Matches To Make After UFC Vegas 70

UFC Vegas 70 took place last night (Sat., Feb. 25, 2023) in Las Vegas, Nevada, which featured a Middleweight fight that saw Brendan Allen submit Andre Muniz (highlights). In the co-main event, Augusto Sakai earned a new lease on his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) career by defeating Don’Tale Mayes via unanimous decision, snapping his four-fight losing streak. In further action, Tatiana Suarez returned after a lengthy layoff to submit Montana De La Rosa (highlights here).

Winner: Brendan Allen

Who He Should Face Next: Jack Hermansson

After Allen won his fourth straight, he took the opportunity to call out everyone who has defeated him, including Sean Strickland and Chris Curtis. He also called out some new people in the former of Jack Hermansson and Driccus Du Plessis. Out of all of those matchups one against Hermansson makes the most sense. While Hermansson is currently ranked No. 9, he hasn’t exactly been lighting it up like a Top 10 fighter. He is coming off a loss to Roman Dolidze and has been alternating wins and losses since 2019 to earn a 4-4 record in his last eight fights. I normally don’t like streaking fighters taking on one that is coming off a loss, but this one makes sense since Allen is trying to climb into the Top 15.

Winner: Augusto Sakai

Who He Should Face Next: Josh Parisian

Sakai may have earned himself another fight inside the Octagon, but he shouldn’t expect ranked opponent in his next fight, and not for a while. As for his next challenge, perhaps a big man showdown against Parisian is in order. Parisian is coming off tough loss to UFC newcomer Jamal Pogues at UFC Vegas 69 just last week, so the turnaround times should sync up. It’s not the most intriguing matchup, but it’s what’s likely necessary next.

Winner: Tatiana Suarez

Who She Should Face Next: Rose Namajunas?

There is no telling where Suarez will land in the Top 15 following her big win, so who she gets will depend heavily on that. Plus, she has stated that she wants to drop down to Strawweight, so until we get a definitive weight class for her next fight, it’s all very much up in the air. Should she drop down, she has already called for a fight against Rose Namajunas. I don’t hate the fight, I actually like it. The problem is “Thug Rose” is currently ranked No. 2 in the division while Suarez is nowhere to be seen in the rankings. Her big win could get her right back into the mix, however, so if Namajunas is game, why not book the fight? Namajunas is coming off a loss to Carla Esparza, so if she can be the first to defeat Suarez it gets her right back into the championship conversation.

Winner: Mike Mallot

Who He Should Face Next: Matthew Semelsberger

Mallot picked up his fifth straight win by earning a first-round submission win over Yohan Lainesse. He is now 2-0 since breaking in via the Contender Series, and all of his wins on his current streak have come via first-round stoppage (three submissions and two knockouts). A fight against Semelsberger — who is 5-2 inside the Octagon — could be a good test for Mallot. Semelsberger is coming off a huge win over Jake Matthews in Dec. 2022.

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For complete UFC Vegas 70 results and coverage click here.