Matches To Make After UFC Vegas 97

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UFC Vegas 97 went down last night (Sat., Sept. 7, 2024) from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, featuring a Welterweight showdown that saw Sean Brady defeat Gilbert Burns, after 25 minutes of action (recap here). In the co-main event, Natalia Silva defeated Jessica Andrade in a back-and-forth women’s Flyweight matchup, the biggest win of her surging career.

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Winner: Sean Brady

Who He Should Face Next: Ian Garry

Brady called for this fight after his big win over Burns, and I like it. Garry is coming off a win over Michael Page, and he and Brady are only separated by one spot in the rankings. It’s a great stylistic matchup and the winner would without a doubt crack the Top 5, and get one big step closer to a title fight. Brady also called for a Colby Covington showdown, so if this one doesn’t materialize, “Chaos” works, too.

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Winner: Natalia Silva

Who She Should Face Next: Erin Blanchfield

Silva secured her twelfth straight win, sixth inside the Octagon, after taking out former Strawweight champion, Jessica Andrade, so her stock is on the rise. I am feeling a fight between her and Blanchfield next. Blanchfield is coming off a tough loss to Manon Fiorot. And while I don’t normally like pairing up a streaking fighter against one coming off a defeat, this one makes sense since Blanchfield is ranked No. 3 at the moment, and Silva is holding down the No. 8 spot.

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Winner: Steve Garcia

Who He Should Face Next: Edson Barboza

Garcia upped his win streak to five after taking out Kyle Nelson, so his momentum is growing with each and every win, especially with one finish after another. Garcia did the promotion a solid by stepping in to face Nelson after Calvin Kattar got injured, so let’s see if the promotion returns hims the favor and give him a ranked for next. Barboza fits the bill because not only is he sitting at No. 15, he has a great reputation for putting on exciting fights, as well.

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Winner: Cody Durden

Who He Should Face Next: Alessandro Costa

Durden snapped his two-fight losing streak with a big win over Matt Schnell, submitting him in the second round (see it again here). Not only did he get some newfound confidence he sent him into retirement. Since Durden stepped in for Alessandro Costa, why not have them square off against one another to see what’s what.

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Winner: Yanal Ashmouz

Who He Should Face Next: Charlie Campbell

“Red Fox” secured his second win inside the Octagon by defeating Trevor Peek via unanimous decision, and in the process improved his overall pro record to 8-1. Up next for Ashmouz, a showdown against Campbell sounds right. Campbell is currently on a three-fight win streak, and is 2-0 under the UFC banner. His last win, interestingly enough, also came against Peek earlier this year.

For complete UFC Vegas 97 results, coverage and highlights, click HERE.