Usually, I would come here and tell you this Apex show was just like every other Apex show. Though, this time, I would be lying if I said it was. From a co-main event filled with eye-pokes and refereeing confusion to a potential James Krause-type betting controversy, UFC Vegas 110 was actually quite packed with storylines. However, none of them should overshadow Steve Garcia’s quick dispatching of David Onama in our main event. With the 110th Apex Fight Night card now in the books, let’s look at what’s next for Garcia and the rest of our main card winners.
Steve Garcia
Maybe it’s because he started off his UFC stint 1-2, but fans seem to have been too dismissive of Steve Garcia’s current win streak, which he extended to seven on Saturday. Ever since dropping to featherweight after his loss to Maheshate, Garcia has been on a tear, winning seven straights, six of which via KO. The streak features names like Chase Hooper, the also streaking Melquizael Costa, Calvin Kattar and now David Onama.
After his win, Garcia called out Josh Emmett in his post-fight presser. Though that’s not a bad name to call out at all, I prefer the option he laid out. After submitting the aforementioned Emmett in under two minutes, I had Youssef Zalal fighting the winner of this main event should Garcia be victorious in UFC 320’s edition of what’s next. And victorious he was, so why not see if Zalal can avenge his teammate Onama and stop the red-hot Garcia?
Garcia’s next fight: Youssef Zalal
Waldo Cortes-Acosta
It wasn’t the cleanest performance from referee Mark Smtih and we’ll see if Ante Delija can manage to get this result overturned with an appeal, but in the spirit of fairness, Waldo Cortes-Acosta didn’t do anything wrong on Saturday. We will treat this as a victory for the Dominican fighter as long as it is ruled as such.
Tom Aspinall will undoubtedly rematch Ciryl Gane and the winner will probably have to fight Alexander Volkov. But if the division can manage to move through all this relatively quickly, “Salsa Boy” might be just one more good win away from a title shot. Jailton Almeida, Derrick Lewis and Shamil Gaziev should he beat Serghei Spivac are all names I wouldn’t be against putting in there with WCA, but I ultimately landed on Curtis Blaydes as I think Cortes-Acosta should have his takedown defence tested once more before eyeing a title shot.
Cortes-Acosta’s next fight: Curtis Blaydes
Jeremiah Wells
It wasn’t the most thrilling affair, but Jeremiah Wells got his hand raised for the first time since April of 2023, outlasting Themba Gorimbo for a unanimous decision win. At 39 years of age, the best is almost certainly behind Wells, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still some fun things to do with him. I think a fight with the guy who won just two fights prior could make for a fun scrap.
Wells’ next fight: Charles Radtke
Yadier del Valle
Potential betting scandal aside, this was Yadier del Valle’s second 1st-round rear-naked choke win in as many UFC bouts. With this win, the 29-year-old undefeated prospect took his perfect record to double digit. Being undefeated at featherweight means one thing and one thing only: will Christian Rodriguez take another 0? C-Rod’s last four wins came against then-undefeated Raul Rosas Jr., Cameron Saaiman, Isaac Dulgarian and Austin Bashi. Gimmick aside, there’s no doubt Rodriguez is someone who can test a guy like del Valle. The gimmick just adds a bit of spice to what might otherwise be a bout that would fly under the radar.
del Valle’s next fight: Christian Rodriguez
Charles Radtke
Charles Radtke was looking to bounce back after his brutal KO loss to Mike Malott in May. Though Daniel Frunza survived a bit longer than some of us might have expected, Radtke did eventually sink in the rear-naked choke. As mentioned, I think he and Jeremiah Wells would make for an entertaining matchup.
Radtke’s next fight: Jeremiah Wells
Allan Nascimento
Through inactivity, a weight miss and a bit of bad luck, Allan Nascimento’s last win at 125 lbs goes back to January of 2023. It’s a shame he hasn’t been able to gather more momentum because he could be an interesting player at flyweight. He’s now won four straights, two of which got him Performance of the Night bonuses, after taking Tagir Ulanbekov to a split decision in his promotional debut. The UFC rarely likes to reward inactivity, which is why I think they will most likely just end up rebooking the Rafael Estevam matchup, which isn’t a bad idea at all.
Nascimento’s next fight: Rafael Estevam
