4 Fights We Need to See After UFC Fight Night 230
UFC Fight Night 230 went down on Saturday night inside the promotion's Apex facility in Las Vegas. And while the event was largely drowned out by the noise of the Misfits boxing card in the United Kingdom, it delivered some great fights and finishes.
The biggest moment of the night came in the main event, when Top 15 featherweight contender Edson Barboza survived an early scare to defeat Sodiq Yusuff by unanimous decision. Yusuff was ranked ahead of Barboza heading into the fight, so the win should send the victor up the rankings and into another big matchup.
Earlier on the card, Viviane Araújo burst into title contention with a win over former title challenger Jennifer Maia. Maia was on a two-fight streak heading into the night and is just the kind of fighter a rising contender needs to beat on the way to a title shot, so this was a big win for Araújo.
The card also saw Jonathan Martinez score one of the most impressive wins of his career, chopping Adrian Yanez down with leg kicks to set himself for more big contests in the bantamweight Top 15.
Former welterweight contender Michel Pereira also made a big splash on the card, knocking out Andre Petroski in just over a minute for a successful middleweight debut.
Keep scrolling for the fights we're hoping to see for Barboza, Araújo, Martinez and Pereira when the dust has settled.
Edson Barboza vs. Calvin Kattar
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After beating Sodiq Yusuff by decision on Saturday, Edson Barboza is now on a two-fight streak, having stopped Billy Quarantillo in his next most recent fight.
At 37, and with a long and taxing career behind him, it's hard to imagine he will ever contend for the title at featherweight. But there's no question he's still got some gas in the tank, and he at least deserves the opportunity to put himself in the mix.
Our pick for his next fight is boxing specialist Calvin Kattar. The 35-year-old, ranked No. 7 at featherweight, has not gotten the results he wanted lately, losing a split-decision to Josh Emmett and a flukey, injury-induced TKO to Arnold Allen in his last two fights.
However, Emmett and Allen are both top featherweights, and Kattar did not lose convincingly to either of them, so there's little denying he's still one of the top dogs in the weight class.
Kattar would probably welcome the chance to get back on track against a name like Barboza, who would, of course, be happy to take on such a highly ranked foe.
The best thing about this fight, though, is that both are two of the best strikers in the weight class, and both have a habit for extremely exciting fights—whether they end up winning or not.
This one belongs on a pay-per-view main card, not in the silence of the Apex. Get the bonus checks ready ahead of time.
Viviane Araújo vs. Lauren Murphy
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No. 11-ranked flyweight contender Viviane Araújo was riding back-to-back losses to Alexa Grasso and Amanda Ribas heading into her fight with the ninth-ranked Jennifer Maia.
The 36-year-old needed a win if she wanted to keep herself in the rankings, and while it wasn't easy, she ultimately got the result she wanted with a unanimous decision.
Araújo's triumph over the former title challenger should push her into the flyweight Top 10. She will need at least a few more wins before she's in the title conversation, especially given the long queue of contenders awaiting opportunities to fight for the belt, but she is getting closer.
Our pick for her next opponent is another former title challenger in Lauren Murphy.
The 40-year-old, a veteran not unlike Maia, has been around forever and remains a tough out for most flyweights. She is also the kind of fighter Araújo will need to beat if she hopes to establish herself as a serious title threat among names like Erin Blanchfield, Manon Fiorot and Valentina Shevchenko.
Book it for an upcoming fight night and give the winner a Top-5 foe.
Jonathan Martinez vs. Pedro Munhoz
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Jonathan Martinez is on a serious hot streak.
His Saturday TKO win over Yanez—the product of a merciless leg kick attack—was his sixth straight win in the Octagon, a run that also includes wins over Cub Swanson and Said Nurmagomedov.
That streak should push the No. 13-ranked bantamweight contender into a big fight, most likely a matchup with someone inside the Top 10.
Our choice would be veteran Pedro Munhoz, who currently holds the No. 10 spot.
The Brazilian is riding a decision loss to Marlon "Chito" Vera, but even at 37, he remains fully capable of spoiling rising contenders' plans, as he proved in his recent decision win over Chris Gutierrez.
He would be a great test for Martinez at this state, and if the 29-year-old passes, it will be time to start talking about him as a future title challenger.
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Michel Pereira vs. Gregory Rodrigues
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Earlier this year, Michel Pereira was ruled out of a welterweight fight with Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson for missing weight, and forced up to the middleweight division as a result.
He made his debut in his new weight class on Saturday, and he could not have looked much better, flattening opponent Andre Petroski in just 66 seconds.
It would be premature to start talking about Pereira as a serious contender at 185 pounds, but after his success at welterweight, the 30-year-old is probably only one win away from a fight with a top-15 opponent.
From here, he should be matched up with his fellow Brazilian, Gregory "Robocop" Rodrigues.
The 31-year-old suffered a knockout loss to Brunno Ferreira to start this year, but he has since rebounded with an impressive stoppage win over Denis Tiuliulin.
He and Pereira are two of the more serious knockout threats in the division right now, and it's very hard to imagine their bout going the distance.
It looks like an excellent fight on paper, and it makes sense for both guys at this stage.
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