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The UFC's latest Fight Night went down last night in Las Vegas. To call the event unmemorable would be an understatement.
Impressive showings were few and far between at UFC Fight Night: Anthony Hernandez vs. Michel Pereira, but a handful of fighters did win big.
Therefore, the event should, theoretically at least, lead to some better bouts down the line.
With that in mind, here are five fights to make following UFC Fight Night: Anthony Hernandez vs. Michel Pereira.
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#5. UFC middleweight bout: Michel Pereira vs. Brendan Allen
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Despite coming in with plenty of hype, it's fair to say that Michel Pereira came up short last night.
It looked like he was in for another quick finish when he blasted Anthony Hernandez early on with a body kick, but when 'Fluffy' recovered, 'Demolidor' quickly ran out of steam.
In the end, the exhausted Brazilian suffered a bad fifth-round TKO defeat, snapping his eight-fight win streak and giving him his first UFC loss since 2020.
Despite the loss, it's clear that Pereira still has elite-level potential. Based on this fight, he needs to work on his conditioning, but realistically, how many opponents would've survived his first-round barrage?
With that in mind, there's no need to shunt him down the card too much. A good opponent for him to take on next, then, could be Brendan Allen.
'All In' also saw a long win streak snapped recently when he fell to Nassourdine Imavov in September, but he's still ranked at No.8 in the UFC middleweight division and has the ground skills to test Pereira.
Overall, this one could be an excellent and fun middleweight bout to book, with the winner moving up a rung and the loser perhaps slipping out of the top fifteen.
#4. UFC featherweight bout: Darren Elkins vs. Sean Woodson
It wasn't easy - it never does seem to be for him - but Darren Elkins once again came out on top last night.
'The Damage' outlasted Daniel Pineda in a thrilling featherweight bout, sending 'The Pit' into retirement in the process. For Elkins, though, there has been no talk of hanging the gloves up despite the fact that he turned 40 years old in May.
The question, then, is who to match him up with next. Would it be better to match 'The Damage' with another veteran, or more of an up-and-comer?
One fun-sounding opponent could be Sean Woodson. 'The Sniper' is currently on a six-fight unbeaten run, but hasn't quite beaten anyone on the level of Elkins yet.
Essentially then, both men could be a good test for one another. Woodson would have the opportunity to step up and face a battle-hardened gatekeeper, while Elkins would need to find a way to deal with the slim frame and long reach of the 6ft 2in 'Sniper'.
This fight would be plenty of fun overall and could be worth putting together in early 2025.
#3. UFC flyweight bout: Asu Almabayev vs. Charles Johnson
One thing that the UFC loves to do is to match a winning fighter against another winning fighter from the same event against one another down the line.
If they follow that trend after last night's show, then a good flyweight tilt to book would pit Charles Johnson against Asu Almabayev.
Johnson outpointed Su Mudaerji in a fun clash on the main card, while Almabayev was able to overcome a trickier foe in the form of Matheus Nicolau on the preliminary card.
Despite being on a four-fight win streak now, Johnson is not yet ranked, while 'Zulfikar' will likely climb into the top ten thanks to his win.
With that considered, you could argue for Johnson to fight a lower-ranked foe like Tim Elliott and for Almabayev to fight someone higher up the ladder like Alex Perez.
However, 'InnerG' is on such a great run right now that it'd be impossible to count him out, even against the dangerous Kazakh, who is still unbeaten in the UFC.
With the winner of this potential fight definitely moving into title contention, it'd be well worth the matchmakers looking to book this one in the near future.
#2. UFC bantamweight bout: Rob Font vs. Montel Jackson
Despite curiously coming into his fight with Kyler Phillips as an underdog, Rob Font proved why he's still arguably the bantamweight division's best gatekeeper last night.
He recovered from a bit of a sticky start to largely dominate 'The Matrix' on the feet, winning a clear-cut unanimous decision when the fight went to the scorecards.
Font has been around the UFC for a long time now, and his losses to the likes of Cory Sandhagen and Deiveson Figueiredo mean that he's not heading into title contention any time soon.
The best use for him, then, would be as a test for fighters attempting to climb to that elite level. With that in mind, a good opponent for him could be Montel Jackson.
'Quik' is currently ranked at No15 in the division, and has won his last five fights in the UFC, needing just 18 seconds to dispatch Da'Mon Blackshear in July.
Whether the 32-year-old would be able to deal with a fighter as tough as Font so easily, though, would be a major question. After all, you have to go back to 2017 for the last time he was finished.
If Jackson wants to get into title contention, Font is the kind of fighter he'll need to get past. At some stage, 'Quik' has to sink or swim - so a fight with Font in early 2025 would be perfect for him.
#1. UFC middleweight bout: Anthony Hernandez vs. Jared Cannonier
Despite coming into last night's headline bout on the back of a five-fight win streak, many observers were still counting Anthony Hernandez out.
After all, his opponent, Michel Pereira, was on an even longer unbeaten run - last tasting defeat in the UFC in February 2020 - and looked to be set for a climb to the very top.
In the end, though, it was 'Fluffy' who showed he was more ready for that climb. He survived a nasty barrage from 'Demolidor' early to take over and smash him late on, picking up a fifth-round stoppage in his first-ever main event.
So what's next for the 31-year-old? The UFC tends to match fighters coming off a win with fellow winners, but in this case, they ought to buck that trend and put Hernandez against Jared Cannonier.
'The Killa Gorilla' has lost his last two fights, but he's still ranked at No.7 in the 185-pound division, making him a real step up for 'Fluffy'.
More to the point, his powerful strikes and strong wrestling would make him a real test for Hernandez, who seems to be making a career out of upsetting the odds.
This would be a hugely tough fight for 'Fluffy', but after last night's win, he's earned the opportunity against a high-level opponent, something Cannonier would definitely be considered as.
Therefore, this fight would be perfect for a Fight Night headliner in early 2025.
