Matches To Make After UFC 278

UFC 278 went down last night (Sat., Aug. 20, 2022) from inside Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah featuring a thrilling night of fights that was capped off by Leon Edwards’ vicious knockout win over Kamaru Usman (see it again here). In other action, Luke Rockhold and Paulo Costa went at it for 15 back-and-forth minutes in a “Fight of the Night” affair.

Winner: Leon Edwards

Who He Should Face Next: Kamaru Usman trilogy fight

Let me start off by saying that NO WAY, NOW HOW should Jorge Masvidal get first crack at Edwards — despite their bitter past — so let’s stop all of that nonsense right now. Masvidal is on a three-fight losing streak (two title fights), and hasn’t won a fight since beating Nate Diaz in 2019. That said, Dana White already confirmed that Usman will get his immediate chance to run it back, assuming he isn’t out for an extended period of time. It’s only right since Usman had been dominant for so long, but when he signs on the dotted line he will be going into hostile territory because this title fight will likely take place in London, England. And what a site it will be.

Winner: Paulo Costa

Who He Should Fight Next: Wait and see…

Costa snapped his two-fight losing streak by escaping Salt Lake City with a win over a very tough and durable Luke Rockhold, who gave “The Eraser” all he had. Now that he’s back on track, the hulking Brazilian will likely sit back and assess what happens in the coming months because there are several 185-pound fights on the horizon, and the results of those bouts will determine his next opponent. Jack Hermansson and Derek Brunson will fight on Dec. 3, Robert Whittaker will face Marvin Vettori in a few weeks and Jared Cannonier will battle Sean Strickland in October. I foresee Costa fighting one of those men because believe it or not, he has yet to face anyone of them with the exception of Vettori, who defeated Costa in Oct. 2021. Then again, Costa is now a free agent so he might find a home elsewhere if the money is right.

Winner: Merab Dvalishvil

Who He Should Fight Next: Marlon Vera

Business is really starting to pick up in the Bantamweight division, and Dvalshivili firmly put himself in the thick of the championship hunt after picking up his eighth straight win following his ho-hum win over Jose Aldo. Last week I suggested that Marlon Vera get the winner of Sterling vs. Dillashaw based on his own streak, or perhaps the winner of Yan vs. O’Malley, but now I really do foresee UFC matchmakers making a fight between Dvallishvili and Vera. It just makes too much sense. Vera is on a four-fight win streak and is ranked No. 5 and is fresh off a knockout win over Dominick Cruz. With Dvalshvili ranked at No. 6 and the rest of the Top 5 booked for the rest of the year, I see this fight happening to determine the next title challenger.

Winner: Lucie Pudilova

Who He Should Face Next: Mayra Bueno Silva

Pudilova won her sixth fight in last seven outings after defeating Wu Yanan via second-round TKO, but it was her first win under the UFC umbrella since 2018 following a horrid four-fight losing streak inside the Octagon. Pudilova has a long way to go before she becomes a player in the women’s Bantamweight division, so a fight against Silva could be in order. Silva is on a two-fight win streak with one of those coming over Yanan. She was last seen defeating Stephanie Egger via armbar two weeks ago.

Winner: Tyson Pedro

Who He Should Face Next: Walker vs Cutelaba winner

Pedro scored his first back-to-back wins in six years by flattening Harry Hunsucker in just 65 seconds of the very first round. As for what’s next for the hard-hitting striker, perhaps a fight against the winner of the upcoming fight between Johnny Walker and Ion Cutelaba is in order. The two are set to collide at UFC 279 next month and either one of them would be a great, fresh matchup for Pedro, who is starting to find his groove after a tough slump that saw him go 1-3 before getting back on track.

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For complete UFC 278 results and coverage click here.