4 Fights We Need to See After UFC on ESPN 48
UFC on ESPN 48 went down on Saturday night inside the promotion's Apex facility in Las Vegas. Like most recent cards in that setting, it was very short on household names, but still featured some solid talent and exciting action.
In the main event, No. 7 middleweight contender Sean Strickland was booked for an inexplicable matchup with the unranked Abus Magomedov, who was competing in just his second UFC fight. As expected, the far-better established Strickland effortlessly defeated the Germany-based Russian, finishing him off with punches in round two to defend his spot in the rankings.
In the co-headliner, surging lightweight contender Grant Dawson picked up the biggest win of his career to date, greatly strengthening his position in the division with a decision win over the No. 12-ranked Damir Ismagulov.
The card also featured an impressive wins from welterweight prospects Michael Morales, who picked up a decision win over welterweight veteran Max Griffin and Rinat Fakhretdinov, who submitted former interim lightweight title challenger Kevin Lee inside a minute.
Keep scrolling for the fights we're hoping to see after the UFC's latest offering from the Apex.
Sean Strickland vs. Whittaker-Du Plessis Loser
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After his win over Abus Magomedov in the UFC on ESPN 48 main event, Sean Strickland has been loudly calling for a crack at reigning middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. It was his second win in a row after a decision win over No. 13 middleweight Nassourdine Imavov in his next most recent fight, so it's possible he'll get his wish, but it still feels premature. He is, after all, just two wins removed from back-to-back losses to top-5 contenders Alex Pereira and Jared Cannonier.
A better choice would be giving Strickland one more test before giving him a title shot. If that's the way the UFC does things, the best option for his next opponent is the loser of Robert Whittaker and Dricus Du Plessis' upcoming fight, scheduled for the upcoming weekend's UFC 290 card in Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena.
Whittaker, a former champ at middleweight, is ranked No. 2 at middleweight, while Du Plessis is ranked No. 5. The winner of their fight will almost certainly get the next crack at Adesanya. The loser will be looking to get back on track against another Top-10 foe and Strickland is just that.
So let's see how Whittaker vs. Du Plessis goes and match Strickland up with whomever comes up short.
Grant Dawson vs. Mateusz Gamrot
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There's no denying Grant Dawson at this point.
At UFC on ESPN 48, the No. 15-ranked lightweight contender picked up a lopsided decision win over Damir Ismagulov. It was his 11th straight victory and it pushed his overall record to a fantastic 20-1-1, while his UFC record is now a perfect 8-0.
Given that Ismagulov was ranked No. 12 ahead of the matchup, it is clearly high time to give Dawson a top-10 foe. Our choice would be Poland's Mateusz Gamrot, a former two-division KSW champion and the UFC's No. 8-ranked lightweight.
Gamrot is riding a split-decision win over Jalin Turner, which separated him from a decision loss to Beneil Dariush. He is just the kind of opponent Dawson should be fighting next, and as luck would have it, he has no other obligation at the moment.
Throw it on a pay-per-view main card, and if Dawson comes out on top, push him along to the Top 5.
Michael Morales vs. Alex Morono
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Twenty-four-year-old welterweight prospect Michael Morales is now 15-0 overall and 3-0 in the UFC. His latest win, a decision defeat of welterweight veteran Max Griffin at UFC on ESPN 48, was the biggest accomplishment of his career to date.
Griffin has been in the UFC for ages, and has fought some of the division's best fighters, including Neil Magny, Carlos Condit and Colby Covington. Beating him will set Morales up for another big test—most likely a fighter right on the cusp of the welterweight Top 15.
There are no bad choices for a guy like Morales, who has been very entertaining in his three UFC bouts, but our pick is Alex Morono.
Morono bears some similarities to Griffin in that they've both been in the UFC for a long time, and have at times come quite close to becoming contenders. He's currently riding a submission win over the always dangerous Tim Means, and is well positioned to take on a surging young prospect like Morales.
It should be a great fight, as Morono has the power, durability and grappling to keep things interesting against the young prospect, and it would tell us both a lot about where they belong in the welterweight pecking order.
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Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Nicolas Dalby
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Michael Morales wasn't the only welterweight prospect to make some noise at UFC on ESPN 48. Earlier on the card, Russia's Rinat Fakhretdinov picked up his third UFC victory at the expense of former interim lightweight title challenger Kevin Lee. He needed less than a minute to choke the accomplished veteran unconscious.
Like Morales, he's now ready for a foe right near the outer edge of the Top 15. Our pick would be Denmark's Nicolas Dalby.
Dalby has been hot and cold over the course of two runs in the UFC, but is currently riding three straight wins over Claudio silva, Warlley Alves, and Muslim Salikhov. He's experienced enough to give Fakhretdinov some new looks in the Octagon, and if the Russian passes that test, he might be ready for a Top 15 foe.
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