Raul Rosas Jr., UFC Vegas 121 Weigh-Ins Credit: Pat Danna/Cageside Press
UFC Vegas 121 ended in a rather scary scene this past Saturday at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, as Raoni Barcelos was stretchered out following a takedown in the fifth round. All reports are that Barcelos is awake, communicating, moving fine, and on Monday, he released his first statement to fans saying as much. Luckily, a potential catastrophe was avoided. Now, it’s time to look at what’s next for the winning side of the Fight Night card.
Raul Rosas Jr.
Despite the strange ending, Raul Rosas Jr. is the one who got his hand raised, after being down on all three judges’ scorecards going into the final round. The UFC has clearly been pushing Rosas Jr. and understandably so, he’s one of the very few candidates that come up every couple of years with a shot at beating Jon Jones’ record as the youngest champion ever. To keep that brand alive, he needs a favourable matchup, and there is one that stands out above all else. Aiemann Zahabi is still ranked inside the division’s top 10 and turns 39 in November. Fighting another veteran with hard miles on him who advances Rosas further up the division is exactly what the UFC will look to do.
Rosas Jr.’s next fight: Aiemann Zahabi
Ailín Pérez
The bad blood between Ailín Pérez and Norma Dumont got so heated that the fight was promoted to the co-main event, after initially being buried on the prelims. Unfortunately, we can add this one to the list of fights with real animosity that ultimately did not materialize in a good fight. However controversial the result may be, this fight simply wasn’t good enough to garner outrage about it. In the end, Fiona’s win streak stays alive, and she will probably find herself in a number one contender fight next by virtue of there not being a ton of candidates at bantamweight. Fights with Raquel Pennington or Joselyne Edwards would be fine, but I like the Julianna Peña matchup since it might produce the more entertaining action in and out of the cage.
Pérez’s next fight: Julianna Peña
Luis Hernandez
In what might have been the most talked-about matchup of the card outside the main event, Luis Hernandez made quick work of Sedriques Dumas in a very quick turnaround from his contract-winning DWCS performance. To keep the momentum going, Hernandez should look for another quick turnaround against a beatable middleweight like Ben Johnston.
Hernandez’s next fight: Ben Johnston
Ilimbek Akylbek
Winning TUF by disqualification isn’t the way you usually draw it up, but it was the correct call to make since Osmanli’s illegal knee was outrageous. Once Akylbek recovers and is ready to go, he should face a low-end bantamweight to see what he has to offer in a fight that hopefully will have a more satisfying result. Someone like Mark Vologdin should do the trick.
Akylbek’s next fight: Mark Vologdin
Tina Black
Valesca Machado, better known as Tina Black, ran through Melissa Amaya to win this season of The Ultimate Fighter. This was a good highlight finish to have on a UFC event, and the promotion should look to have her actual octagon debut play out in a similar way to add her to the list of new, exciting strawweights with Shanelle Dyer and Carol Foro. I say giver her someone like Puja Tomar, who will be all too happy to brawl it out.
Black’s next fight: Puja Tomar