Matches To Make After UFC Vegas 56

UFC Vegas 56 went down last night (Sat., June 4, 2022) inside UFC Apex Las Vegas, Nevada. In the main event of the evening, Alexander Volkov knocked out Jairzinho Rozenstruik in the very first round (see it here), though it wasn’t without some controversy. In the co-main event, Movsar Evloev dominated Dan Ige to earn a unanimous decision win (recap here), improving to 16-0, 6-0 UFC.

Winner: Alexander Volkov

Who He Should Face Next: Lewis vs Pavlovich winner

After getting back in the win column thanks to a stoppage win over Rozenstruik, Volkov should face the winner of Derrick Lewis and Sergei Pavlovich, which is set to go down at UFC 277 on July 30, 2022. Lewis has a knockout win over Volkov — a fight “Drago” was winning — and a matchup against Pavlovich would be fresh. Either one of this big man collision works.

Winner: Movsar Evloev

Who He Should Face Next: Ilia Topuria

It’s probably not a fight I would have gone for, but Evloev called for a showdown against Allen after he picked up a dominate win over Dan Ige in the co-main event. The problem with that is, Allen is currently ranked No. 6, so he is probably looking at someone further up the ladder, though there is no denying a fight between them would be bananas. Topuria, meanwhile. bashed Evloev for avoiding a showdown between them. Topuria (No. 15) is undefeated at 12-0, 4-0 UFC, so it would be a great battle of unbeatens.

Winner: Ode Osbourne

Who He Should Face Next: Chase Hopper

Osbourne is starting to pick up some momentum after scoring an impressive first round knockout win over Zarrukh Adashev in just 61 seconds, giving him his second straight win. A fight against Hopper seams ideal since both of them are coming off big wins. Hopper defeated Felipe Colares via TKO on May 21, and is 3-2 inside the Octagon, same goes for Osbourne.

Winner: Alonzo Menifield

Who He Should Face Next: Jim Crute

Menifield picked up a dominant TKO win over Askar Mozharov (see it here), putting him back in the win column and giving him some confidence moving forward. Up next for the powerful striker, a showdown against Crute seems logical. Yes, Crute is on a two-fight losing streak, but he is currently ranked No. 15, which is where Menifield wants to be. Crute won’t be getting anyone ranked above him due to his recent woes, so taking out “Atomic” could be what he needs to hang on to the final spot on the rankings. For Menifield, defeating Crute should get him in.

Winner: Karine Silva

Who She Should Face Next: Luana Carolina

Silva made an explosive impression in her first-ever UFC fight by forcing Poliana Botelho to tap to a Brabo choke in the very first round, giving her finish number 15 in 15 victories, as well as her sixth straight win. Up next for the Brazilian standout, I am feeling a fight against Carolina, who last win also came over Botelho. Carolina is coming off a defeat, however, losing to Molly McCann two short months ago. She is five fights deep into her UFC career, going 3-2 so far, so she does have a tad bit of experience edge over Silva.

Winner: Lucas Almeida

Who He Should Face Next: Devonte Smith

Like Silva, Almeida also dazzled in his UFC debut, knocking out Michael Trizano in the third round. For Almeida, the road to the facing the cream of the crop will be a slow one, so a showdown against Smith seems ideal. Smith is on a two-fight losing streak, dropping consecutive fights to Ludovit Klein and Jamie Mullarky, bringing him to an even 3-3 inside the Octagon. Still, he would be a stiff test for Almeida, who is just starting out his UFC career.

---

For complete UFC Vegas 56 results and coverage click here.