On paper, UFC Vegas 102 looked like your regular, run-of-the-mill Apex Fight Night card, but while not immune to a few duds, the card mostly delivered when it came to action. Nazim Sadykhov and Edmen Shahbazyan gave us impressive highlights, and the main event was thoroughly entertaining, taking home the ‘Fight of the Night’ honours. With that event now behind us, it’s time to take a look at what’s next for the card’s big winners.
Jared Cannonier
It wasn’t without adversity, but the ‘Killa Gorilla’ showed he still has enough left in the tank to fend off fighters of Gregory Rodrigues’ calibre. Cannonier was staring down the barrel of three-fight skid and with him turning 41 next month, this was a must-win if he wanted to keep getting relevant matchups.
Despite the nice rebound victory, I highly doubt the UFC will be looking to throw him back into the title picture so quickly. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if his next booking is in the same vein as this one (i.e., another younger, unranked contender). However, I’m hoping the promotion tries to squeeze every drop of action Cannonier still has in him. And is there a more fun, explosive matchup for him than Paulo Costa?
Cannonier’s next fight: Paulo Costa
Youssef Zalal
‘The Moroccan Devil’ did what ‘Robocop’ couldn’t as he defeated the top10 ranked veteran on a losing streak to enter the rankings. Zalal comfortably won the first two rounds and got on his bike for the entre third round, knowing Kattar needed a finish. Though he got the win, and that is the most important thing for him, the third round left a bad taste in a lot of people’s mouths. For that reason, I doubt he gets rewarded with a matchup that will help keep climbing the featherweight ladder. While anticipating writing this article, I expected to match Zalal up with Aljamain Sterling next, but after this performance, I think he will get tasked with defending his ranking against an unranked opponent, just like Kattar just had to do.
Steve Garcia’s fight with Edson Barboza next week in Seattle just fell through after the Brazilian pulled out. Why don’t just switch those fights up? The two veterans Kattar and Barboza can fight each other, while Garcia gets to fight a ranked opponent after all in Zalal.
Zalal’s next fight: Steve Garcia
Edmen Shahbazyan
The still surprisingly young Shahbazyan got a 95-second knockout at UFC Vegas 102 over the type of opposition he’s expected to beat. It was a sweet highlight to get him back in the win column. He has faced a lot of growing pains throughout the years, but at still only 27 years of age, I believe the correct route for the UFC is to keep booking him in fights where he can rack up more than one or two of these KOs in a row.
Despite having lost four straights, Warlley Alves is a fighter who is always game and brings his ‘kill-or-be-killed’ fighting style in every bout he’s in. Exactly the type of opponent ‘The Golden Boy’ should be getting right now.
Shahbazyan’s next fight: Warlley Alves
Nazim Sadykhov
Sadykhov was coming off a 15-month layoff after his draw with Viacheslav Borshchev back at UFC 295. He didn’t get the friendliest of matchups in his comeback as fans know how skilled the Bonfim brothers are. It took him some time to find the right shot, but ‘Black Wolf’ landed a nice question mark kick that damaged Bonfim’s eye and forced a doctor’s stoppage in between rounds.
This is Sadykhov’s second UFC win via doctor’s stoppage and after just a 5-minute fight and a long layoff, he should be looking to get back in the octagon in the coming months. There have been talks of a fight night card in Perth around June or July. It’s a perfect opportunity to have him fight another lightweight prospect in Tom Nolan
Sadykhov’s next fight: Tom Nolan
Andre Petroski
Petroski was an over two-to-one betting underdog in this UFC Vegas 102 fight, but his stellar takedown defence and superior power helped him squeak out a victory over the decorated grappler Rodolfo Vieira. This is Petroski’s third consecutive win, but he hasn’t scored a finish since May of 2022. That is why despite the win streak, I don’t expect Petroski to get rewarded with a matchup with the likes of Bo Nickal, who he called out in his post-fight interview. Instead, I believe he will be tasked with another tough matchup until he can muster up a win streak that makes him an undeniable candidate for a ranking. Marco Tulio, who has knocked out his last three opponents and hasn’t lost since 2018 fits that bill to a tee.
Petroski’s next fight: Marco Tulio
