Strickland made it back-to-back wins, scoring his first finish since 2020 when he fought Brendan Allen, also at the Apex. Let’s take a look at what could be next for him and the other fighters who were victorious on the night.

Sean Strickland

This match-up was an interesting one from a rankings point of view. Magomedov was coming in as an unranked middleweight having only beaten Dustin Stoltzfus prior, making this fight hard to justify for Strickland.

Strickland is someone who isn’t going to turn down a fight though, despite him having little to gain from a win. Having said that, the fashion in which the 32-year-old won now puts him back into the title conversation.

From the UFC’s point of view, whoever won this fight was going to see themselves as a new contender for current champion, Israel Adesanya. Whether Strickland is next though, depends on the outcome of Robert Whittaker vs. Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 290. If Dricus Du Plessis wins, he’s undoubtedly next. If “The Reaper” is victorious, a trilogy fight between him and Adesanya is a tough sell for fans. That’s where Strickland could see himself slide into the equation. Failing that, Strickland could see himself having to fight someone like Vettori next.

Strickland’s Next Fight: Israel Adesanya (dependent on Whittaker vs Du Plessis result)

Grant Dawson

Since his draw to Ricky Glenn in 2021, Dawson has gone three fights unbeaten with his win against Ismagulov this weekend being his most impressive. With that the 29-year-old will likely take Ismagulov’s rank 12 spot.

Coming into this fight, Ismagulov’s future was relatively unknown as this was the final fight on his current contract and he had already flirted with retirement. Dawson has now showcased his grappling in back-to-back outings against fellow top level grapplers.

Dawson has likely earned a fight up the rankings in his next one, but the top end of the lightweight division have notoriously sat on their perch and not defended their rankings.

Renato Moicano was scheduled to take on Arman Tsarukyan recently, but he pulled out just weeks prior. That could be a match-up that makes sense for both.

Dawson’s Next Fight: Renato Moicano

Michael Morales

One of the most exciting prospects in MMA moved to 15-0, with a win over the highly experienced, Max Griffin.

For the 24-year-old, gaining a win over a fighter like Max Griffin is pretty big and it also shows fans where abouts he is in his career. Morales has previously been scheduled to fight the equally impressive Rinat Fakhretdinov, but this fight doesn’t make sense for him at the moment.

A fellow 170lber that has recently picked up a decent win is, Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos. A win over the Brazilian could put Morales right on the precipice of the rankings.

Morales’ Next Fight: Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos 

Ariane Lipski

“The Queen of Violence” made it consecutive victories for the first time since 2020 with her win over fellow Brazilian Melissa Gatto at UFC Vegas 76.

Lipski spent time in her training camp with Amanda Nunes, and the hard-work and elite level of training clearly benefitted her game. The 29-year-old did a tremendous job of nullifying the grappling of Gatto, whilst also making sure she did enough work on the feet to take the decision. She did just that, picking up her seventh decision win.

Amanda Ribas was recently defeated by Macey Barber and that is a fight that could make sense with them being on similar timescale.

Lipski’s Next Fight: Amanda Ribas 

Benoit Saint-Denis

The Frenchman Benoit Saint-Denis impressed once again, this time with a huge win over the highly touted Brazilian, Ismael Bonfim.

From the beginning of the fight Bonfim seemed to want to make it a dog fight, throwing looping left and rights and completely neglecting his defense. “God of War” didn’t allow himself to get dragged into a fire fight and fought with a calm composure. It only took him one round to showcase his delightful grappling at the highest level, picking up his third win-in-a-row.

During his Octagon interview, Saint-Denis called for a fight with Mateusz Gamrot in Paris. That fight would be a grappler’s delight, and would also make sense from a geographical standpoint as Gamrot could fight close to his home of Poland.

Saint-Denis’ Next Fight: Mateusz Gamrot 

Nursulton Ruziboev

The UFC debutant pulled off a big shock in the opening fight of the main card, snatching Brunno Ferreira’s 0.

The Uzbek came into his UFC debut as one of the most experienced fighters to debut. The knockout blow came after just over a minute, when the 29-year-old caught a leg kick attempt of Ferreira’s and returned a huge right hand, knocking him out clean.

This has now set Ruziboev up for a decent name in his second UFC fight. A fight with Eryk Anders could be one that makes sense amongst many others.

Ruziboev’s Next Fight: Eryk Anders

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Abus Magomedov

Abusipuyan Magomedov took on a tall order when he tried to beat the seventh ranked middleweight in the UFC, Sean Strickland, as an unranked challenger in his second UFC fight. Still, Abus did not seem ready for the spotlight, gassing out and giving in to the Strickland boxing onslaught in the second round.

There are a number of unranked middleweights who Abus is more ready to face. He should be treated like any 1-1 UFC middleweight. What opponent would be better, then, than fellow UFC Vegas 76 main card participant Brunno Ferreria, who also is 1-1 in the UFC currently. Both got knocked out on the same night and so their respective availabilities could well dovetail in the coming months.

Magomedov’s Next Fight: Brunno Ferreira

Damir Ismagulov

This may well have been the last fight of Ismagulov’s career. He retired after his last fight, a loss to strong wrestler Arman Tsarukyan, but came back, with mentions of this being the last fight on his UFC contract. If Damir fights again, and in the UFC, he should serve as a test for a rising unranked contender after two clear losses in a row.

The winner of Ludovit Klein vs Ignacio Bahamondes will be such a contender, with this fight representing a fourth consecutive fight unbeaten for either man. Both are exciting striker types, too, giving Damir another look after facing two wrestling-heavy attacks in a row and giving the fans a bout they would look forward to seeing.

Ismagulov’s Next Fight: Retirement OR Winner of Klein/Bahamondes

Max Griffin

Griffin was in an unenviable position on Saturday, fighting a fast-rising, undefeated knockout artist in Michael Morales at UFC Vegas 76. He tested the Ecuadorian, giving him problems at times and taking the fight the full fifteen minutes, but in the end it was Morales who won a comfortable decision.

Griffin is now 1-2 in his last three. However, one could also look at it as 5-2 in his last seven. He may not be in immediate contention to be ranked, but the fifteen fight UFC veteran is not too far away from the rankings and can have a good fight with any other unranked welterweight.

One other welterweight on a two fight losing streak, one who was in the rankings going into his last two fights, is Daniel Rodriguez. ‘D-Rod’ lost to Neil Magny (as did Griffin) and Ian Garry to fall from ranked grace. A fight between these two would be the ultimate proving ground, as one starts to free-fall and the other is right back in the mix at 170lbs.

Griffin’s Next Fight: Daniel Rodriguez

Melissa Gatto

Melissa Gatto lost a close split decision to Ariane Lipski in an entertaining contest at 125lbs. Gatto has now lost two in a row after jumping out to an undefeated 8-0 record. However everyone takes losses in the UFC, and she also has two knockout wins in the promotion.

Another fighter who has lost two in a row after starting hot in the UFC is Mariya Agapova. The Kazakh fighter has a high octane striking style that has left her gassed out in the past. Gatto is a good test for her in that realm as she is in the striking realm for Melissa.

Gatto’s Next Fight: Maryia Agapova

Ismael Bonfim

The elder Bonfim brother was one of the most highly touted lightweight prospects in the world after his UFC debut against Terrance McKinney, but he fell flat against well-rounded athlete Benoit St. Denis at UFC Vegas 76. Bonfim will have to shore up some aspects of his game, particularly his grappling defense, in order to live up to the potential many saw in him.

A good test of his grappling, albeit one perhaps less stiff than St. Denis, is Christos Giagos, a fighter who is 6-6 in the UFC and has been a test for many a young lightweight fighter. Giagos is coming off of a knockout win over Ricky Glenn and deserves a higher profile match-up next time out.

Bonfim’s Next Fight: Christos Giagos

Brunno Ferreira

Brunno ‘The Hulk’ Ferreira lost at his own game on Saturday as he stood and traded with Nursolton Riziboev and was knocked from the realms of consciousness. At risk of repetition, Ferreira now stands at 1-1 in the UFC after losing his undefeated mark. The win over Gregory Rodrigues, however, carries more weight than that record may suggest.

The same could be said of Abus Magomedov’s reputation and his record, due to the spotlight the UFC put on him with the UFC Vegas 76 main event slot and his spectacular debut knockout. It only makes sense to pair the two together for a thrilling fight.

Ferreira’s Next Fight: Abusipuyan Magomedov

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What felt like an odd choice for a main event and an afterthought of an APEX card turned out to be fairly entertaining, with a number of big finishes and exciting fights playing out Saturday. Among them, the headliner, which saw Abus Magomedov throw everything he had at Sean Strickland through the first five minutes.

The problem was, Magomedov was in a five-round fight with an opponent known for maintaining his energy over the distance. In the second frame, Strickland began lighting up a tiring Magomedov, with the Russian-born German appearing to turn and disengage at times. That led to a warning to the ref to fight back, and Magomedov tried to comply, but was knocked down and out at the end of the second.

Strickland, who called for a title shot after the win, earned one of two Performance of the Night bonuses on the night. The other went to Uzbekistan’s Nursulton Ruziboev, a promotional newcomer with over 45 fights to his name. He flatlined the previously undefeated Brunno Ferreira in a middleweight bout to open the UFC Vegas 76 main card.

Fight of the Night at UFC Vegas 76, meanwhile, went to Guram Kutateladze and Elves Brenner for a three-round battle that saw Brenner bloodied, but in the fight enough to pull out the win in the third. The TKO finish allowed Brenner to complete both the comeback and the upset — and pocket $50,000 in bonus money, along with Kutateladze.

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The popular belief was that a victory for Strickland would put him back in the mix for a title shot against Israel Adesanya, especially should the winner of Robert Whittaker vs. Dricus Du Plessis next week come out of the fight with significant damage.

For Magomedov, this fight was low-risk, high-reward.

The first round was a bit of stalemate, with Strickland showcasing his defensive striking skills, while Magomedov had the edge in the output and volume department, leading him to win the round in all likelihood.

The Xtreme Couture product came out of his corner firing on all cylinders to start the second frame, landing at will while the Magomedov covered up in the corner for longer than he would’ve liked to. Strickland would go on to systematically break down his opponent, draining Magomedov of his will to win en route to a violent TKO finish on the ground in the waning seconds of the round.

Strickland’s message was clear following perhaps his most impressive performance under the UFC banner to date.

“I want the title,” Strickland said.

Abus Magomedov will go back to the drawing board as he looks to improve his skills following a defeat at the hands of Sean Strickland in the biggest fight of his career thus far.

Official Result: Sean Strickland def. Abus Magomedov by TKO, Round 2, 4:20

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Dawson was undefeated inside the octagon coming into Saturday, with his biggest struggles coming at the scale — though he hit the mark during Friday’s official weigh-in. Ismagulov for his part was coming off his first loss under the UFC banner, against Arman Tsarukyan. “Qazaq” entered the bout ranked 12 in the division, with Dawson not too far behind at 15.

“KGD” managed to bring the fight to the ground early, locking Ismagulov in a tight body triangle while threatening a rear-naked choke – a submission that Dawson has employed successfully in each of his last two fights.

Following a dominant first frame for the American, Ismagulov began to lead the action early into the second round. Following a few exchanges on the feet, Dawson was able to force Ismagulov’s back against the cage before taking him down to the mat for the second time.

Dawson would control Ismagulov for nearly the entirety of the second and third rounds, taking his opponent down with ease and showcasing his prowess on the ground in various dominant positions.

Grant Dawson sent a message to the rest of the lightweight division with a flawless exhibition of wrestling and jiu-jitsu, dismantling a game opponent in Ismagulov en route to a unanimous decision victory.

Dawson, 29, extends his undefeated UFC record to an impressive 8-0-1 – with nine victories in the promotion including his win on Dana White’s Contender Series. He called out a pair of ranked lightweights following an exceptional performance.

“Tony Ferguson — that’s a go because it’s a big name. Beneil Dariush — that’s a go because it’s a big rank,” Dawson said.

Ismagulov finds himself on a two-fight skid following a hot 5-0 start to his UFC career. This was the last fight on his UFC contract and it will be interesting to see whether he attempts to resign with the promotion or hang up the gloves for good after retiring momentarily late last year.

Official Result: Grant Dawson def. Damir Ismagulov by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)

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Max Griffin may be 7-7 in the UFC, but his losses and wins have come against some of the best welterweights in the division. This was the toughest test of knockout artist Morales’ young career, and at only 24 years of age he passed that test.

The pair traded in the center to start the fight, both men landing. They were both light on their feet thereafter as they worked out the range between them. Morales was clearly the longer fighter but he struggled to land on Griffin when Max went straight back to avoid. The striking volume was low; they each threw the occasional low kick but Morales missed on most of his combos and Griffin threw mostly singular jabs. Until, that is, Griffin landed a straight right which momentarily stunned Morales.

Max then shot for a takedown but Morales got the underhooks and defended it. His right eye was now swelling heavily. Griffin had another takedown defended and this time held Morales in the clinch for a while after. Morales landed a good knee and got away, back to distance. Morales bit down on his mouthpiece and went forward more after that but still had trouble tracking Griffin down in the rest of round one.

The second round began slowly but thirty seconds in Morales landed two 1-2 combinations that each hurt Griffin, one after the other. Morales stalked his hurt prey on the feet and landed another right hand as he had Griffin’s back almost right up against the fence. He let off the pressure a bit thereafter though and Griffin seemed to recover. Morales landed a couple sharp jabs but often whiffed on wild swinging overhands to follow up. He periodically swarmed forward with combination punches but the rapid retreats of Max Griffin got him out of the way of most of the strikes in time.

With two minutes left in the round Max shot a takedown but Morales defended it with confidence. With fifty seconds left Michael Morales landed a superman punch that wobbled the legs of Griffin. While he swarmed for the finish though, referee Kerry Hatley stopped the fight for an incidental groin strike. Griffin was soon recovered and the fight resumed. The round ended with Morales pressing the action once more.

The final round started with all to play for as it could be 19-19; Morales almost definitely won the second round but the first could have gone either way. Griffin landed some shots of his own to start round three but began to get wild on the feet, overextending himself. Morales defended a takedown and then landed a big flying knee, but Max stayed on the feet. Morales defended another takedown after that but Griffin got into the body lock in the clinch. He picked up Michael and put him down but Morales got right back up and hit a switch to escape the position.

Back in the striking each man swung for the fences. Griffin waited for opportunities to run forward, head down, into takedown attempts. That ducking was dangerous and he soon paid for it as he ducked into a flying knee, but Griffin survived it. Morales then threw him to the mat with a neat Muay Thai sweep. Going into the last minute the round still hung in the balance. Most of each man’s strikes missed in that final minute. Griffin tried for another takedown late but Morales reversed it and threw him to the ground, where the round finished.

The judges scorecards were up in the air going into the decision, but it felt as if Morales had done enough to get the win. When Joe Martinez read the scores out they unanimously had it for Michael Morales, who remained undefeated and got his fifteenth professional victory.

Official Result: Michael Morales def. Max Griffin by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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A former KSW champ, the “Queen of Violence” Lipski was 2-1 in her last three, while Gatto was looking to bounce back from her first career loss, against Tracy Cortez last year.

The fight opened with Gatto circling on the outside, while Lipski held center. She landed a kick to the body; the pair traded punches, but through the opening two minutes, little was landed, at least of any significance. Lipski at least was throwing, but missed the mark as often as not, while Gatto looked to counter, or lead with her kicks.

As the round wore on, the exchanges continued. Lipski showed some stance switches, and kept Gatto on the outside. It wasn’t until the final 30 seconds that Gatto closed the distance, getting Lipski on the fence looking for a takedown — which she couldn’t find prior to the horn sounding.

Gatto took all of a minute to get back to a clinch in round two, showing ample strength in pinning a slippery Lipski against the cage. It was Lipski, however, getting the fight down, though the pair stopped straight back up. Again, Gatto put her weight on Ariane Lipski; even when they came off the fence, Gatto bullied Lipski back to it. Lipski would reverse, but couldn’t hold the position. When they did break, Lipski got her hands going and added a leg kick, followed by an uppercut.

Round three featured more exchanges on the feet through the opening three minutes. But from there, Gatto would threaten to take the back standing. She didn’t have it, and slid off, going to the ground with Lipski getting inside her guard. Lipski postured up, landed a punch and backed off, letting Gatto back to her feet. Lipski then marched forward, firing a combination capped off with a low kick.

The pair would wind up going the distance, with Lipski taking the victory care of two judges.

Official Result: Ariane Lipski def. Melissa Gatto by split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)

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Bonfim’s star got on the map with a second round flying knee knockout of Terrance McKinney at UFC 283 to start 2023. Part of one of the highest-potential brother pairs in the UFC, Ismael faced a tough, well-rounded challenge in St. Denis, who is 2-1 in the UFC. After being on the wrong side of a beatdown in his debut, Benoit has won two straight fights by finish and attempted to steal Bonfim’s hype at UFC Vegas 76.

St. Denis came out southpaw and threw a big body kick but got countered with a hook to the head. He slammed body kicks repeatedly. Many of them landed on the arms of Bonfim but he was still being kept at bay because of them. One minute in, Benoit shot a takedown and got on top in full mount. St. Denis rained down damage with short shots but Ismael exploded upwards and reversed the position. Saint-Denis avoided going to his back and the fight returned to striking. Bonfim landed a big overhand left that rocked the Frenchman and then a big knee when St. Denis shot a takedown. Ismael defended this attempt better as well as doing damage during and right after it.

Benoit began to get predictable as he came in with a right hand then a level change to a takedown multiple times. With two minutes left he held a rear body lock on Bonfim against the fence. He worked to push Bonfim to the mat and then got one hook in and rolled to his back, taking Bonfim with him. St. Denis got both hooks in and then a body triangle as he looked to attack the rear-naked choke in the final minute of the first round. He got the arm across the face and was at first unable to finish. However he kept trying, finally got the arm across the chin, and forced Ismael Bonfim to tap with just twelve seconds in the round.

Benoit Saint-Denis got the biggest win of his career and took some of his opponent’s earlier hype at UFC Vegas 76. With this, the Frenchman set himself up well for a potentially big fight at UFC Paris in September of this year.

Official Result: Benoit Saint-Denis def. Ismael Bonfim by Submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 4:48

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The middleweight had become a frequently flyer in the main event scene over the past year or so, but his latest opponent had come as a surprise. Abus Magomedov, in just his second UFC fight, had landed to spot headlining opposite the talkative, controversial Strickland. Something of an oddity, given Magomedov was not ranked in the promotion — though a win over Strickland would almost certainly change that.

With Strickland still hanging on in the title picture at 185lbs, a win on Saturday would be huge. Ranked or not, Magomedov was a formidable foe, and with Robert Whittaker facing Dricus Du Plessis next month, the next challenger for Israel Adesanya was in question. The promotion was clearly hoping for a quick turnaround from one of Whittaker or Du Plessis to face Adesanya in Sydney in September, but taking damage in the fight could open the door for Strickland.

Also on the UFC Vegas 76 card, the return of Kevin Lee, and lightweights Damir Ismagulov and Grant Dawson in the co-feature.

Following Saturday’s UFC Vegas 76 card, tune in for the post-fight press conference. A live stream of the proceeding is available above.

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While Ferreira was 10-0 entering the night, Ruziboev had an insane amount of experience for a debuting athlete, with well over 40 fights to his name.

The initial visuals for this fight were hard to believe as Ruziboev’s size looked huge in comparison to the deceivingly small “Hulk.” You could see early on that Ferreira was calculating how to nullify the range of Ruziboev. The Brazilian looked to land a big low calf kick and it landed relatively heavily. After a few more moments of calculation, he looked to land it again almost directly after, but this time it was caught by the Uzbek. Ruziboev landed a huge right hand after catching the leg of Ferreira, knocking him out clean with one shot.

Dropped him then followed up with vicious ground strikes 😳 #UFCVegas76 pic.twitter.com/7jVWKkEQMv

— UFC (@ufc) July 1, 2023

In his UFC debut, the 29-year-old scored his 20th first round finish, putting a stop to the hype of the Brazilian, Ferreira.

An emotional Ruziboev admitted in his Octagon interview that “I’ve been waiting for this for 10 years, I’ve fought every week, every month to get into the UFC; this is huge for me. I thank God for everything.

“Thank you so much to the president of my country and my parents, I really owe everything to my parents.”

Official Result: Nursulton Ruziboev def. Brunno Ferreira by KO, Round 1, 1:17

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