4 Fights We Need to See After UFC on ESPN 60
After an entertaining stopover in Denver, the UFC returned to the Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. On paper, it was one of the worst cards of the year so far, but as is often the case, the fans who opted to tune in were rewarded with some memorable action.
The biggest winner of the night was undoubtedly Virna Jandiroba, who tapped out her fellow Brazilian Amanda Lemos in the card's strawweight main event. She sealed the deal with a second-round armbar — her fourth victory in a row.
Jandiroba and Lemos were the only ranked fighters on the card, but several others had potentially career-changing nights thanks to big wins. Chief among them was rising featherweight Steve Garcia, who took out South Korea's Seung Woo Choi with a volley of punches in the card's co-main event.
Also among the winners was the fan favorite "Korean Superboy" Doo Ho Choi, who returned from a hiatus of more than a year to knock out Bill Algeo.
Brazilian flyweight Bruno Silva also made a splash on the card, picking up his fourth straight victory with a knockout of Cody Durden.
Keep scrolling for the fights we'd like to see next for the card's big winners.
Virna Jandiroba vs. Yan Xiaonan
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Virna Jandiroba's submission win over Amanda Lemos was arguably the most impressive of her career to date, and it pushed her onto a four-fight win streak — one of the best streaks in the strawweight division at the moment.
With such a solid streak behind her, she arguably deserves a crack at the champion Zhang Weili, but that opportunity should go to the undefeated Tatiana Suarez first. While we wait for that fight to happen, Jandiroba should take on Yan Xiaonan.
China's Yan last fought at UFC 300, when she lost to Zhang in her bid at the title, but is still ranked No. 2 at 115 pounds. She should be ready to fight again soon, and when she is, she looks like the perfect test for the rising Jandiroba.
Steve Garcia vs. Edson Barboza
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Steve Garcia earned an impressive victory in Saturday's co-headliner, stopping South Korea's Seung Woo Choi with first-round punches. It was his fourth consecutive win after other stoppages of Chase Hooper, Shayilan Nuerdanbieke, and Melquizael Costa.
With such an impressive run of finishes behind him, Garcia is ready for a big step up in competition.
Our pick for his next fight is No. 15 ranked featherweight contender Edson Barboza. Barboza has been a contender at lightweight and featherweight for years, and despite a decision loss to Lerone Murphy in his last fight, remains a tough test for just about everybody.
He and Garcia are also two of the most serious knockout threats at 145 pounds, so this is an excellent fight on paper. Get the bonus checks ready.
Do Ho Choi vs. Cub Swanson II
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Doo Ho Choi picked up his first victory since way back in 2016 at Saturday's event in Las Vegas, knocking out Bill Algeo in the second round. He still has a long way to go to recapture the momentum he once had, but he is firmly back on track and has some fun matchup options.
None better than Cub Swanson.
Choi and Swanson met in one of the best UFC fights ever in 2016. Swanson won the fight by unanimous decision, but it was the kind of fight with no real losers.
Today, when Choi is back on track, and Swanson is looking to get back on track after a split-decision loss to Andre Fili, the timing for a rematch is perfect.
It will be almost impossible for the pair to live up to their first fight, but if they come anywhere close, we're in for a treat.
Bruno Silva vs. Matt Schnell
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After his stoppage victory over Cody Durden on Saturday, Brazil's Bruno Silva is now on a four-fight win streak. Given that Durden was ranked No. 14 in the weight class heading into their fight, the Brazilian can expect a spot in the rankings.
From there, he can look forward to fights with the best flyweights on earth.
Our pick for his next opponent is Matt Schnell.
Schnell is currently ranked No. 12 at flyweight, but is riding a pair of stoppage losses to Matheus Nicolau and Steve Erceg. It's time for him to defend his spot, and against a streaking contender with great finishing instincts like Silva, it won't be easy.
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