Matches To Make After UFC Vegas 96

UFC Vegas 96 went down last night (Sat., Aug. 24, 2024) inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, with the main event featuring Caio Borralho and Jared Cannonier going toe-to-toe for 25 minutes, eventually leading to a unanimous decision win for “Killa Gorilla” (recap here). In the co-main event, Tabatha Ricci defeated Angela Hill, also via unanimous decision, while Michael Morales defeated Neil Magny via first-round technical knockout (TKO).

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Winner: Caio Borralho

Who He Should Face Next: Imavov vs. Allen winner

With six straight wins to start off his UFC career, Borralho is on the fast track to potential stardom. He will likely be taking Cannonier’s No. 5 ranking, and if that holds true, then I don’t see why the promotion wouldn’t consider giving Borralho the winner of the upcoming bout between Nassourdine Imavov (No. 4) and Brendan Allen (No. 7). who are set to throw down on Sept. 28 in Paris, France.

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Winner: Tabatha Ricci

Who She Should Face Next: Ribas vs. Dern winner

Ricci won her second straight fight, sixth of seven overall, after defeating Angela Hill. That means that “Baby Shark” will likely move up and into the Top 10, which brings with it bigger and better challenges. I wouldn’t mind seeing Ricci take on the winner of the upcoming rematch between Amanda Ribas and Mackenzie Dern when they run it back on Dec. 14 in Tampa, Florida.

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Winner: Ryan Loder

Who He Should Face Next: Sedriques Dumas

Loder became The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 32 middleweight winner by emphatically stopping Robert Valentin via second-round technical knockout (TKO), “The Man of Steel” is 7-1 so far as a pro, so it will be interesting to see who the promotion will pair the winner up with, but I wouldn’t mind seeing a fight against Dumas. “The Reaper” is 3-2 inside the Octagon and is coming off a win over Denis Tiuliulin earlier this month.

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Winner: Mairon Santos

Who He Should Face Next: Muhammad Naimov

Santos won The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 32 featherweight tournament with a stellar knockout win over Kaan Ofli. As far as who he could face in his UFC sophomore effort, perhaps a fight against Naimov would make sense. “Hillman” recently had his six-fight win streak snapped by Felipe Lima last month via rear-naked choke, the first loss of his inside the Octagon.

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Winner: Michael Morales

Who He Should Face Next: Vicente Luque

Morales improved to 17-0, 5-0 UFC, thanks to a thunderous knockout win over longtime veteran Neil Magny in the very first round, which means a spot in the Top 15 is in order. I like a fight against Luque next. Luque was supposed to face Nick Diaz earlier this month before visa issues sank that ship. Luque is coming off a knockout loss at the hands of Joaquin Buckley, but he is still ranked No. 13. We don’t know where Morales will land in the Top 15, but for now this seems like a good option.

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Winner: Gerald Meerschaert

Who He Should Face Next: Hernandez vs. Pereira winner

Meerschaert won his second straight with an impressive arm-triangle choke over Edmen Shahbazyan. More impressive than that, however, is the fact that Meerschaert broke Anderson Silva’s longstanding record of finishes in the middleweight division with 12. While he tried to downplay that feat, it’s very impressive. I’d like to see matchmakers hook “The Machine” up with a showdown against the winner of the upcoming fight between Anthony Hernandez and Michel Pereira, which is set to go down on Oct. 19.

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For complete UFC Vegas 96 results, coverage and highlights, click HERE.