UFC Abu Dhabi: Matchmaking for All the Winners from Saturday
UFC Abu Dhabi has come and gone with Magomed Ankalaev winning by fifth round TKO in the main event. The card featured eight finishes, the ultra-rare calf slicer, and a 5-0 night for debuting fighters. Let’s check out who each winner from Saturday should fight next.
Matchmaking: Main Card
Magomed Ankalaev vs. Bogdan Guskov
While it may not have been the back-and-forth war that fans expected, Magomed Ankalaev did what he had to do, dominating Bogdan Guskov en route to a fifth-round TKO. After losing his title to Alex Pereira in his last fight, Ankalaev has put himself in prime position to fight for the belt again, with a new champion now on the throne when it comes to matchmaking.
The biggest question is the health of Carlos Ulberg. If the UFC waits for Ulberg to recover from the torn ACL he suffered in April, Ankalaev should absolutely be willing to wait for another title shot. However, if the UFC decides to book an interim light heavyweight title fight, Ankalaev should finally find himself across the cage from Jiri Prochazka. I tend to believe there will be an interim champion at 205 pounds with Ulberg’s return timeline still unclear, so let’s see what Ankalaev can do against Prochazka.
Next Fight: Jiri Prochazka
Steve Erceg vs. Ramazan Temirov
After missing a year of action following a steroid suspension, Ramazan Temirov delivered the best performance of his career on Saturday, knocking out former title challenger Steve Erceg. Temirov is now 3-0 in the UFC with a top-10 win to his name and an incredibly diverse skill set to back it up.
While he’s still a few wins away from truly entering the title picture, he certainly deserves to fight up in the rankings in terms of matchmaking. Amir Albazi fits that role perfectly.
Next Fight: Amir Albazi
Magomed Zaynukov vs. Damian Rzepecki
“Wild Chanko” backed up all the hype in his UFC debut, putting on a striking clinic against fellow debutant Damian Rzepecki. It’s clear from both his appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series and his UFC debut that Zaynukov is going to be a problem for a lot of people at 155 pounds.
There’s no need to rush him into the rankings just yet, though with difficult matchmaking. Let’s see what Zaynukov can do against a proven veteran like Jared Gordon.
Next Fight: Jared Gordon
Rizvan Kuniev vs. Tyrell Fortune
Rizvan Kuniev put on his most complete performance to date since joining the UFC, dominating Tyrell Fortune en route to a third-round TKO. Kuniev should move up from No. 8 in the rankings on Tuesday, and he deserves to face someone ranked above him when matchmaking his next fight.
Sergei Pavlovich currently sits at No. 3, and despite coming off a win, he’ll likely need at least one more victory before earning another title shot. Let’s see a battle of Russians between Kuniev and Pavlovich.
Next Fight: Sergei Pavlovich
Abubakar Vagaev vs. Saygid Izagakhmaev
Abubakar Vagaev picked up a win in his UFC debut, earning a 29-28 unanimous decision over Saygid Izagakhmaev. Vagaev clearly has plenty of potential, but his striking and cardio are still areas that need improvement.
Unfortunately for Vagaev, time isn’t on his side after arriving from ACA at age 33. Let’s see how he fares against a primarily striking-based opponent in a step up in competition against Nikolay Veretennikov.
Next Fight: Nikolay Veretennikov
Matchmaking: Prelims
Valter Walker vs. Thomas Petersen
Another fight, another leg lock for Valter Walker—this time by calf slicer. There’s a clear threshold where Walker simply has a massive grappling and submission advantage over his opponents at heavyweight.
Walker is currently ranked No. 13, and it’s time for him to receive a tougher challenge against another ranked heavyweight in matchmaking. Let’s see how he fares against Tyrell Fortune, who is coming off a loss to Rizvan Kuniev.
Next Fight: Tyrell Fortune
Dustin Jacoby vs. Muhammad Said
Muhammad Said had an incredible UFC debut, scoring a massive upset over 20-fight UFC veteran Dustin Jacoby by finishing him with a head kick.
Jacoby was just outside the rankings himself, and with light heavyweight being a relatively thin division, Said could already be ready for a ranked opponent. Alonzo Menifield has long served as the division’s gatekeeper into the rankings when thinking about matchmaking.
Next Fight: Alonzo Menifield
Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Sam Patterson
Sam Patterson got back in the win column on Saturday, earning a knockout victory over veteran Santiago Ponzinibbio. Patterson is now 5-1 since moving up to welterweight, with his lone loss coming against Michael Page.
He’s on the verge of ranked competition when looking at matchmaking. Let’s see if he can beat another fighter just outside the top 15 in Jake Matthews.
Next Fight: Jake Matthews
Ismael Bonfim vs. Axel Sola
Axel Sola put on a clinic against Ismael Bonfim, outstriking his opponent 77-1 in the opening round before closing the show with a D’Arce choke. Sola is now 2-1 in the UFC, rarely goes the distance, and is just entering his prime at 28 years old.
On the other side, Nazim Sadykhov was once on the verge of the rankings but has dropped his last two fights. Sola and Sadykhov would almost certainly produce fireworks.
Next Fight: Nazim Sadykhov
Magomed Tuchalov vs. Brendson Ribeiro
After a slow start, Magomed Tuchalov did what he had to do to earn a 29-28 unanimous decision over Brendson Ribeiro. At 7-0 as a professional and only 26 years old, Tuchalov clearly has talent, but his overall skill set is still fairly raw.
The UFC will likely give him another lower-level light heavyweight next. Kevin Christian is still searching for his first UFC victory, making this a logical matchup.
Next Fight: Kevin Christian
Nurullo Aliev vs. Mike Davis
While Mike Davis certainly didn’t approve, Nurullo Aliev earned a dominant 30-27 unanimous decision on Saturday behind 12:25 of control time. While he doesn’t have a high finishing rate, Aliev is now 12-0 as a professional and 4-0 in the UFC, making him a difficult matchup for anyone at lightweight.
He’s probably still one fight away from earning a ranked opponent, so why not match him up with proven veteran Alexander Hernandez?
Next Fight: Alexander Hernandez
Cody Gibson vs. Omar Hussein
Omar Hussein dominated Cody Gibson in his UFC debut, controlling every aspect of the fight before securing a third-round arm-triangle choke.
Dating back to his pre-UFC career, Hussein has now finished nine consecutive opponents and boasts an incredible 94% finishing rate. A matchup with another action-oriented finisher could easily produce a Fight of the Night contender. Timmy Cuamba would almost certainly embrace a kill-or-be-killed fight against Omar Hussein.
Next Fight: Timmy Cuamba
