Matches To Make After UFC On ESPN 12

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) kept business rolling last night (Sat., June 27, 2020), staging UFC on ESPN 12 from inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the main event of the evening, Dustin Poirier defeated Dan Hooker in an absolute barn-burner, taking home a unanimous decision win in what is so far the “Fight of the Year” (see it). In the co-headlining act, Mike Perry did enough with only his girlfriend in his corner to score a decision victory over Mickey Gall.

Winner: Dustin Poirier

Who He Should Fight Next: Tony Ferguson

It’s hard to believe that these two men’s paths have never crossed inside the Octagon, but it is definitely the no-brainer fight to make next. Ferguson is in need of a big win after coming up short against Justin Gaethje at UFC 249 in an interim Lightweight title fight last May, which also had fans on the edge of their seats. For Poirier, a win over “El Cucuy” puts him right back in a position to call for another title fight. Both men are tanks, both men are bruisers and both men can take punishment just as well they can dish it out. Oh, and in their last 17 fights combined, they have won a total of 14 post-fight bonuses, including 11 “Fight of the Night” awards. So yes, this will be another “Fight of the year” contender. Get excited…now.

Winner: Mike Perry

Who He Should Fight Next: The Taxman Niko Price

Perry picked up a much-needed win over Mickey Gall, allowing him to breathe a huge sigh of relief since he’s had several struggles as of late, losing two in a row prior to last night. Price, meanwhile, has also had several struggles over the last few years, alternating wins and losses over his last six fights. In his previous bout, Niko came up short against Vicente Luque, losing via technical knockout (doctor stoppage) at UFC 249. A fight against Niko is as good as it’s going to get for Perry, as he needs to get on a nice winning streak before he starts getting Top 15 competition. But first, Perry needs to get himself an actual team to train with and corner him. Nothing against his girlfriend, but he can’t expect similar results night in and night out moving forward with only her as his corner.

Winner: Maurice Greene

Who He Should Fight Next: Tai Tuivasa

Green snapped his two-fight losing streak after scoring a come-from-behind victory over Gian Villante. “The Crochet Boss” has a long way to go before he can crack the Top 15, so he is going to have to pick up some big wins over tougher competition who are natural Heavyweights. And Tuivasa fits the bill perfectly, Granted, “Bam Bam” hasn’t had the best run as of late, losing three straight, but his still has a good following. So scoring a win over Tuivasa could do wonders for Greene’s stock.

Winner: Brendan Allen

Who He Should Fight Next: Will be sidelined until 2021

Brendan Allen just keeps firing on all cylinders, picking up his seventh straight win, third inside the Octagon, after defeating Kyle Daukaus, Allen has been staying busy, fighting once every three months since July of 2019. Unfortunately for Allen, he will now have to take a mandated break, as reports surfaced that he had suffered several facial injuries which will force him to the bench until early 2021.

Winner: Tanner Boser

Who He Should Fight Next: Shamil Abdurakhimov

Tanner was pretty upset he didn’t get a post-fight bonus after steamrolling Philipe Lins in the very first round. Still, he’ll have plenty of chances to earn that extra $50K. Up next for Boser should be a fight against Abdurakhimov, who recently had his three-fight win streak snapped by top 265-pound contender, Curtis Blaydes. Shamil has done pretty well inside the eight-sided cage, winning five of seven overall, with those two defeats coming at the hands of Blaydes and Derrick Lewis. If Boser want bigger and better opportunities, getting through Abdurakhimov is a good way to get there.

Winner: Julian Erosa

Who He Should Fight Next: Kyle Nelson

Erosa had a pretty nice welcome back party, choking out Sean Woodson in the third round on just three days notice. Eros has previously been cut by the promotion after three straight defeats, but now that he made the most of his second chance, “Juicy J” is ready to take advantage of it. And who better to face next than the man he replaced, Kyle Nelson. “The Monster” should have his visa issues taken care for his next fight, so booking this bout simply makes sense for both men.

For complete UFC on ESPN 12 results and coverage click here.