Matches To Make After UFC Vegas 8

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

UFC Vegas 8 went down last night (Sat. Aug. 29, 2020) inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, wrapping up a busy month for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). In the main event of the evening, Aleksandar Rakic took home a unanimous decision win over former title contender, Anthony Smith (highlights). In the co-headlining act, Neil Magny defeated Robbie Lawler to pick up his third straight win (relive it here).

Winner: Aleksandar Rakic

Who He Should Face Next: Jiri Prochazka

Rakic picked up his fifth win in six tries so far inside the Octagon after dominating Anthony Smith in “Sin City.” Rakic could easily be 6-0 had it not been for an awful decision, but let’s not cry over spilled milk. The win should be good enough to give him a nice boost on the official UFC rankings, where he is currently ranked No. 8. I have a love-hate relationship with the rankings, I use them as a guide to book matchups, but when I see someone like Jiri Prochazka already ranked No. 6 after only one win inside the Octagon, I have some trouble taking them seriously. But as Max Holloway so eloquently puts it, “It is what it is.” That’s why a fight between them is something I’d like to see next. It would be a great striking battle between some of the freshest blood the promotion has to offer at Light Heavyweight, who no longer has its dominant champion.

Winner: Neil Magny

Who He Should Fight Next: Geoff Neal

Magny picked up his third straight win after dominating Robbie Lawler for 15 minutes. While a nice streak like that would get you a better ranking in most weight classes, the Welterweight division is perhaps the most stacked division UFC has to offer, so Neil is having a hard time cracking the Top 10. Perhaps a win over Neal could be what gets him there. Magny and Neal were originally set to collide on this card but was scrapped after Geoff came down with pneumonia. There’s really no other fight to make at the moment for either man.

Winner: Alexa Grasso

Who She Should Face Next: Alexis Davis

Grasso picked up a much-needed win over Ji Yeon Kim to avoid her first-ever back-to-back losing streak of her career. The win could be a good motivator and confidence booster for the Mexican-born fighter, who hasn’t exactly lived up to any hype she may have had coming out of Invicta FC. The move to Flyweight seems to have been what was missing for Grasso, who should take on someone like Alexis Davis next. Davis has seen better days, as she has lost three straight dating back to July 18. Despite the funk she is in, she has still somehow managed to lock down the No. 11 spot for some time now. There goes the hate part I have for the rankings. A win over Davis could be big for Grasso, as she has long been one of the more-seasoned veterans in women’s MMA.

Winner: Ricardo Lamas

Who He Should Fight Next: Ryan Hall

I still want to see Hall and Lamas mix it up. The two men were set to throw down at UFC Vegas 8 before Hall was forced out of the event with an injury. While we still do not know the extent of the injury, hopefully it’s not too bad and the jiu-jitsu ace can get back into the swing of things sooner, rather than later. Lamas will come in a bit more confident too after getting back in the win column after defeating Bill Algeo, the man who stepped in for Hall on short notice.

For complete UFC Vegas 8 results and highlights click here.