteran in Silva looked like a shell of his former self. Silva has lost his last four fights against Brendan Allen, Shara Magomedov, Chris Weidman and Ismail Naurdiev. Perfect fight for both men to try and gain some confidence, loser would likely be sent packing.
Marc Andre’s next fight: Bruno Silva
Trevin Giles
Trevin Giles let the victory slip right through his fingers on Saturday night against Mike Malott. Giles was piecing up Malott for some of the fight, with his boxing, but his lack of volume triggered him to lose a unanimous decision. Giles is now 7-7 in the UFC and 2-4 since moving down to welterweight in January of 2022.
Because Giles has now lost three fights in a row and been stopped in two of them, he is also on the hot seat. Welterweight is crowded to say the least, and Giles could use a staple win.
For his next fight, Trevin should take on Alex Morono. Alex has lost three of his last four fights. Morono was last in action last month when he was on the wrong side of a split decision opposite of Daniel Rodriguez. Good fight for Giles as he had a lot of trouble with his output in his last fight. Morono is a name as well. It would be a long night if Giles were to struggle with output against an awkward aggressive fighter like Morono. It’s a good fight to make.
Trevin’s next fight: Alex Morono
