Amanda Ribas lost her second straight flyweight bout in the headliner; of the 12 fighters on UFC Las Vegas 89’s main card, seven were Contender Series veterans.

Several fighters still have to prove themselves after the results on Saturday night which could prove interesting from a matchmaking perspective.

Amanda Ribas

Ribas, in what was her first main event in the UFC, would be defeated by Rose Namajunas in a very technically fought unanimous decision.

Ribas now has a 7-3 record with the UFC, she is 2-3 as a flyweight and 5-0 as a strawweight with the promotion. Amanda’s most recent wins are over Luna Pinheiro, Viviane Araujo and Vina Jandiroba.

Amanda has said multiple times that she isn’t opposed to switching between both the strawweight and flyweight weight classes.

And with #11 ranked flyweight, Ariane Lipski slated to take on the #12 ranked flyweight, Karine Silva on April 27th there are a few fighters available in the weight class.

#13 ranked flyweight Casey O’Neil has lost her last two fights in the flyweight division, most recently to Ariane Lipski via second round armbar.  O’Neil last fought in mid-December so the timeline might be a little slow for her, as Ribas still has to recover from a five-round fight.

As for the strawweight division, if Ribas so chooses to return to it, she has a couple of interesting potential matchups: #10 ranked Loopy Godinez is on a 4-fight winning streak and is slated to face 19-3, Virna Jandiroba on the Atlantic City card on March 30th. Facing the winner, whether that be a rematch against Jandiroba or a new foe in Loopy who is on a 5-fight win streak, either way it’d be a good fight.

Former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade is fighting Marina Rodriguez at UFC 300 on April 13th and the loser of the bout would be an excellent step up for Amanda’s undefeated UFC run at strawweight.

Ribas’ next fight at Flyweight: Casey O’Neil 

Ribas’ next fight at Strawweight: Lupita Godinez vs Virna Jandiroba Winner or Andrade vs Marina Rodriguez Loser

Justin Tafa

It has been an unfortunate couple of months for the Tafa brothers. Justin Tafa had to withdraw from his February bout against Marcos Rogeiro de Lima at UFC 298. Justin’s brother, Junior, would step in against Marcos and was finished via leg kicks in the second round of their bout.  A few weeks later, at UFC Las Vegas 89, Justin would return from his injury for a co main event bout.

Tafa lost a unanimous decision to the now 10-1 Contender Series product, Karl Williams. Karl is now 3-0 in the UFC since his CS bout in 2022. There were a couple of moments in the fight where Tafa had Williams in trouble, but ultimately the wrestling of Williams was just too much for Justin.

Justin Tafa was originally supposed to fight someone on the edge of the rankings before getting injured.

Justin Tafa is a fun heavyweight fighter to watch with all seven of his pro wins coming by KO/TKO.

Why not lean into that? Give Tafa another fun striker. Chris Barnett was originally scheduled to be on UFC Vegas 89 against Mohammed Usman, before pulling out of his second UFC bout in a row. Barnett has been inactive since 2022, when he won a barn burner against Jake Collier at UFC 279. So, what better fight to welcome him back?  That would be a very fun fight for the fans.

Tafa’s next fight: Chris Barnett

AJ Dobson

A wild four-and-a-half-minute scrap went down on Saturday night when two Contender Series alum dueled for relevancy in the UFC’s middleweight division.

This is going to be a fight that is really going to sting when AJ Dobson is watching the tape back. Dobson had “The Golden Boy” on skates early on in the first round and it could be argued that AJ ultimately let him off the hook. The tide of the fight turned, and Dobson ended up being on the losing end of a stoppage instead.

AJ Dobson is now 1-3 in the UFC and 7-3 in his professional MMA career, with his lone win in the UFC being to Tafon Nchukwi. Saturday at UFC Vegas 89 was the first time Dobson had been stopped in his professional career.

Two fighters early in their pro careers, fellow Contender Series alum, Cesar Almeida and Dylan Budka, would be solid matchups for a dangerous fighter like Dobson. Almeida and Budka square off April 6th and are both making their UFC debuts.

Let the loser of this bout fight Dobson for a kind of, back against the wall, type of fight.

Dobson’s next fight: Cesar Almeida vs. Dylan Budka bout loser

Cameron Saaiman

The slick counter striking from undefeated Contender Series prospect Payton Talbott proved to be too much for Cameron Saaiman to handle at UFC Vegas 89.

Saaiman fought valiantly, surviving an absolute nightmare of a first round that saw the highly touted 23-year-old dropped by a flush rear knee to the chin.

Ultimately, Saaiman would be stopped early in the second round earning his opponent a performance of the night bonus.

Saaiman and Raul Rosas Jr. have two common opponents in the UFC of Terrence Mitchell and Christian Rodriguez. Both fighters have a first-round stoppage against Mitchell and a unanimous decision loss to Rodriguez (and he missed weight for both bouts).

Perfect fight to make would be between the two youngsters.

Saaiman’s next fight: Raul Rosas Jr.

Billy Quarantillo

In his sixth UFC main card appearance and first of 2024, Billy Quarantillo was finished by Youssef Zalal in the second round via rear naked choke. A disappointing loss for Quarantillo but against a fighter that took current UFC featherweight champion Illia Topuria to the scorecards in 2020 and entered the bout on a five-fight win streak in pro combat sports.

Quarantillo has come a long way since his appearance on the Contender Series in 2019, co-headlining a card against Edson Barboza in April of last year. Now 35 years old, Quarantillo has lost three of his last five fights with wins against Alexander Hernandez and Damon Jackson most recently.

Billy Quarantillo was originally slated to take on Gabriel Miranda at UFC Vegas 89 on Saturday before his opponent withdrew from the bout.

Billy is an all-action fighter that has yet to be in a boring fight. Bill Algeo has a win over a common opponent in Alexander Hernandez and the two were supposed to fight in 2022 but it never happened.

Thats a good fight to make but Algeo is scheduled against Kyle Nelson on March 30th, so, the loser should get Quarantillo.

Quarantillo’s next fight: Bill Algeo vs. Kyle Nelson

Luis Pajuelo

Luis Pajuelo had a rough start to his UFC career on Saturday at UFC Vegas 89 when he was out struck and submitted via standing d’arce choke in the first round. The performance earned his opponent, Fernando Padilla, a bonus for his efforts.

What better opponent to grab than another fighter on the card?

Also winless in the UFC. Steven Nguyen, who fought three times on the Contender Series and then lost his first fight in the UFC to Jaron Errens via unanimous decision on the preliminary card of UFC Vegas 89. This fight was a real scrap and earned Nguyen and his opponent fight of the night honors.

Pajuelo’s Next Fight: Steven Nguyen

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After getting into the top fifteen at middleweight with a win over Brad Tavares in 2019, Shahbazyan suffered three straight setbacks wherein his cardio deficiencies were apparent. He made some improvements and won a fight but could not get past cardio machine Anthony Hernandez. Thus, when he knocked out 1-2 UFC fighter AJ Dobson he was jubilant, especially given how hurt he was before he turned the tables.

AJ Dobson got off to a strong start in the first round by rocking Edmen Shahbazyan with two right hands, but Edmen took him down in order to survive. However, when Shahbazyan went to take the back, AJ spun into his guard and got on top. Edmen got back up and pressed forward, suddenly changing the entire fight with a clean left hook. Dobson stumbled and fell, then could only cover up as Shahbazyan pounced on top and landed ground strikes until the referee stepped in.

That wild banger of a fight concluded with Edmen Shahbazyan telling Paul Felder, “I’m in dog shape, I was in dog shape for this fight,” and that he expected three checks for this performance.

Official Result: Edmen Shahbazyan def. AJ Dobson by TKO (punches) Round 1, 4:33

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“Just working on improvements. Getting better, getting pushed in the gym, and March was a good time,” Shahbazyan told reporters on Wednesday.

“Not rushing certain things in fights, and just upping the intensity of my training. Sparring like how I fight. The intensity went a lot higher.”

Training at the fames Xtreme Couture guys like Shahbazyan have been able to learn from some very high-level coaches and teammates.

“There’s always new bodies coming in here. We have the middleweight champion Sean (Strickland) here so always working with them. Getting a good push, good coaches here, PI’s here,” Shahbazyan said.

Originally set to face Dusko Todorovic at the APEX he now gets Dobson instead.

“Honestly it didn’t matter. It was like six weeks or seven weeks out so my manager called me and told me Dusko got injured so we’re looking for a new guy and it was him (Dobson). I’m like let’s do it,” he said.

“I think he’s an up-and-comer. Good fighter, but I think my skillset is a lot higher. With the way I’ve been training, with the way I’ve been working, I’m going to go out there and put on the performance.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Edmen Shahbazyan above. He takes on AJ Dobson at UFC Vegas 89 on Saturday night.

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“Definitely disheartening. Spent a lot of time, a lot of money, missed a lot of stuff. I had a birthday and had to skip. Anniversary had to skip, didn’t really get rewarded in that, so it was definitely a punch to the stomach,” Dobson told reporters on Wednesday.

“I obviously got this opportunity so I was only sad for a few days.”

Dobson (7-2) comes into a tough fight against Shahbazyan after the rollercoaster of emotions from losing out on UFC 298. He barely missed a step as this fight came together rather quickly.

“I think I got that fight maybe a week later. I took a week off, got my body together, then was told about that fight. Jumped immediately back into camp,” Dobson said.

His opponent is part of Xtreme Couture which is home to former middleweight champion Sean Strickland. The effect that a championship-level training partner can have on a fighter is not lost on Dobson.

“I think this is going to be the best Edmen ever. People can look at his record and say whatever they want, but he’s still a part of a really good team. He’s been putting in work, he’s got to see that champion level camp with Sean, so I think I’m going to get the best Edmen,” he said.

“I’m prepared for that.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with AJ Dobson above. He takes on Edmen Shahbazyan at UFC Vegas 89 on Saturday night.

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Vicente Luque

Vicente Luque snapped the first losing streak of his MMA career and bounced back from his first knockout loss by defeating former lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos over five rounds. Luque showed a more well-rounded game in this bout as he took down RDA several times on his way to the decision victory.

Luque defended his ranking against an unranked challenger but still is not ready to fight up in the ranks again with a 1-2 record in his last three. Fighters like Kevin Holland and Jack Della Maddalena are new, talented strikers in the welterweight rankings who would make great fights for Luque.

If Luque could be ready by UFC 293 in September then a fight with Jack Della Maddalena in Australia would be great, but that seems a bit too soon. Facing Kevin Holland later in the year seems like the appropriate next fight.

Luque’s Next Fight: Kevin Holland

Cub Swanson

After his fight vs Dooho Choi was inducted to the fight wing of the UFC Hall of Fame last year Cub Swanson locked down an official place in MMA history. This, his first bout since receiving that honor, must have meant a lot to the thirty-nine year old veteran of over thirty UFC and WEC fights. Swanson won a close split decision over the younger Hakeem Dawodu.

At his age Swanson is definitely nearing retirement, but he is not quite there yet. He should spend his last few fights in fun bouts; it is not realistic to match him against top contenders at this age. A fellow elder statesman of the division is Gavin Tucker, who lost to Diego Lopes in his return from a two year layoff recently. If these two fight, it would keep us from seeing one of these older men fighting a young up-and-comer, which is a fight archetype that often ends with a bad taste in fans’ mouths.

Swanson’s Next Fight: Gavin Tucker

Khalil Rountree Jr.

Muay Thai specialist and the UFC’s thirteenth-ranked light-heavyweight Khalil Rountree’s brand of violence was once again on full display at UFC Vegas 78 as he knocked former heavyweight contender Chris Daukaus out in the first round. After four wins in a row, all of them coming either by knockout or in a ‘Fight of the Night’-winning bout, Rountree is ready to once again look towards ranked fighters above his #13 spot.

Two other fighters battling it out to move up in the ranks are Anthony Smith and Ryan Spann, who will rematch their 2021 fight in two weeks’ time. The winner will move into title contention while the loser will have to fight down in the rankings against someone like Rountree. All three fighters bring entertaining striking skillsets to the table, but both Smith and Spann can test the wrestling defense of Rountree, something Khalil has not had to face recently.

Rountree’s Next Fight: Loser of Smith/Spann

Iasmin Lucindo

Brazil’s Lucindo has won two straight fights since dropping her UFC debut to fellow hot prospect Yazmin Jauregui last year. At only twenty-one years of age Iasmin is one of the brightest prospects in all of women’s MMA and has several years to realize her full potential, so she does not need to be pushed into facing ranked opposition just yet.

There are several strawweights on the rankings bubble that would be perfect to challenge Lucindo next. Gillian Robertson could challenge her wrestling, Loma Lookbonmee her striking, and Karolina Kowalkiewicz her all around skillset. At this stage Robertson probably makes the most sense. Polyana Viana is a good grappler but has nowhere near the wrestling capabilities of Gillian, and that test is one that all prospects need to pass at some point. It is best to learn now if she can defend takedowns sufficiently.

Lucindo’s Next Fight: Gillian Robertson

AJ Dobson

Mark Coleman protégé AJ Dobson earned his first UFC win at the third time of asking as he defeated Tafon Nchukwi by unanimous decision. That will be a weight off his chest, but at 1-2 in the promotion he still is fighting an uphill battle and will fight an unranked fighter in a similar spot to himself next. At middleweight there are many fighters on their first UFC contact with a win percentage of under .500 like Christian Leroy Duncan, Nick Maximov, and Dobson’s UFC Vegas 78 card-mate Josh Fremd.

Of these, Duncan probably makes the most sense. The two are both striking specialists so it could be a fun stand-up battle, Duncan is only 1-1 in the UFC while Fremd and Maximov are both 2-2, and Duncan fought somewhat recently which puts him on a similar timeline to Dobson for their next fight.

Dobson’s Next Fight: Christian Leroy Duncan

Josh Fremd

After a two-fight losing streak to start his UFC run, Josh Fremd has now won two fights on the bounce against Sedriques Dumas and now Jamie Pickett. Getting back to .500 in the UFC must be a relief, but every fight is still crucial at this point as Fremd fights to get a winning record in the promotion; with that comes more job security.

One potential opponent is Duško Todorović. The Serbian middleweight is 3-4 in the UFC but his last loss was due to a freak knee injury. His well-rounded mixture of striking and wrestling ability, as well as his greater experience, makes him a tough challenge for Fremd and a worthy one for a fifth UFC fight.

Fremd’s Next Fight: Duško Todorović

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“I was like, ‘Yes! More money! More money!’. People don’t really realize how much it costs to have a world class camp. All the miscellaneous expenses too. I got a microwave that was $17 a day at the hotel,” Dobson told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.

“I have no problem. I wish my opponent will miss weight every single time. I’d love to get that extra money.”

With that mindset there was zero hesitation for Dobson in taking the fight with Nchukwi.

“Not at all. I was like, ‘Yes! Yes! More money!’, and he’s going to be zapped so i’ll have the conditioning advantage,” he said.

Now there was the downside that Nchukwi was heavier than he was in the fight, and Dobson felt it for sure.

“Now that was the only downside. When I got on top of him I could barely do anything. He grabbed me and it was just like, ‘Holy sh*t’. The couple of the strikes where he grazed me it felt like an actual strike. You definitely have to be a lot more cautious when people miss weight because they’re going to be 20-30 pounds heavier than you,” he said.

“I definitely felt the weight difference.”

Both Dobson and Nchukwi were on the chopping block as they both came into UFC Vegas 78 on two-fight losing streaks, so the win was nice to get for AJ.

“I’m not out of it yet. I’m still 1-2 so this next one I have to hopefully get a finish. I’ve got to show that I can finish these guys,” Dobson said.

“I can show that I can be exciting.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with AJ Dobson above.

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With Nchukwi missing weight for the fight, this one was contested at a catchweight.

Both Nchukwi and Dobson are coming off two consecutive losses and badly needed a win. With Nchukwi missing weight you had to figure that he would come into the fight with a level of desperation.

Round 1 was more of a heavy sparring sessions with both men electing to attack the legs with heavy kicks then go to the body. Some combos peppered in between leg kicks, but the biggest moment came near the round when Dobson caught a body kick, took Nchukwi down, and landed some shots from top as the round ended.

Round 2 Dobson took initiative as he went in with more kicks, but backing them up with combinations. Nchukwi continued to land the outside leg kick to the lead leg of Dobson, but he was wary of going to the body kick knowing Dobson was looking for the takedown.

The rest of the round looked like a heavy sparring session again with Dobson seemingly getting the better of the round. He shot for a takedown at the end of the round, but was unable to secure it.

Round 3 was again more of the same except Dobson got a takedown early in the third round. He got top position and controlled Nchukwi well, but wasn’t doing too much in terms of damage which judges have been emphasizing a lot more lately.

Not a ton of damage on the ground with less than a minute left in the fight. Dobson tried to posture and land shots, but he must have felt he was winning the fight and took little risk. Fight ended with Nchukwi getting to his feet, but Dobson hanging onto him and throwing a high kick as the horn sounded.

Official Result: AJ Dobson def. Tafon Nchukwi via Unanimous Decision (29-28×3)

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“He’s a guy that likes to come forward. He’s a muay thai fighter. He’s mainly a striker. It’s going to be one of those bangers,” Dobson told reporters including Cageside Press on Thursday.

“We’re going 50k.”

Betting on a bonus is a bold one days before the fight, but there’s much more than just a bonus on the line for both men. Dobson and Nchukwi come into UFC Vegas 78 on two-fight losing streaks, and a need to stay off the roster spot bubble.

“One of the biggest things I was dealing with some gym issues. In this sport, specially at this level, your mindset is the biggest part. It’s like 80% of it. I kind of really wasn’t too much in there mentally,” he said.

“And you don’t really realize how big that stuff is until like the night before or the day of.”

Dobson isn’t blind to the fact that he’s likely fighting for his spot on the roster, along with his opponent, and expects the fight to reflect that.

“We’re both fighting for our jobs. We both have a lot on the line. We have to get this win,” Dobson said.

“It’ll definitely make for an exciting fight. I’m definitely going to try and take his head off in there.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with AJ Dobson above. He takes on Tafon Nchukwi at UFC Vegas 78 on Saturday night.

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Nchukwi (6-3) came into the UFC after a good showing at Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020, but has since gone 2-3 with his last two bouts losses on his record.

“It seems worse because honestly my bills beat me up way more than anything else, but this one it just seems to much worse because it’s basically in the eyes of the world,” Nchukwi told reporters including Cageside Press on Wednesday.

“Everybody gets to see it so everybody has their own opinion to put on it. It just makes it feel like it’s worse. I go through losses everyday, and this one even though it was kind of amplified because of the eyes, I just need to get my mind right. It’s part of the game.”

Nchukwi took this fight against Dobson at middleweight which changed the way the 28-year-old goes through camp specifically with food.

“Coach has always told me that 85 is where we’re going to be. I was already pretty much getting ready for a fight so I was pretty low enough. I kind of got better on my discipline as far as controlling my weight a little bit better,” he said.

At the UFC APEX he gets AJ Dobson who is also on a two-fight losing streak which means both men will enter the octagon with a lot on the line.

“He’s quite an athlete. He’s also coming off of two losses so both of us right now are in the same mindset. We know there’s only going to be one person walking out of there with their hands raised,” said Nchukwi.

“I know he’s going to be coming in there with some fire. We’re going to be ready for whatever he comes with.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Tafon Nchukwi above. He takes on AJ Dobson at UFC Vegas 78 on Saturday night.

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Both Petrosyan and Dobson were looking to get back in the win column, after single losses in their last outings. Coming into the fight, Petrosyan had an impressive win over Gregory Rodrigues on his record, and another win here would outline him as an underrated fighter in the middleweight division.

The fight began with Petrosyan testing the waters with some low kicks, however, Dobson caught one and pushed him to the mat. It didn’t deter the kickboxer though, who once back to his feet, started firing out the left low kick again. A beautiful combo by Petrosyan saw him land a right hand followed by a left hook that almost landed flush. Dobson’s speed allowed him to elude the shots of Armen, but the leg kicks began accumulating and by the end of round 1, he’d landed 12/12.

At the beginning of round 2, both men let their hands fly and got involved in a trade off. Petrosyan did a good job of staying light on his feet, doing his work and getting back out of range. The activity of the Armenian started tallying up and he started separating himself from Dobson. Whenever Dobson decided to go, he did great work, but the issue being he just didn’t go enough. With a minute left of round 2, Dobson attempted a takedown but had no luck, but during the get up, Petrosyan seemed to step awkwardly on his lead leg.

The fight made it to the final round which is something not a lot of people predicted, and the issue with Petrosyan’s knee seemed to be a thing left in round 2. Dobson’s corner team made it no secret that they believed him to be down 2 rounds, and screams of “you’ve got to go bro” chorussed out. Despite the calls from his corner, it didn’t seem to light a fire up Dobson’s backside, and his inactivity looked as though it would be his downfall.

As the fight ended, the biggest takeaway was that if AJ Dobson would’ve put out more activity, he could’ve really caused the 31-year-old Armenian some issues, but his inactivity caused him to lose the fight.

Official decision: Armen Petrosyan def. AJ Dobson by unanimous decision 30-27, 30-27, 30-27

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