UFC Vegas 105 saw some undefeated fighters stay perfect, had a couple upsets, and some controversial scorecards. In other words, it was exactly what we have come to expect from every Apex show. Torrez Finney opened the main card with a ho-hum performance while Lerone Murphy ended it with the best win of his career. Let’s dive into what’s next for Finney, Murphy and everyone who fought in between.
Lerone Murphy
While “The Miracle” kept his win streak going with this unanimous decision win over Josh Emmett, it wasn’t a performance that will have people raving about it for weeks. Despite being undefeated and on an eight-fight heater, Murphy still doesn’t have what you would call a signature win. His last finish came in October of 2021… He’s on a Belal Muhammad and Leon Edwards type of run where if he keeps winning, he will eventually become undeniable, but the UFC is in no hurry to push him to the front of that line. Beneil Dariush had also won 8 fights in a row when the promotion had him fight Charles Oliveira. I feel like Murphy is in a very similar position.
He called out Brian Ortega, but it’s still unclear whether “T-City” will opt to move up to lightweight or stay at featherweight. For that reason, I don’t feel comfortable matchmaking for Ortega until we get more clarity on his status. I think Murphy will end up fighting Arnold Allen. His fellow Englishman is ranked #7 and is coming off a win over Giga Chikadze. The fight makes sense and can headline a UK show or fit nicely on a Pay-Per-View main card.
Murphy’s next fight: Arnold Allen
Pat Sabatini
Sabatini came in and thoroughly dominated the 2-to-1 betting favourite Joanderson Brito over all three rounds. This is his first time winning consecutive fights in the UFC since his 4-0 run when he initially entered the promotion. Yes, he has fallen to Damon Jackson and Diego Lopes, but the Philadelphia fighter is now quietly 7-2 in the UFC.
Before we book him against a ranked fighter, he needs to distance himself from other fighters in his current tier who also have solid UFC records. Names like Gabriel Santos, Hyder Amil and Muhammad Naimov could all make sense, but I ultimately went with Melquizael Costa who was victorious last week and is on a nice run of his own.
Sabatini’s next fight: Melquizael Costa
Chang Ho Lee
After winning Road to the UFC last June in a hard-fought split decision, Lee earned a second-round finish and a performance bonus, this time around. It was an impressive and entertaining outing for the 30-year-old.
Even though Gaston Bolaños and Serhiy Sidey are both currently booked, they would produce sure-fire action fights with the Korean prospect. Either of them is a great option, but I slightly prefer the Sidey matchup. And should Cam Smotherman get his hand raised in Des Moines, then he can fight Lee as well.
Lee’s next fight: Smotherman/Sidey winner
Brad Tavares
It’s wild that Brad Tavares and Gerald Meerschaert had never faced off before UFC Vegas 105 on Saturday. Two veterans of similar calibre who have been around forever, you would think they’d have at least been booked in the past.
The Hawaiian earned a unanimous decision win after stuffing all eight of Meerschaert’s takedown attempts. Despite the win, this doesn’t necessarily move Tavares up the ladder. He instead gets to keep playing the role of gatekeeper at middleweight and serve as a litmus test for up-and-comers. One of the fighters who have been making noise in this weight class is former professional kickboxer Cesar Almeida. The Brazilian is 3-1 in the UFC and has bounced back nicely from his split decision loss to Roman Kopylov last June. This seems like an appropriate test for him.
Tavares’ next fight: Cesar Almeida
Ode’ Osbourne
Osbourne was probably at risk of being handed his walking papers had he lost on Saturday. Instead, with his back against the wall, the Jamaican knocked out the undefeated Luis Gurule in the second round, earning a performance bonus in the process.
Not unlike Tavares, this win is nice for Osbourne, but it doesn’t exactly change his role within his division. Though I wouldn’t be opposed to having him fight a Lone’er Kavanagh, a Rafael Estevam or an Andre Lima next, how about we give Osbourne a break from fighting prospects? There is a fun scrap going down later this month in Kansas City between Matt Schnell and Jimmy Flick. These are two fighters that bring it every time and should make for a fun matchup with Osbourne.
Osbourne’s next fight: Schnell/Flick winner
Torrez Finney
Judging by social media engagement, it wouldn’t be outlandish to say that Finney might have been the biggest story on the UFC Vegas 105 card. He came in as the only fighter to win three times on the Contender Series and his fight had the most talked-about scorecards of the night.
Finney set the middleweight record for least number of significant strikes landed in a decision victory with four. Despite getting eight takedowns, Finney was out struck by Robert Valentin nearly 8-to-1. It was this disparity in damage inflicted that had judge Tony Weeks score the fight 30-27 in favour of the Swiss. For someone nicknamed “The Punisher”, calling this performance flat or uninspired would be an understatement.
However, we must keep in mind that Finney is 26 and doesn’t even turn 27 until late October. He has all the time in the world, especially in this division, to learn from this and put on more refined performances in the future. This is why we should be looking for give him nothing but layups, for now. Fighters like José Medina and Antonio Trocoli shouldn’t offer too much resistance, and that is why I’d look to them as potential opponents for Finney.
Finney’s next fight: José Medina
