5 Fights We Need to See After UFC on ESPN 39
UFC on ESPN 39 went down on Saturday night inside the promotion's Apex facility in Las Vegas. The card was lacking in terms of big names, but it still opened the door to some exciting matchup possibilities.
Headlining honors went to a clash of lightweight contenders, as Thailand-based Kyrgyzstani striker Rafael Fiziev, ranked No. 10, took on the seventh-ranked former champion, Rafael dos Anjos of Brazil. Dos Anjos had his moments in the fight, most notably in Round 4, but Fiziev ultimately scored a highlight-reel win in Round 5, knocking his decorated foe out with a sizzling left hook.
The card was co-headlined—we use that term loosely—by a clash of Contender Series graduates, as Brazil's Caio Borralho took on Armenian striker Armen Petrosyan, who is not to be confused with the kickboxer of the same name. Borralho used his grappling to win the fight by unanimous decision. It wasn't pretty, but he's making no apologies.
Other highlights of the card included an impressive win from rising bantamweight Said Nurmagomedov, who scored a decision win over the always dangerous Douglas Silva de Andrade; and heavyweight veteran Chase Sherman, who kept his latest UFC stint alive with a third-round stop of Jared Vanderaa.
Keep scrolling for the fights we're hoping to see when dust has settled.
Rafael Fiziev vs. Justin Gaethje
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Those in the know have long seen Tiger Muay Thai's Rafael Fiziev as a future UFC title challenger. After he knocked out former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos in the UFC on ESPN 39 main event, it seems more likely than ever that he challenges for the division's top prize in the near future.
Still, Fiziev probably needs a few more wins to get there — particularly with people like Charles Oliveira, Islam Makhachev, Beneil Dariush and Michael Chandler all waiting for cracks at the title. So, in the meantime, we'd like to see him take on two-time title challenger Justin Gaethje.
It's a fight Fiziev asked for himself post-fight.
"I want a fight with Gaethje, like for real," Fiziev told reporters at the post-fight presser for UFC Vegas 58. "He’s dangerous. He’s a big challenge for me. He has a lot of chance to knock me out, and I have a lot of chance to knock him out. But yeah, that’s a good fight, for fans also."
It makes sense. It's the kind of opportunity Fiziev has earned and one that Gaethje, who is 1-2 in his last three, isn't really in a position to turn down. And as the Kyrgyz star observed, it would be a great fight for the fans.
Rafael dos Anjos vs. Jalin Turner
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After Rafael dos Anjos was knocked out by Rafael Fiziev in the UFC on ESPN 39 main event, it would be easy to suggest he is matched up with Conor McGregor next.
Both he and McGregor are former lightweight champions in dire need of wins, and as anybody who's been following the sport for more than a few years knows, they were matched up to no avail in 2016—so there's some history there.
Still, it feels totally futile to suggest anybody as a potential opponent for McGregor right now. It's still unclear when or even if the Irishman will fight again, and he certainly has no shortage of opponents to choose from if he does, from dos Anjos, to Nate Diaz, to Jorge Masvidal, to Tony Ferguson, to Michael Chandler.
All that to say, we're going to pick a fight for dos Anjos that actually has a decent chance of happening: a scrap with No. 14-ranked contender Jalin Turner.
Turner just entered the rankings with a lightning-quick submission of Kiwi striker Brad Riddell at UFC 276 earlier this month. He's definitely not the biggest name in the division, but he's ready for a step up in competition at the precise moment that dos Anjos needs to prove he can still compete with a new generation of lightweight contenders.
Book it for a pay-per-view main card and see which man can justify their place near the top of the sport's most popular division.
Caio Borralho vs. Andre Petroski
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After defeating Armen Petrosyan by decision in the penultimate bout of the UFC on ESPN 39 main card, Brazilian middleweight Caio Borralho is now 2-0 in the Octagon. That strong start should earn him a step up in competition.
After his win, Borralho called for a fight with Dricus Du Plessis, who snagged the No. 14 spot in the promotion's middleweight rankings with a decision win over Brad Tavares at UFC 276 earlier this month.
"I don’t have anything against the guy," Borralho told the media backstage after the win. "I know that I can beat him. He’s ranked right now and I want [to fight] him.
"I’m ready for new challenges and the big stage, on a pay-per-view card. You guys know I can sell fights. I can talk, and I can win. That’s what matters."
It's always nice to see fighters shoot for their stars with their callouts, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. A two-fight streak doesn't earn you a fight with a ranked opponent unless you're Alex Pereira.
So, instead of Du Plessis, we'd like to see Borralho take on The Ultimate Fighter veteran Andre Petroski. Petroski is currently 3-0 in the UFC, with all of his wins coming by way of stoppage—including a first-round sub of Nick Diaz protege Nick Maximov in May. If Borralho can get by him, maybe we can revisit the Du Plessis fight.
Said Nurmagomedov vs. Kyler Phillips
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Douglas Silva de Andrade is not an easy man to beat, but Said Nurmagomedov did just that on the UFC on ESPN 39 main card, outworking the Brazilian to a unanimous-decision win.
With the win, Nurmagomedov—who is a friend but not a relative of the former lightweight champ Khabib–will make another big move toward the bantamweight rankings. We'd like to see him attempt another step in that direction against American striker Kyler Phillips.
Phillips isn't ranked at the moment, but he holds a pretty recent decision win over No. 10 contender Song Yadong and picked up an impressive third-round submission over Marcelo Rojo in his last fight.
Pit him against Nurmagomedov, and give the winner a fight with a ranked opponent.
Chase Sherman vs. Chris Barnett
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There is just no getting rid of Chase Sherman.
"The Vanilla Gorilla" first arrived in the UFC in 2016 but was sent packing after a tough 2-5 streak in the Octagon. After a decent run on the regional scene, he then re-signed with the promotion in 2020 and justified his return with a second-round knockout of Ike Villanueva. But he lost his next four fights thereafter, putting him in a must-win situation when he walked into the cage with Jared Vanderaa at UFC on ESPN 39. He would have been cut again with a loss, and he probably wouldn't have been welcomed back for a third stint with the promotion.
Sherman ultimately saved his job with a third-round stoppage win. The win isn't going to turn him into a title challenger—he's still a few wins away from a fight with a ranked opponent— but at least he still has a job.
He deserves a reward for winning when it mattered most. We'd like to suggest a fight with the always entertaining Chris Barnett.
Barnett, who had built up a cult following long before he arrived in the UFC in 2021, is riding a controversial loss to Martin Buday and will soon be looking for the chance to get back on track. A fight with Sherman—who has a pretty dedicated fanbase himself—seems like just the ticket.
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