Ian Machado Garry

Machado Garry had to survive late in the final round in the UFC Kansas City headliner, but ultimately earned a unanimous decision victory. After this victory, Dana White announced that Garry would be the backup fighter for the welterweight title fight going down in Montreal in just three weeks. While this is not inconsequential, three weeks is a quick turnaround for someone who just went 25 minutes and found himself in trouble in the late stages of the bout. Assuming no one pulls out at UFC 315, we should be trying to book Garry for a fight in the second half of the year.

I originally had Sean Brady face Joaquin Buckley in a previous iteration of “What’s Next”, but with “New Mansa” getting booked against Kamaru Usman in June, this leaves the door open for Brady to fight the Irishman. With both Shavkat Rakhmonov and potentially even Islam Makhachev in play, neither Brady nor Garry can confidently claim the next shot at the title, which is why a fight between the two makes so much sense.

Machado Garry’s next fight: Sean Brady

Zhang Mingyang

The “Mountain Tiger” kept his perfect 100% 1^st-round finish rate alive as he TKO’d the retiring Anthony Smith in just 4 minutes and 3 seconds. Though the outcome may have been a hard watch for some, we cannot say it was that surprising considering the miles that Smith has accrued over the years.

This win will welcome Zhang to the rankings, taking Smith’s #15 spot. Fights against Bogdan Guskov, Volkan Oezdemir, the Menifield/Sy winner or the Walker/Murzakanov loser are all on the table, but I went with Nikita Krylov. The veteran Krylov has enough experience to test the 26-year-old Zhang, but is also vulnerable enough to be a winnable for the Chinese fighter.

Zhang’s next fight: Nikita Krylov

David Onama

The 30-year-old Onama got the biggest scalp of his career and pushed his win streak to four with a unanimous decision victory over Giga Chikadze. Though this was a nice, professional win for Onama, it wasn’t exactly the type of statement that will launch him inside the top10. For that reason, I anticipate the UFC to give someone ranked below him. There are plenty of featherweights who have a case for a fight against someone like Onama. You cannot go wrong with any of Chepe Mariscal, Steve Garcia, Hyder Amil, Nathaniel Wood or Doo Ho Choi. In the end, I picked Dan Ige who himself will probably be asked to test another prospect after beating Sean Woodson two weeks ago.

Onama’s next fight: Dan Ige

Abus Magomedov

It once again wasn’t pretty, but Abus Magomedov did get his hand raised for the third consecutive time. And with Michel Pereira ranked at #14 before this fight, Magomedov will now be a ranked middleweight come Tuesday. Not unlike Onama, this wasn’t the statement win that will have the UFC eager to push Magomedov further up the ladder. Instead, he will likely be tasked to immediately defend his ranking against an unranked opponent. Looking at his situation with this lens, the winner of Kelvin Gastelum and Joe Pyfer became an easy choice for me.

Magomedov’s next fight: Gastelum/Pyfer winner

Randy Brown

With his Fight of the Night win at UFC Kansas City, “Rudeboy” keeps being one of the most underrated fighters in the division as he now moves to 10-3 in his last 13 fights. Those three losses came to a prime Vicente Luque, Jack Della Maddalena and a split decision loss to a Bryan Battle who had missed weight.

There are so many fitting names for Brown in that tier of fighters just outside the rankings. Both Oban Elliott and Mike Malott would be fine options should they be victorious in their next fights, Chidi Njokuani and Punahele Soriarno have been perfect since coming down from middleweight, Gabriel Bonfim, Sam Patterson and Rinat Fakhretdinov would also be viable names. I ended up choosing Fakhretdinov’s last opponent, Carlos Leal. Most people seem to think Leal beat Fakhretdinov in October and he followed that up by making it look easy against Alex Morono in March. A win for either man would inch them one step closer to a ranked opponent.

Brown’s next fight: Carlos Leal

Ikram Aliskerov

The multiple time sambo world champion reminded fans why he came into the UFC with the reputation he had as he made quick work of Andre Muniz to open the UFC Kansas City main card. That short notice loss to Robert Whittaker last June killed off a lot of Aliskerov’s hype, but this first-round KO victory over a former top 15 name should put him back on the map.

I could see the promotion try to push him up the ranks quickly as the 32-year-old is clearly better than his lack of ranking would suggest. Their high expectations for him were evident when they tried to book him against Paulo Costa in 2023 who was nearly ranked inside the top5 at the time. However, I would instead try to turn him around fairly quickly and have him fight another known, but lower-ranked name. Jack Hermansson has been MIA even since he upset Joe Pyfer in February of 2024, but he was ranked and only lost his ranking spot due to inactivity. Assuming he’s ready to come back, why not have him test Aliskerov sometime around June or July?

Aliskerov’s next fight: Jack Hermansson

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The Fight Night show’s main card featured a special six fights including a main event between two ranked welterweights in Ian Machado Garry and Carlos Prates. In the co-main event, UFC journeyman and former light heavyweight title challenger Anthony Smith took to the octagon one last time in a rough retirement fight against Zhang Mingyang. Three fights ended with finishes on the main card, and three fights ended with unanimous decisions. A few fighters on the fringe of the rankings lost to unranked opponents on this card- which suggests a rankings shakeup is incoming.

Carlos Prates

Carlos Prates was out-struck in a technical battle against Ian Garry in the main event of UFC Kansas City. Prates dropped Garry near the end of the bout and almost finished the fight.

Carlos had not lost since 2019. The 2023 Contender Series vet was 4-0 with the UFC, four finishes, four bonuses. Huge momentum killer here. Considering that Ian is ranked at #7 in the division compared to Prates ranked at #13- this was a ripe opportunity (Garry is now officially the backup for the upcoming welterweight title fight at UFC 315 following this win). Tough to stomach for Carlos, especially with how this fight ended.

The fight to make here has to be rebooking the Geoff Neal fight. Prates and Neal were supposed to throw down at UFC 314 on April 12, but Neal had to withdraw due to injury. Neal has some lethal hands and Prates just showed that he can be dangerous for the better part of half an hour in the octagon.

Neal is currently ranked at #10 in the division. A fight between these two is guaranteed to be both action packed and violent.  Winner would be looking to fight someone in the top five especially if they deliver an impressive finish.

Prates’ next fight: Rebook Geoff Neal fight

Anthony Smith

Anthony Smith was finished in the first round by Zhang Mingyang in what he announced, prior to the fight, would be his final fight. Smith entered the fight ranked at #15 in the light heavyweight division while his opponent was unranked. Smith ends his UFC career after being with the promotion since 2013 and amassing a 13-12 record. The hard-nosed, former title challenger, finished out his stint with the UFC losing four of his last five fights. He currently appears as an analyst on UFC broadcasts.

Smith’s next fight: Retirement

Giga Chikadze

Giga Chikadze dropped a very competitive unanimous decision to David Onama at UFC Kansas City on Saturday. Chikadze missed weight ahead of this fight weighing in at 147lbs. on Friday.

Chikadze entered the bout ranked at #12 in the UFC’s featherweight vision while Onama was unranked. Well Giga can very likely kiss that ranking goodbye. The fighter known as “Ninja” has now lost three of his last four bouts dating back to his all-time scrap against Calvin Kattar in early 2022. Giga, who turns 37 in August, needs to get back on the right track, and fast.

A fight against Sean Woodson could be exactly what the doctor ordered. Woodson was last in action as the feature prelim on UFC 314 opposite of a #14 ranked Dan Ige.  Woodson was finished, albeit controversially, in the third round of that fight. A matchup between these two lengthy strikers could make a lot of sense and be a real treat for fans. Not to mention, the timing is great as well. Woodson was riding a 7-fight unbeaten streak before the loss to Ige, so the winner of this fight would likely be one win away from getting a ranked matchup.

Chikadze’s next fight: Sean Woodson

Michel Pereira

Michel Pereira put in an uncharacteristically lackluster and inactive performance against Abus Magomedov on the way to a unanimous decision defeat Saturday. Pereira entered the fight ranked at #14 in the middleweight division while Abus was unranked.

Pereira has now lost two fights in a row after he was finished in the final round of his main event against Anthony Hernandez last October. Before that, Pereira had ripped off an impressive eight-fight win streak. He’s got to get that spark back and he needs a matchup that’ll allow him to go “weapons free.” A fight opposite of “The Action Man,” Chris Curtis, could do just that. Chris is a high output striker that has solid boxing and is never in a boring fight. Curtis is 1-3, 1 NC in his last five fights and really needs a good win. Curtis has a good gas tank, where Michel has historically been weak, but there is a path to victory for him here. Winner of this scrap could be knocking back on the door of the incredibly shallow middleweight rankings. Just depends on the dominance of the victory.

Pereira’s next fight: Chris Curtis 

Nicolas Dalby

Randy Brown faceplanted Nicolas Dalby in the second round of a franticly paced fight on the main card of UFC Kannas City on Saturday.

The bout drew Fight of the Night honors, but the reality of this outcome is extremely sobering for Dalby. Nicolas turns 41 later this year and has now lost two in a row. It goes without saying, but welterweight is an extremely talented and deep division. This is just the second time in Dalby’s career where he’s lost two or more fights in a row. A good matchup for Dalby in his next fight will be critical for the trajectory of the tail end of his fight career.

Dalby’s next fight should be against someone in a similar spot in their career which is why the loser of Santiago Ponzinibbio vs Daniel Rodriguez makes a lot of sense. Both men have won their most recent fights but had lost two in a row prior to that. Both fighters also turn 39 years old later this year and are entertaining strikers. Ponzinibbio and Rodriguez are scheduled to fight May 3, so the timing also matches up (especially if there is a finish). Easy book here to determine which aging welterweight is still a very credible threat in a cutthroat division. Losing that fight could potentially result in sparking talks of being cut/retirement.

Dalby’s next fight: Loser of Santiago Ponzinibbio vs Daniel Rodriguez 

Andre Muniz

Andre Muniz was dropped and finished by Ikram Aliskerov in the first round to kick of the main card of UFC Kansas City. Very rough for Muniz especially considering he’s been out of action since December of 2023. This matchup had been cancelled twice already both times because of Muniz (withdrew and passport issues). Bottom line is that Andre has lost three of his last four fights and he was finished in all three. Muniz’s only win in that time was a split decision against Jun Yong Park in December 2023.

Muniz is in trouble here. Inactivity is no one’s friend.  He needs a good fight and a win, pronto. The perfect dance partner for Andre here would be Christian Leroy Duncan. Duncan, who is 4-2 with the UFC, won his most recent fight last month when he defeated UFC newcomer Andrey Pulyaev by unanimous decision.  Duncan has only lost to Armen Petrosyan and Greogory Rodrigues in his UFC (and entire pro) career. This would be a classic striker vs grappler matchup. CLD is looking for that next tier win to validate his skills within the UFC while Muniz is looking to prove he still truly belongs after a rough stretch and inactivity. They both get what they need here. An impressive win in this fight could propel the winner into a real name potentially just outside of the rankings.

Muniz’s next fight: Christian Leroy Duncan 

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As entertaining as Ian Machado Garry vs. Carlos Prates was, it was another 170lb affair that took home Fight of the Night at the Kansas City event. That was Randy Brown vs. Nicolas Dalby, a scrappy affair to say the least, and one that saw Brown, swinging wild, land a knockout blow in the second round.

To be more accurate, both men were swinging wild by that point. Despite already being hurt, Dalby did his best to fire back. The finishing sequence was, quite frankly, the closest thing to a real life iteration of Rock ’em, Sock ’em robots you’re about to find.

The slugfest takes home $50,000 per fighter for securing the bonus, and joins two Performance of the Night bonuses handed out on Saturday. Those went to newcomer Malcolm Wellmaker, and Chinese light heavyweight Zhang Mingyang.

Wellmaker, an undefeated 8-0 coming in, improved on that record by knocking out Cameron Saaiman with a picture-perfect right hook. Saaiman had once upon a time been a hot prospect coming in off the Contender Series, but has struggled more recently.

As for Mingyang, he sent Anthony “Lionheart” Smith into retirement care of a TKO finish, smashing the former title challenger with elbows inside of a round in the UFC Kansas City co-main event.

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For those keeping track, that’s the welterweight title fight that headlines the Pay-Per-View card in Montreal. And no, it’s not just wishful thinking on the part of Ireland’s Garry, who might have already had a title shot had he not been defeated on the scorecards by Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310 back in December, in what was, to be fair, a short-notice fight.

“It’s official. Yeah,” UFC President and CEO Dana White said during Saturday’s UFC Kansas City post-fight press conference, asked about Garry serving as the backup.

Garry earned a five-round unanimous decision at the T-Mobile Center on Saturday, and looked incredibly strong through the first three and a half rounds. He was winning the fight handedly on the feet during that stretch, while becoming the first man to take Carlos Prates down in the UFC. White had plenty of praise for the welterweight star, ranked #7 in the weight class.

“He definitely gets in there and controls everything. The pace, what he wants to do, when he wants to do it,” observed White. “Even against a guy, the question was tonight, would Prates go in there and put unbelievable pressure on him, stay in his face? Then we were wondering, would Ian take him down, hold him down? So those were all the, all the questions we had too were answered.”

“This is one of those fights that, on paper, the kid’s [Prates] 31 years old, he’s got a great record. And it’s not like tonight, like Ian went out there and did some MMA sh*t that this kid isn’t ready for yet or whatever. It was a stand-up fight, and he controlled the pace, he controlled everything, he did what he wanted to do when he wanted to do it. But the great thing was in the last round, Prates was obviously trying to finish the fight.”

Ian Machado Garry improved to 16-1 with the win; Rakhmonov remains the lone blemish on his record. But the Kazakh is injured, hence Maddalena earning the next title shot. And while Sean Brady sits in the pole position at welterweight, it seems Garry has surpassed him, at least in terms of the backup role. And at least in the eyes of Dana White and the UFC.

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Garry entered the fight looking to bounce back from a loss to Shavkat Rakhmonov that came on short notice at UFC 310; Prates was part of the red-hot Fighting Nerds camp out of Brazil, and had the chance to launch himself into the title conversation with a big win.

The opening round was a successful one for Ian Machado Garry, who after some back and forth finished strong. Prates blocked a head kick, which was nonetheless nasty, towards the final minute of the frame. But Machado Garry was able to get Prates to his bag, then land some heavy punches standing over the Brazilian. As for Prates, he was single digits in terms of significant strikes in round one with little of note landing.

Round two saw more back-and-forth on the feet, with Garry showing a good variety of strikes. His movement, in and out, circling, was enough to keep him out of harm’s way. And when Prates briefly tried to drag him down later in the round, Machado Garry quickly scrambled free. The end result was another solid frame for Machado Garry, who connected with another partially blocked head kick in the final minute, similar to how he’d wrapped up the first.

The third round had Ian Machado Garry using his range well, throwing long strikes, well out of range of the shorter Prates. When they did come together it was Machado Garry closing the distance, shooting for a leg, though he could not land the takedown. Near the midway mark, Machado Garry cracked Prates with an uppercut, then piled on with another combo capped off with a head kick. That was followed by a takedown attempt, and this one, Machado Garry landed.

Prates would make it back up, but Machado Garry still had a body lock. With some effort, Prates broke the hold and reversed, leaning on the Irish welterweight. He couldn’t keep him pinned there, and the pair moved back to center, Ian Machado Garry again proving to have the edge on the feet, and again landing a takedown, this time in the final minute.

Heading into round four, Prates was down in the fight and more than likely in need of a finish. He ripped a kick to the body in the opening minute, but Machado Garry answered back with multiple strikes. And that had been the difference maker through the first three minutes and change – aside from using his length to his advantage, Machado Garry had simply been the busier, more accurate fighter. Another takedown, hard-fought and well-earned by Garry, resulted in Garry controlling from the back.

With about 90 seconds left in the fourth, Machado Garry landed over the top. Prates would answer back, going to the body. He began walking Ian down for just about the first time in the fight. Prates landed at least one punch with a combo, then fanned on a huge head kick. Bloodied and sensing danger, Machado Garry dove in on a takedown attempt, which was enough to halt Prates’ momentum and escape the round.

The final round was do or die for Carlos Prates. While the fourth was a better effort, there was no guarantee he’d even won it. And either way, it would be hard to argue he’d won the first three. Knowing that, Prates came out aggressive, backing Machado Garry up to the fence. He slipped away from danger, then fired a hard shot that connected on Prates. Moments later, Machado Garry went after a takedown, but couldn’t land it.

Back at center, Machado Garry landed a right hand, but that was followed by another takedown attempt that was fought off. Towards the final minute, another takedown backfired, with Prates getting on top of Garry. He landed some nasty hammer fists, and Garry literally crawled to the fence. Machado Garry was rocked, and somehow got up, but dove in on a leg out of sheer desperation. Prates was landing more hammer fists! Machado Garry was on the ropes, with Prates having a chance to finish. Carlos Prates backed off, perhaps hoping to get the finish on the feet, but he couldn’t seal the deal, with Ian Machado Garry surviving the late onslaught!

Following a unanimous decision win, Machado Garry called for the backup sport at UFC 315 next month, where welterweight champ Belal Muhammad meets Jack Della Maddalena.

Official Result: Ian Machado Garry def. Carlos Prates by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46)

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Smith had fought for light heavyweight gold (opposite Jon Jones), headlined over a half-dozen UFC cards, and become one of the longest-serving veterans in the UFC’s light heavyweight division.

He entered his final bout the underdog against China’s Zhang, but that was no surprise given one fighter was at the tail end of his career, and the other starting out.

Mingyang fired a side kick to the midsection early, a kick he would return to moments later. Between those attacks the pair exchanged punches over the top; a minute in, they clinched up after another exchange, Mingyang firing a knee in the clinch. Smith reversed, getting Mingyang’s back to the fence. Coming off it, they’d do some hand fighting in close, Smith controlling wrists and firing an elbow, then another. Yet it was Smith getting split open, as Mingyang was firing offense in kind. And Mingyang’s elbows were equally if not more nasty. Soon, Smith was pawing at his eye as the blood trickled into it. Mingyang closed the distance for more, and Smith changed levels, only to have a takedown attempt stuffed. Smith would then try to drag the Chinse fighter into his guard; Zhang just barely missed an illegal kick.

Smith appeared to be fading in the final 90 seconds, bleeding badly, on his knees, and taking damage as Mingyang landed elbow after elbow. With the ref hollering “move Anthony” repeatedly, Mingyang kept smashing away, several blows hitting the back of the head. The ref either didn’t see them, or didn’t consider them illegal, eventually waving off the fight. After the loss, Smith flipped off someone in the crowd and moved to the fence, Zhang Mingyang trying to restrain him.

Cooler heads prevailed, and Mingyang got the celebrate the biggest win of his career. Smith, meanwhile, wraps up a solid run that, while it didn’t produce gold, left him a household name and one of the more recognizable faces at 205lbs.

Hanging it up! Thank you for everything, Anthony Smith! 🤍🦁 pic.twitter.com/5fvGDDXH4m

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) April 27, 2025

Official Result: Zhang Mingyang def. Anthony Smith by TKO (elbows), Round 1, 4:03

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Chikadze had not competed since a decision loss to Arnold Allen last July, and was treating the fight as a stepping stone to a bigger name, he explained during Fight Week. Onama, meanwhile, was fighting at home, and wasn’t about to be overlooked.

Known for his “Giga Kick,” Chikadze’s kicks were on full display early in Saturday’s fight. He went to the head and body, though Onama was quick to block the attacks. Those kicks would continue to come from both sides as the round progressed, however. Onama would try to walk the Georgian down, but Chikadze was certain to circle out of harm’s way any time he started to get hemmed in. Onama would get the fight to the ground at the end of the frame, getting on top, but didn’t have much time to work.

Round two saw Chikadze come out and land a right hand. Onama used kicks of his own to try to keep Giga off his line, and mixed in an uppercut with his next combo. This round, Onama would get the fight down earlier, with over 90 seconds still on the clock. When Chikadze tried to scramble, Onama dragged him along the canvas. Onama looked for a choke, and to find space for elbows, as Giga Chikadze worked his way to the fence. Chikadze finally got to his feet when the round came to a close, with Onama having worked over the body on the ground.

Between rounds, Giga’s corner told him the fight was tied 1-1. A pretty accurate assessment, but one that also relied on the judges getting things right. And while the opening minutes played out on the feet, Onama landed the takedown with more than two minutes remaining. There appeared to be an accidental clash of heads ahead of that, and the end result was Onama stalling out on top for a bit. Still, it was enough to win him the round, and therefore the fight.

Official Result: David Onama def. Giga Chikadze by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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At least, that’s what fans were expecting, though the bout did not play out as expected to say the least.

The middleweight fight found “Demolidor” looking to bounce back from a loss to Anthony Hernandez, a setback that had snapped an eight-fight win streak. Known for his flashy attacks, however, a more reserved – too much so – Pereira showed up on Saturday.

It was Magomedov looking more active early, connecting with a left hand and a head kick that Michel Pereira ate. The Dagestani-born German was swinging wild, but also managed to punch his way into a takedown at the midway mark of the round, simply swarming Pereira. Abus next scaled the back, but slipped off before he could get a body triangle in place. Still, he was in the driver’s seat in a one-sided opening frame.

After an uncharacteristically slow start in the opening round, Michael Pereira was fighting to even things up in the second. He was still on the back foot, however, circling outside and backing away from Magomedov’s attacks. The pair exchanged probing front kicks, and Pereira fired a knee as Magomedov changed levels. The Brazilian was able to fight off the takedown attempt and reverse; they’d move back to center moments later. Pereira was still fighting tentatively, and the lack of action brought out an entire flock of boo-birds with about 90 seconds left in the round two.

If Michel Pereira was going to come alive, and have a chance at winning the fight, he’d have to make something happen in the third. Yet Pereira still failed to pull the trigger more often than not, leading to fans in Kansas City erupting in an Atlanta Braves-style “chop” chant. Pereira remained gun-shy to the final bell, and it was no surprise to see Abus Magomedov, who did have “Demolidor” in trouble once or twice, taking a unanimous decision win with triplicate 30-27 scores. Really, there was no other possible outcome.

Official Result: Abus Magomedov def. Michel Pereira by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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Brown was coming off a controversial loss to Bryan Battle, while Dalby had lost a similarly close decision to Rinat Fakhretdinov in his last outing. Regardless of outcome, one man was at least going to get a bad taste out of their mouth.

In the beginning of round one Randy Brown came out firing lighting fast combinations that broke the nose of Dalby early. Brown started to apply pressure on Dalby who was bleeding and had visibly been damaged from the early output of “Rude Boy”. Leaking blood from the nose, Dalby dug deep and landed a big shot on Brown before dragging him to the ground. Dalby was able to maintain control for the final moments of the round, but the most damage was done by Brown in a wild opening five minutes.

In the second round, Brown turned the pace up again landing a fast kick to body and flicking a jab from the waist that Dalby couldn’t see coming. Dalby bit down on his mouthpiece and marched forward on Brown landing a clean left hook of his own. Brown invited the firefight and both competitors went to war in the center of the cage in Kansas City. Brown landed a picture perfect right hook that shut Dalby’s lights off in one shot. A contender for knockout of the year brought the entire crowd to their feet in a huge moment in the career of Randy Brown.

Brown became the first fighter to ever knock out Dalby and earned his fourth win in five fights. In his post fight interview Brown said that he was happy to earn a victory over a true veteran like Dalby and showed respect for his opponent. His also said that he is going to be a problem for the rest of the division and wanted to fight the winner of the main event tonight, Ian Machado Garry vs. Carlos Prates.

Official Result: Randy Brown def. Nicolas Dalby by KO, Round 2, 1:39

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The Brazilian had earned a reputation for his submission prowess, especially after snapping the arm of the legendary Jacare Souza. As for Aliskerov, he’d had a quick ride up the 185lb division, but had been stopped last time out.

The opening round of Aliskerov vs. Muniz was more of a feeling process, with neither man committing to much. Aliskerov was the slightly busier fighter, putting together punches in bunches. Muniz stayed on the outside, often circling, looking to avoid getting drawn into a firefight. A patient, careful approach, but not careful enough. With less than a minute in the round, Aliskerov connected with a left hook, and Muniz stumbled backwards, back hitting the cage. He went down, and Ikram Aliskerov went in for the kill, dropping blow after blow while Muniz covered up. The Brazilian did what he could to stay in the fight with just seconds left on the clock, but ultimately wasn’t defending well enough for the ref, who gave him ample time before waving things off.

The TKO win for Aliskerov sees him bounce back into the win column after falling to ex-champ Robert Whittaker last summer.

Official Result: Ikram Aliskerov def. Andre Muniz by TKO, Round 1, 4:54

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