5 Fights We Need to See After UFC Fight Night 222
UFC Fight Night 222 went down Saturday night inside the promotion's Apex facility in Las Vegas, and the event opened the doors to some exciting matchup options in several exciting weight classes.
The card's headlining attraction saw surging Russian heavyweight Sergei Pavlovich score his sixth consecutive first-round knockout at the expense of longtime contender Curtis Blaydes.
The co-main event ended in similarly abrupt fashion, with Brazil's Bruno Silva shutting the lights out on an established middleweight contender in Brad Tavares in the first frame.
Earlier on the main card, an anticipated lightweight bout between veterans Bobby Green and Jared Gordon ended with a no-contest because of a fight-ending clash of heads, and a number of rising prospects picked up impressive wins, most notably bantamweight Montel Jackson, who sparked crafty veteran Rani Yahya with a punch inside four minutes.
Here are the fights we're hoping to see for the card's biggest names and top performers when the dust has settled.
Sergei Pavlovich vs. Jones-Miocic Winner
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Sergei Pavlovich's UFC career didn't get off to the best start, as he was mauled to a first-round stoppage loss to Alistair Overeem in his debut. But that was an incredibly cruel matchup for a newcomer, and he has rebounded in emphatic fashion, rattling off six straight knockout wins, all in the first round.
His latest victory occurred in the UFC Fight Night 222 main event, when he stopped established heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes with a volley of punches.
The win cemented Pavlovich's claim to a heavyweight title shot. At this point, he's undeniable.
Unfortunately for him, the heavyweight division is currently ruled by Jon Jones, a man who has fought just once in the last three years, and is in turn expected to be fighting former champion Stipe Miocic—one of the most frustratingly inactive fighters on the UFC roster.
In other words, Pavlovich is probably going to have to wait for his title shot, and given the two men involved in the division's next title fight, he could be waiting a long time.
He could definitely fight another rising contender like Moldova's Sergey Spivak while he waits, but why risk his position atop the rankings? He should hang tight and wait for the opportunity he's earned.
Curtis Blaydes vs. Ciryl Gane
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Curtis Blaydes is clearly one of the best heavyweights in the world, but he just can't seem to earn himself a crack at the UFC heavyweight title. Every time he gets close, he stumbles.
It happened again at UFC Fight Night 222, when he had a three-fight strike derailed by a first-round knockout loss to Sergei Pavlovich.
With that outcome, it's back to the drawing board for Blaydes.
Our pick for his next fight—once he's rested up from his tough loss in Vegas—is former interim champion Ciryl Gane.
The No. 1-ranked Gane, a former muay thai fighter, was last in action in March, when he was dominated by Jon Jones en route to a first-round submission loss, failing to capture the vacant heavyweight title in the process.
It was an embarrassing loss, and one that exposed Gane's massive technical gaps in the grappling department. He is surely eager to put that loss behind him with a big win over a big name, particularly a grappler like Blaydes. What better way to show he's working on his wrestling and jiu-jitsu skills?
It makes sense based on the rankings—Blaydes is sitting at No. 4—and it's a classic striker vs. grappler style clash. Book it.
Bruno Silva vs. Shahbazyan-Hernandez Winner
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Brazilian middleweight Bruno Silva got back to winning ways in the UFC Fight Night 222 main event, rebounding from back-to-back losses to Alex Pereira and Gerald Meerschaert with a first-round knockout win over Hawaiian veteran Brad Tavares.
It was one of the biggest wins of Silva's career—maybe the biggest outright—and it should set him up for another high-profile fight.
Our pick is the winner of a May 20 clash between Edmen Shahbazyan and Anthony Hernandez.
Shahbazyan was once one of the fastest-rising contenders in the middleweight division, but he has recently struggled with consistency, most notably against high-level grapplers. Hernandez, meanwhile, has corrected a shaky start to his UFC career with three straight victories—two by way of submission.
Either man looks like a good test for Silva, and it makes sense from a rankings perspective.
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Bobby Green vs. Jared Gordon II
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The most disappointing moment of Saturday's UFC Fight Night 222 card occurred when a lightweight bout between popular veterans Bobby Green and Jared Gordon ended in a no-contest because of an inadvertent clash of heads. It happened as Green was leaning in for an elbow, and the impact hurt Gordon so badly that he was promptly knocked out cold by a volley of follow-up punches.
It was not the outcome either guy wanted, and it was particularly disappointing for Gordon, who was looking to rebound from a decision loss to UFC darling Paddy Pimblett—one of 2022's most heinous judging robberies.
"I can't catch a break," Gordon told MMA Mania's Alex Behunin after the fight. "I thought [the no-contest] was just. It was clear that I got hit with a head-butt. I thought I was doing great in the fight, so I'd love to run it back."
It was also a bummer for the fans, because the fight was really heating up when the two lightweights accidentally bumped melons.
The obvious solution is a rematch. The only question is whether Green is willing to wait for Gordon, who, despite the no-contest, suffered a brutal knockout loss all the same. We're hoping he's up for it.
Montel Jackson vs. Mario Bautista
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Rising bantamweight contender Montel Jackson picked up one of the best wins of his career on the UFC Fight Night 222 undercard, stopping experienced veteran Rani Yahya with a punch in the first round.
The victory—good for a post-fight bonus—was his fourth in a row after defeats of Julio Arce, JP Buys and Jesse Strader, and it should set him up for another tough test.
Our pick is a fight with his fellow American Mario Bautista.
Bautista is in a very similar position to Jackson, having rattled off four wins over solid competition—including submissions of Guido Cannetti, Benito Lopez and Brian Kelleher in his last three appearances.
It would be a great fight between two rising finishers, and it would tell us a lot about where the two fighters stand in the jam-packed bantamweight division.
The winner might even be ready for a Top 15 foe.
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