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Last night saw the UFC’s latest Fight Night event take place at the Las Vegas APEX, and it turned out to be a solid one.
So with a number of fighters picking up big wins, what should be next for the stars of UFC Fight Night: Jack Hermansson vs. Joe Pyfer? As always, there are plenty of options for the UFC’s matchmakers to choose from.
With that in mind, here are five fights to make following UFC Fight Night: Jack Hermansson vs. Joe Pyfer.
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#5. UFC welterweight bout: Carlos Prates vs. Themba Gorimbo
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Brazilian welterweight prospect Carlos Prates made quite the impact in his UFC debut last night. He dispatched Trevin Giles with a missile of a left hand, claiming a $50k bonus in the process.
‘The Nightmare’ is now on a lengthy eight-fight win streak dating back to 2019. Despite Giles being a solid UFC veteran, though, it’s probably too early to consider pushing Prates against a top-level foe.
Therefore, one fighter who could make sense as an opponent for the Brazilian is Themba Gorimbo. The South African sparked out Pete Rodriguez in just over 30 seconds to take his own octagon record to 2-1 last week, and looks very dangerous indeed.
Based on Gorimbo’s explosive nature and the knockout produced by Prates last night, this fight could definitely produce some pretty crazy action.
Assuming the winner would claim their victory in violent fashion, then they could definitely be pushed in line for a crack at the top 15.
#4. UFC middleweight bout: Rodolfo Vieira vs. Ihor Potieria
Last night’s main card was chock-full of bouts in the middleweight division, with four of the six showcase fights intended for 185 pounds.
Two of the winners in those bouts were Rodolfo Vieira and Ihor Potieria, and it actually makes plenty of sense to match them up against one another next.
Potieria, who came in a couple of pounds above the middleweight limit, outpointed newcomer Robert Bryczek in a fight that largely took place on the feet. Vieira, meanwhile, dealt with another striker in the form of Armen Petrosyan, dispatching him in the opening round with a slick arm triangle choke.
A fight between these two men would be very similar to the one between Vieira and Petrosyan, so it’d be fascinating to see whether ‘The Duelist’ – who has never been submitted before – would be able to fend the Brazilian off.
Sure, this one wouldn’t be a barnburner, but from a style and timing point of view, it makes sense.
#3. UFC middleweight bout: Joe Pyfer vs. Gregory Rodrigues
Hot prospect Joe Pyfer looked like he was on his way to the biggest win of his career last night in the first round of his bout with Jack Hermansson.
Showing no nerves in his first UFC headliner, ‘Bodybagz’ took the fight to Hermansson with booming punches, but when he couldn’t take ‘The Joker’ out, he ran out of steam and succumbed to a five-round decision loss.
There’s no shame in any fighter losing to Hermansson, who holds wins over the likes of Jacare Souza and Kelvin Gastelum, but Pyfer will need to bounce back quickly if he wants to climb into title contention in the future.
Therefore, a fair match for him could be Gregory Rodrigues.
‘Robocop’ won strongly last night, destroying Brad Tavares with punches. However, the Brazilian is less polished than Hermansson, and substantially less durable, too.
If Pyfer were to go toe-to-toe with him, though, it’d be dangerous for him. Therefore, we’d learn whether ‘Bodybagz’ has more in his arsenal than just big punches.
In essence, this fight would be a lot of fun, and it’d also be a test for Pyfer following his defeat last night, meaning it’d make sense.
#2. UFC featherweight bout: Dan Ige vs. Josh Emmett
One of last night’s biggest winners was definitely featherweight contender Dan Ige. ‘50k’ once again lived up to his nickname by claiming a performance bonus, as he smashed Andre Fili with punches in the first round.
Fili took the fight on relatively late notice, replacing the injured Lerone Murphy, and so it makes sense, to an extent, to re-book that fight.
However, we don’t know how long Murphy will be on the shelf for, and Ige may be ready to return sooner rather than later after needing just under three minutes to dispatch Fili.
Therefore, it might actually be worth matching him against a higher-ranked foe instead in the form of ex-opponent Josh Emmett.
Ige and Emmett clashed back in 2021 at UFC 269 in what was a thriller, and although Emmett edged a decision, many fans felt Ige had done enough to deserve the nod.
With Emmett still highly ranked at No.7 in the division, this rematch would be a chance for Ige to really jump up the rankings again, and given the quality of their first bout, it’d be a good choice for a Fight Night headliner, too.
#1. UFC middleweight bout: Jack Hermansson vs. Ikram Aliskerov
While his win over the unranked Joe Pyfer probably doesn’t hold up as strongly as some of his older wins, Jack Hermansson was definitely one of the bigger victors at last night’s event.
Not only did ‘The Joker’ show off his toughness, but he also proved that he’s still very much a potential contender at 185 pounds by bouncing back from his KO loss to Roman Dolidze.
Ranked at No.11, it feels like Hermansson could be seen as the middleweight division’s top gatekeeper right now. Therefore, it’d make sense to match the Swedish-Norwegian fighter with another hot prospect next, and who better than dangerous Russian Ikram Aliskerov?
Aliskerov made a huge splash last year, taking out Phil Hawes and Warlley Alves with brutal knockouts. He clearly has high potential, as the UFC have tried to match him with Paulo Costa before.
Therefore, while the Russian was pegged to face Anthony Hernandez next before he picked up a recent injury, it could make more sense to put him up against Hermansson instead, and see whether ‘The Joker’ could turn back the challenge of another dangerous prospect.
