As the cardboard tasked with following UFC 305, UFC Vegas 96 didn’t have a lot hype coming into it however ended up being one of many higher choices of the 12 months.
Headlined by middleweights Caio Borralho and Jared Cannonier, UFC Vegas 96 featured a number of Struggle of the Evening worthy bouts, together with the five-round struggle in the principle occasion. All however one struggle that went to a choice was determined by one spherical with three going to a cut up choice.
Two new fighters had been added to the UFC roster on the night time with Ryan Loder and Mairon Santos turning into the newest winners of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Loder and Santos each received by TKO within the second spherical and instantly grew to become attention-grabbing names to look at of their respective divisions, making it attention-grabbing to see how the promotion books their subsequent fights.
A variety of headlines got here out of the occasion and two new fighters entered the highest 10 of their weight lessons on the night time, giving plenty of potential choices shifting ahead. Listed below are our predictions for who every winner of the UFC Vegas 96 principal card faces subsequent.
Caio Borralho
Subsequent struggle prediction: Loser of Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev
In a division that’s now wide-open with Dricus du Plessis searching for his subsequent title challenger, Borralho emphatically entered himself into the highest 5 together with his spectacular win over Cannonier. His subsequent struggle being the title shot he referred to as for is very unlikely however with the efficiency he had, Borralho must be one struggle away.
Sean Strickland is presumably subsequent for the title someday in early 2025 however Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev are additionally going through off at UFC 308 in what may produce the subsequent No. 1 contender. The loser of the struggle remains to be not far off, probably making them an excellent subsequent opponent for Borralho. Israel Adesanya can be a viable possibility.
Tabatha Ricci
Subsequent struggle prediction: Winner of Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas
Together with her win over Angela Hill within the co-main occasion, Ricci is again on one other win streak, no matter how controversial it might be. The 101 vital strikes she landed within the struggle had been probably the most of her profession along with her putting trying considerably improved.
Even so, Ricci’s wrestling remains to be her calling card. She has overwhelmed two strikers in a row however her greatest fights have a tendency to come back when she faces one other elite grappler. Arguably the 2 greatest grapplers within the division — Mackenzie Dern and Amanda Ribas — are booked to struggle in December, making the winner an appropriate opponent for Ricci.
Two wins after struggling her first loss at strawweight to Crazy Godinez, Ricci proved she nonetheless has the talents to be a future title challenger within the division. A win over both Dern or Ribas, particularly Dern, would do wonders for Ricci in her profession.
Ryan Loder
Subsequent struggle prediction: Sedriques Dumas
Loder was not overly spectacular within the TUF Home through the thirty second season of “The Final Fighter” however confirmed one other stage to his recreation with a formidable grappling-heavy win over Robert Valentin. As an completed collegiate wrestler, Loder proved he might be a sleeper within the middleweight division together with his grappling background if given the proper matchups.
At 33, Loder is considerably older than most prospects, making that time period nearly inappropriate for him. His putting can be nonetheless largely unproven, making it ultimate for him to face one other grappler. With a 3-2 report within the promotion, Sedriques Dumas suits the invoice in a matchup each fighters may benefit from with a win.
Mairon Santos
Subsequent struggle prediction: Steven Nguyen
Even with Loder’s large win and Wang Cong’s knockout within the first struggle of the night time, it’s laborious to say any fighter had a extra spectacular UFC debut on Saturday night time than Mairon Santos. He entered the struggle with Kaan Ofli as the favourite however couldn’t have been a lot better in his second-round knockout win.
He’s nonetheless younger, however Santos is a man who is able to make a push. Even so, he nonetheless must be constructed up in opposition to fighters with comparable expertise, which is the place Steven Nguyen comes into play. At 9-2, Nguyen is a striker with sufficient expertise to check Santos on the ft however remains to be a struggle the 24-year-old ought to win.
Michael Morales
Subsequent struggle prediction: Winner of Geoff Neal vs. Rafael dos Anjos
Neil Magny has been the welterweight “gatekeeper” for a number of years now however no person has ever overwhelmed him the best way Morales did. Getting into UFC Vegas 96, Magny had not been knocked out since shedding to Santiago Ponzinibbio in 2018 and never within the first spherical since 2016. That streak ended with a spinning again elbow from Morales that sat him down and predatorial ground-and-pound that completed the struggle.
There are plenty of thrilling younger rising stars within the welterweight division however Morales might be the perfect one of all of them. After beating Magny in the best way he did, he’s solely prepared for one more step up. Geoff Neal and Rafael dos Anjos are competing for a prime 10 rating at UFC 308 and both can be an ideal subsequent step for Morales.
Gerald Meerschaert
Subsequent struggle prediction: Paul Craig
After submitting Edmen Shahbazyan in one of many wildest fights of UFC Vegas 96, Meerschaert referred to as for a struggle with Paul Craig, and at this level, he deserves what he needs. Not solely that, however the struggle makes good sense and is one each fan would wish to see. As two grapplers with a pension for moving into bother earlier than pulling off unbelievable comeback wins, Meerschaert and Craig are virtually spitting photographs of one another.
Meerschaert and Craig are each round an analogous spot within the rankings and are separated in age by only one month. The struggle is virtually assured to finish earlier than the ultimate horn and the scrambles can be wild. It isn’t the kind of matchup both fighter sometimes is in however each males deserve it and it might be a enjoyable addition to any struggle card.