Matches To Make After UFC Vegas 77

UFC Vegas 77 went down last night (Sat., July 15, 2023) in Las Vegas, Nevada, which featured one huge upset in the main event after Mayra Bueno Silva choked out former Bantamweight champion, Holly Holm (see it again here). In the co-headliner, Jack Della Maddalena pulled out a split-decision win against Octagon newcomer, Bassil Hafez.

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Winner: Mayra Bueno Silva

Who she Should Face Next: Wait for a title shot or face Irene Aldana

With a win, Holm would have likely been offered a title shot next, but that may not be the case for Bueno Silva, who is currently ranked No. 10. With Holm losing, that pretty much solidifies that Julianna Pena and Raquel Pennington will fight for the vacant strap, which means Bueno Silva will likely have to take one more fight (and win) or play an extended version of the waiting game. If she does take another fight, the only bout I see happening is perhaps a showdown against Irene Aldana, who is coming off a loss to Amanda Nunes in a title fight. It’s not ideal to face someone coming off a defeat when you have your eyes on the big prize, but beating Aldana will secure he championship spot.

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Winner: Jack Della Maddalena

Who He Should Face Next: Sean Brady

Maddalena narrowly escaped “Sin City” with a win over a UFC newcomer in a short-notice fight for both men, but he improved his win streak to 15 straight and remains undefeated inside the Octagon with five wins. He was originally set to face Sean Brady at UFC 290 before Brady pulled out with an injury, and then Josiah Harrel before he was yanked due to a rare brain disease discovered during medicals. Maddalena still has his sights on Brady, so it makes sense to book that fight again, perhaps as the co-main event to UFC 293 in Sydney, Australia on Sept. 10, which is expected to be headlining by Isreal Adesanya vs. Dricus Du Plessis.

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Winner: Francisco Prado

Who He Should Face Next: Evan Elder

Prado picked up his first win inside the Octagon by defeating Ottman Azaitar via first-round technical knockout (TKO) on the main card, while Elder also earned his first UFC win in three tries by defeating Genaro Valdez on the prelims. Both men are just starting their UFC journeys so they have a ton of track to cover, so let’s match them up with each other next to see what’s what.

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Winner: Junyong Park

Who He Should Face Next: Caio Borralho

Park picked up a huge win by submitting Albert Duraev via rear-naked choke, extending his win streak to four straight and making huge strides toward landing a spot in the Top 15. If he can get a win over someone like Borralho, that should do the trick. Borralho is on a monstrous tear himself, winning his first four fights inside the Octagon, extending his win streak to 11. This would be a battle between two surging 185 pounders to see who lands a spot on the rankings.

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Winner: Norman Dumont

Who She Should Face Next: Josiane Nunes

There aren’t a ton of options at 145 pounds for Dumont to face, so a matchup against Nunes makes sense seeing as how “Josi” is 3-0 inside the Octagon and on a nine-fight win streak. Nunes is coming off a win over Zarah Fairn Dos Santos. One of the most experienced fighters in the division against a great up-and-comer, why not make it happen?

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Winner: Nazim Sadykhov

Who He Should Face Next: Drakkar Klose

Sadykhov extended his win streak to nine and improved to 2-0 under the UFC banner by submitting Terrance McKinney in round two. Sadykhov is another success story (so far) from the Contender Series and has shown a ton of upside in a short amount of time. A fight against Klose would be a steep increase in level of competition, but Sakykhov has proven he has the chops to hang in the big leagues. Klose has won two straight but hasn’t competed in over a year as a result of injury, so he should be gearing up for a return soon.

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For complete UFC Vegas 77: “Holm vs. Bueno Silva” results and play-by-play, click HERE.