Matches To Make After UFC Vegas 37

UFC Vegas 37 went down last night (Sat., Sept. 18, 2021) from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada which saw Anthony Smith defeat Ryan Spann via first round submission in a wild one-round bout (see it again here). In the co-main event, Ion Cutelaba defeated Devin Clark via unanimous decision, while Joaquin Buckley earned one more knockout for the highlight reel (see it again here).

Winner: Anthony Smith

Who He Should Face Next: Walker vs Santos winner

Smith wants a rematch against Aleksandar Rakic, but that is unlikely to happen seeing as how it has barely been a year since the loss. Plus, Rakic is looking to fry bigger fish. For now, “Lionheart” can probably expect to face the winner of Thiago Santos and Johnny Walker, who are set to throw down in a couple of weeks. Santos defeated Smith in a Middleweight fight three years ago, while Walker and Smith have yet to face one another so either match up works well for Smith, who has won three in a row for the first time since 2018. A win against either one of those men should help him move up the ladder.

Winner: Ion Cutelaba

Who He Should Face Next: Alonzo Menifield

Cutelaba called for a fight against Smith after defeating Devin Clark afte dominant 15 minutes, but “Lionheart” will obviously pass on that match up since “Hulk” isn’t ranked. I would like to see Cutelaba take on Alonzo Menifield. Winner of two straight, Menifield is coming off a big win over Ed Herman at UFC 265. Both men are scratching and crawling trying to earn a spot in the Top 15, so there is no better time than now to book them against one another. Plus, both men crack…and hard, so it should be a feast for the eyes for fight fans.

Winner: Ariane Lipski

Who She Should Face Next: Miranda Maverick

Lipski picked up a huge win over Mandy Bohm to snap her two fight losing streak. Up next for her should be a fight against Maverick, who is currently ranked No. 14 in the women’s Flyweight division. Maverick is coming off a tough loss to Maycee Barber, snapping her five fight win streak. Lipski needs some momentum to crack the Top 15 and taking out Maverick could be just what the doctor ordered.

Winner: Arman Tsarukyan

Who He Should Face Next: Gregor Gillespie

Tsarukyan picked up his fourth straight win after knocking Christos Giagos in the very first round. Currently holding strong in the No. 14 spot, Tsarukyan could expect a showdown against Gillespie in the near future. Sure, “The Gift” is ranked three spots ahead of Arman, but that could change come this week because I fully expect him to move up a couple of spots after his latest win. Gillespie recently got back on the winning track by defeating Carlos Diego Ferreira this past summer.

Winner: Nate Maness

Who He Should Face Next: Song Yadong

The Bantamweight division is perhaps the most stacked and competitive weight class at the moment, so Maness is going to have to win more than four in a row to crack the Top 15. Still, Maness is on the right track to get there and a win over Yadong could be what gets him there. Yadong is currently the owner the No. 15 spot and recently got back to the winner’s circle by edging out a split decision victory over Casey Kenney at UFC 265. A win for Maness could be what sees him overtake the final spot in the rankings.

Winner: Joaquin Buckley

Who He Should Face Next: Abdul Razak Alhassan

Buckley once again delivered a highlight reel knockout after clobbering Antonio Arroyo in the third and final round. I am feeling a fight between another hard-hitting striker in Alhassan. Like Buckley, Alhassan has a knack for delivering crushing knockouts. In fact, all of his wins have come by stoppage via strikes, which includes his 17-second knockout win over Alessio Di Chirico last month, which stopped the bleeding of his three fight losing streak. A striking battle for the ages is guaranteed when these two wrecking machines let the fists fly.

For completed UFC Vegas 37 play-by-play updates and results click here