4 Fights We Need to See After UFC Fight Night 238
Saturday's UFC Fight Night 238 event in Las Vegas was a bit of a dud on paper, and unfortunately, it didn't really exceed expectations. Still, the card opened the door to a handful of solid fights.
The biggest winner of the night was No. 12 heavyweight contender Jairzinho Rozenstruik, who scored a fourth-round stoppage over the much larger and formerly undefeated Shamil Gaziev. Gaziev was unranked heading into the fight, but the win should set Rozenstruik up for another big test at heavyweight.
The co-main event was contested at light heavyweight, where Vitor Petrino kept his undefeated record intact and sent Tyson Pedro into retirement with a unanimous-decision win. He too can look forward to a big fight in his weight class next time out.
Earlier on the card, rising flyweight contender Muhammad Mokaev picked up one of the best wins of his career to date, defeating No. 7 contender Alex Perez by decision. Rising bantamweight contender Umar Nurmagomedov also picked up a big win on the card, defeating Kazakhstan's Bekzat Almakhan by decision to stay undefeated.
Keep scrolling for the fights we'd like to see next for Rozenstruik, Petrino, Mokaev and Nurmagomedov.
Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Derrick Lewis
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Jairzinho Rozenstruik defended his No. 12 spot in the heavyweight rankings on Saturday and destroyed Shamil Gaziev's undefeated record in the process. That feat should set him up for a big opportunity in the division, even if a title shot is still quite a ways away.
Our pick for his next fight Derrick Lewis. Lewis and Rozenstruik have spent years at the top of the heavyweight division together, but somehow haven't crossed paths in the Octagon yet. The time is now. Lewis is ranked right ahead of Rozenstruik at No. 10, and he shares the Surinamese kickboxer's propensity for impressive knockouts. In fact, Lewis holds the record for most knockouts in UFC history.
This is a fantastic fight on paperโcertainly worthy of headlining an Apex cardโand it would tell us a lot about where the two fighters are at in their respective careers.
Vitor Petrino vs. Dustin Jacoby
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Vitor Petrino's decision win over Tyson Pedro wasn't anything to write home about, but it was arguably the biggest victory of his career to date, and it kept him undefeated at 11-0.
His past four wins have all occurred in the Octagonโand that includes finishes of Marcin Prachnio and Modestas Bukauskas. That's the recipe for a step up in competition.
Our pick for his next opponent is No. 15-ranked light heavyweight contender Dustin Jacoby. Jacoby is one of the better strikers in the weight class, but he has lost three of his past four fights, most recently coming up short against Alonzo Menifield by decision in December.
He needs to prove he still belongs in the top 15, and a fight with a rising prospect like Petrino would be a great way to do that.
Just please don't book it for a co-main event spot.
Muhammad Mokaev vs. Kai Kara-France
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After his decision win over former flyweight title challenger Alex Perez at UFC Fight Night 238, No. 8 contender Muhammad Mokaev is now 11-0 overall and well on his way to a title shot. However, he still has a bit more work to do in order to make that happen.
A fight with New Zealand's Kai Kara-France would be a great opportunity to take a big step in that direction.
Kara-France is currently ranked fourth at flyweight but has lost back-to-back fights to Amir Albazi and Brandon Moreno. The loss to Albazi, a decision, was quite dubious but a loss nonetheless, and it left the Kiwi in a tough spot. He needs to prove he's still a top-5 talent, and slowing the rise of an undefeated contender like Mokaev would be a great way to do that.
This has all the prospects of an amazing fight, and it would make a great addition to any Fight Night or pay-per-view main card.
Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Rob Font
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After his decision win over Bekzat Almakhan in Las Vegas, No. 13 bantamweight contender Umar Nurmagomedov is now 17-0 overall. That impressive record should earn him a fight with a top-10 opponent.
He has plenty of options to that end, but our pick is a fight with longtime contender Rob Font.
Font, currently ranked No. 9 in the division, is riding a tough decision loss to former flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo. He'll soon be ready for the opportunity to get back on track, and at 36, he'll need to make a big statement if he wants to stay relevant.
Beating an undefeated contender like Nurmagomedov would be about as big of a statement as he could make. Defeating the Russian will be a tall order, but Font has derailed hype trains before, having knocked out the fast-rising Adrian Yanez last year.
Let's see if he can do it again.
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