UFC Vegas 105’s main card boasted some solid game plans with many fighters opting to bring their wrestling singlets. Both the main card and undercard featured six fights each. All four finishes on the card earned performance bonuses as there was no fight of the night. The main event featured the only ranked fighters on the card as Josh Emmett lost a technical battle to Lerone Murphy. This edition of losers matchmaker features fighters at all different points of their UFC careers.
Josh Emmett
Lerone Murphy out pointed Josh Emmett to win a unanimous decision in the main event on Saturday. Josh Emmett has now lost three of his last four fights stemming from his unsuccessful interim title bout in 2023.
Emmett entered the bout with a #8 ranking at 145lbs, while Murphy was ranked at #10. Josh, who turned 40 years old about a month ago, is in a precarious position as he will likely be teetering on the edge of the top 10 come Tuesday.
Emmett should fight the winner of the Dan Ige vs Sean Woodson fight at UFC 314 on April 12th. The timing would be great. Ige is currently ranked at #15 in the featherweight division, while Woodson is unranked. Woodson has been a spectacular prospect with the promotion. The 2019 Contender Series vet is 7-1-1 and riding a 7-fight unbeaten streak. Ige is a tried and tested veteran that has faced the top of the division (including Emmett in 2021). The 2017 Contender Series alum has struggled recently, having lost three of his last four bouts. Either matchup, the fans win. Both Ige and Woodson are strikers with real fight-stropping power. Fans could either get a rematch between two veterans or a veteran vs an up-and-coming rangy striker. Winner of this fight would guarantee themselves a spot in the rankings while the loser would likely end up falling just outside #15.
Emmett’s next fight: Winner of Dan Ige vs. Sean Woodson
Joanderson Brito
Joanderson Brito was nearly shut out in what was a textbook display of grappling dominance from Pat Sabatini. The loss was Brito’s second in a row, after he dropped a split decision to Williiam Gomis last September. Prior to that, Brito was riding high on a 5-fight win streak that saw him finish every opponent and land two performance bonuses.
This one is an easy one. Joanderson should fight Do Ho Choi next. These two guys were made to fight each other, and I could see a potential fight of the night out of the matchup. Choi went 3-3 thru his first six fights from 2014 to 2019. ‘The Korean Superboy’ landed five straight performance bonuses including his legendary scrap against Cub Swanson making him a fan favorite. Momentum slowed for Choi after he broke his arm in 2019 in his loss against Charles Jourdain. Choi was further delayed as he had to serve mandatory military service as a South Korean.
Since Choi returned in 2023, he has experienced a career resurgence going 2-0-1. He’s a crisp counter striker that’s not afraid of a battle and at 34 he’s still got a few more wars in the tank. Choi was last in action back in December when he put away Nate Landwehr in the final round. Great dance partner for a fighter like Brito that likes to move forward and throw venom. Sign me up.
Brito’s next fight: Doo Ho Choi
Cortavious Romious
Chang Ho Lee melted Cortavious Romious with some devastating ground and pound to get the second round TKO at UFC Vegas 105. Romious is now 0-2 under the UFC promotional banner. The two-time Contender Series competitor was signed last year after his unanimous decision win over Michael Imperato.
Cortavious also missed weight prior to the fight by 3.5lbs so he is in a very tough position. Next fight for Romious, if he gets one, should be against Josias Musasa. ‘The KO Wizard’ is also 2024 Contender Series veteran. Like Cortavious, Josias is also winless with the UFC and struggled on the scale. Musasa was submitted in his debut by Carlos Vera last month in the first round of their bout. Josias also missed weight for that bout coming in at 136.5lbs. Good matchup here, that makes sense for both fighters with the loser potentially facing an axe from the promotion.
Romious’ next fight: Josias Musasa
Gerald Meerschaert
Gerald Meerschaert dropped a hard-fought unanimous decision to Brad Tavares at UFC Vegas 105 Saturday. It was Meerschaert’s second loss in a row after he was submitted by UFC newcomer, Reinier de Ridder, last November.
Meerschaert now has a UFC record of 12-11 and has anchored his position as a gatekeeper within the promotion’s middleweight ranks.
Couple different options are available for Meerschaert. Hes fought nearly everyone. Meerschaert could take a compelling rematch against a guy like Eryk Anders. The pair first fought in 2019 with Anders snagging a split decision. Since that bout, Anders is 5-4 and Meerschaert is 7-7. Eryk may have won his last two fights, but they were against guys who are no longer with the promotion (Jamie Pickett and Chris Weidman). Gerald’s been more active against more competitive guys. All things considered; this is a matchup that could be revisited.
Or perhaps, what makes more sense is to have Gerald take on the winner of Zach Reese vs Dusko Todorovic who are slated to fight on May 31st. Zack is a 2023 Contender Series vet that is 2-2 thru four bouts with the promotion. Dusko Todorovic is 3-5 with the UFC and came off the 2019 season of the Contender Series. Winner of this striking battle should take on Gerald as both are still under the prospect tag currently. This option gives fans a great striking vs grappling matchup with the winner proving their relevancy within the division. Leaning towards the winner of Reese vs. Todorovic but it really depends on the direction the UFC wants to go in.
Meerschaert’s next fight: Eryk Anders II or Winner of Dusko Todorovic vs. Zach Reese
Luis Gurule
Ode Osbourne upset Luis Gurule at UFC Vegas 105, handing him the first loss of his professional MMA career, in what was the 31-year-old’s promotional debut. Luis earned a contract off of a split decision victory over Nick Piccininni on the Contender Series last year.
A prior edition of losers had targeted former UFC flyweight, CJ Vergara, for the loser of this bout. However, Vergara was released by the promotion following his third loss in row to last week.
Instead, Luis should take on Felipe dos Santos in his next fight. Felipe is 1-3 with the promotion and has lost his last two fights. Felipe was last in action a couple of weeks ago when he a dropped a unanimous decision to hot prospect, Lone’er Kavanagh. Despite his UFC record, Felipe has had some solid showings inside the cage. His UFC debut was against Manel Kape, and though he lost, the Brazilian fighter still put in a fight of the night winning effort. Felipe has had some tough opponents. The 24-year-old flyweight is also a veteran of the LFA and a fight between these two would be nonstop action. Winner of this fight would establish a foothold within the division, while the loser could easily be released.
Gurule’s next fight: Felipe dos Santos
Robert Valentin
Robert Valentin dropped a split decision to Torrez Finney in a wrestling heavy bout to kick off the UFC Vegas 105 main card. Valentin became the runner up of the 32nd season of The Ultimate Fighter last year with his loss to Ryan Loder.
A prior edition of losers had targeted former UFC middleweight, Julian Marquez, for the loser of this bout. However, Marquez has since been released from the UFC following his fourth straight loss last month.
The perfect matchup for Valentin would be Jose Medina. Jose is in a similar position to Valentin. Medina lost his Contender Series bout in 2023 to Magomed Gadzhiyasulov by unanimous decision. However, thanks to his tenacity, Jose snagged a UFC contact from the performance anyways. Medina dropped to middleweight for his UFC debut losing a unanimous decision to Zach Reese last August. In his last fight, Jose was on the opposite end of a first-round highlight reel KO courtesy of Ateba Gautier. Considering both fighters situations, this high-stakes bout is bound to deliver. Two guys who are likely on their final chances with the promotion, loser gets cut.
Valentin’s next fight: Jose Medina
