Matches To Make After UFC 295

UFC 295 blew the roof off Madison Square Garden in New York City last night (Sat., Nov. 11, 2023), which saw Alex Pereira become the new Light Heavyweight champion after knocking out Jiri Prochazka in the second round (highlights). In the co-main event, Tom Aspinall stopped Sergei Pavlovich in the very first round to win the interim Heavyweight title (see it again here).

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Winner: Alex Pereira
Who He Should Face Next: Jamahal Hill

Priro to this event, it was revealed that Hill would be getting an immediate title shot upon his return. And it’s only right since he voluntarily vacated the 205-pound strap after tearing his achilles tendon ACL in a pickup basketball game, paving the way for Prochazka and Periera to throw down at this event. There is no telling when it will happen since Hill is still on the mend, but at least he can look forward to reclaiming the belt once more. And he will be trying to do it against one of the best strikers the 205-pound (and 185-pound) division has ever seen.

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Winner: Tom Aspinall
Who He Should Face Next: Jones vs. Miocic winner

Now that Aspinall has fulfilled his championship dreams (albeit on an interim basis), he can look forward to his next challenge. That’s because he will be taking on the winner of the 265-pound title fight between current champion, Jon Jones, and ex-title holder, Stipe Miocic, which was set to headline the card before “Bones” bowed out with an injury. The only problem is, he will have to wait a while because that fight is not scheduled yet, and depending on what the eventual result is, it could be a long waiting game. That said, do not be too surprised to see Aspinall step up to defend his interim strap if the wait becomes a bit too long for his liking.

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Winner: Jessica Andrade
Who She Should Face Next: Carla Esparza or Amanda Lemos

Andrade scored a huge technical knockout (TKO) win over Mackenzie Dern, dropping her a total of four times before putting an end to the fight in the second round (see it here). In doing so, she stopped the bleeding of her three-fight skid, allowing her to keep her spot in the Top 5. While a fight against Esparza or Lemos seems a bit odd, it’s the fight that makes sense when you look at the whole picture, so stay with me. Both Lemos’ and Esparza’s last defeats came against division champion, Zhang Weili, so I fully expect the promotion to book Esparza (No. 1) vs. Lemos (No. 4) for a an early 2024 showdown. Yan Xiaonan (No. 2) and Tatiana Suarez (No. 3) both defeated Andrade earlier this year and appear to be on a collision course to see who gets the next title shot, or one of them could very well be next outright. So, if Esparza vs. Lemos gets booked and Esparza wins, Andrade could get “The Cookie Monster” next in a fresh matchup. Andrade already defeated Lemos in April 2022, but a rematch may be in order if either of them want to make a case for another title shot. All that said, Andrade has no option but to wait to see how the division unfolds going into 2024.

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Winner: Benoit Saint-Denis
Who He Should Face Next: Renato Moicano

Saint-Denis took his shot and called for a fight against Justin Gaethje, but that simply isn’t in the cards at the moment because “Highlight” is holding out for a title shot he rightfully deserves. For now, Saint-Denis has a ton of work to do before he gets to the big dogs. He has won five straight, so perhaps a fight against Moicano is in order. Moicano is currently ranked No. 13 at 155 pounds, and Saint-Denis could be looking to crack the rankings later next week. Moicano was in line to face Arman Tsarukyan before he was forced out with an injury and was last seen submitting Brad Riddell over a year ago.

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Winner: Diego Lopes
Who He Should Face Next: Billy Quarantillo

Lopes picked up his second straight win by obliterating Pat Sabatini in just 19 seconds, improving his overall UFC record to 2-1. Still young in his combat career, Lopes has shown promise as a potential star for the promotion, so don’t expect matchmakers to throw him to the sharks anytime soon. A fight against Quarantillo seems about right for his next challenge inside the Octagon. Quarantillo is 2-1 in his last three fights inside the Octagon and is coming off a unanimous decision win over Damon Jackson.

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For complete UFC 295 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.