Matches To Make After UFC Vegas 42

UFC Vegas 42 went down yesterday (Sat., Nov 13, 2021) form inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, featuring a Featherweight bout which saw Max Holloway defeat Yair Rodriguez via unanimous decision in a five-round war (see it again here). In the co-main event, Marcos Rogerio de Lima stopped Ben Rothwell in a little over a minute via knockout, while Khaos Williams stopped Miguel Baeza via strikes in the third round (see it here).

Winner: Max Holloway

Who He Should Face Next: Volkanovski trilogy or The Korean Zombie

Whether you want to see it a third time or not, Holloway is on the short list of title contenders to challenge Alexander Volkanovski for his strap. “The Great” already has two wins over “Blessed” and trilogies aren’t all that common when someone holds a 2-0 lead, but Holloway has earned the right to fight for the belt again. The next best option for a title shot is Arnold Allen, who has won eight straight inside the Octagon and is currently ranked No. 6. Everyone else ahead of him is coming off a loss except for Holloway and Chan Sung Jung, who has just one win in a year and hasn’t had back-to-back wins since 2019. If the promotion isn’t ready to book the trilogy fight against Volkanovski, how about booking Holloway vs “The Korean Zombie?” It’s a fun, fresh fight that will entertain fight fans and solidify a title shot for the winner. There’s also the possibility of Holloway facing McGregor in 2022 lurking around.

Winner: Marcos Rogerio de Lima

Who He Should Face Next: Sergey Spivak

On the heels of two straight wins, de Lima has his first consecutive win streak inside the Octagon in seven years. A fight against Spivack, who is currently ranked No. 15 at the moment, seems like a logical match up. Spivak is coming off a loss at the hands of Tom Aspinall and a win over a streaking fighter would help him get some confidence back. For “Pezao,” defeating a ranked fighter to earn his third in a row could be his ticket to the coveted list.

Winner: Felicia Spencer

Who She Should Face Next: Germaine de Randamie

Spencer snapped her two fight skid by dominated Leah Letson before stopping her via strikes in the third and final round. While it’s great for her to get back in the win column, there aren’t a ton of contenders at 145 pounds for her since the division is so shallow. That’s why I would love to see de Randamie move back up to Featherweight to take this fight. “Iron Lady” is coming off a win over Pena — who will fight for the Bantamweight title next — and a rematch against Amanda Nunes isn’t in Germaine’s immediate future, or Spencer’s for that matter. This fight makes sense.

Winner: Khaos Williams

Who He Should Fight Next: Niko Price

Williams improved to 4-1 under the UFC banner thanks to his explosive knockout win over Miguel Baeza. Since he’s fighting in the stacked Welterweight division, Khaos will have to do a lot more to get a spot in the Top 15. A like a fight against Price next. Price is coming off a big win over Alex Oliveira, which snapped his two-fight skid. Like Williams, “Hybrid” loves an all-out fist fight so this bout should be just that. Both men are exciting as all heck and won’t take a step backwards. Book it.

Winner: Song Yadong

Who He Should Face Next: Marlon Moraes

The UFC’s Bantamweight division is perhaps the most loaded and competitive division at the moment, and Yadong is looking to bust through. Currently ranked No. 15, Yadong picked up his seventh win inside the Octagon to move him to 7-1-1 with the promotion. I’d love to see Yadong face Moraes next. Sure, “Magic” is currently on a three-fight skid, but he is ranked No. 9, so a win for Yadong would be great for his aspirations to crack the Top 10. For Moraes, slowing Yadong’s roll would be a great confidence booster.

For complete UFC Vegas 42 results and coverage click here.