4 Fights We Need to See After UFC Fight Night 256
Michael Morales might just be a future champion in the UFC welterweight division.
The 25-year-old Ecuadorian was back in the Octagon in the main event of UFC Fight Night 256 on Saturday night in Las Vegas, taking on former title challenger Gilbert Burns.
It was the biggest test of his career, but he passed it with flying colours, thumping Burns in a first-round TKO to improve to 18-0 as a pro. Now, he may be just one win away from a title shot—though he will need to get in line for the opportunity.
Beyond Morales, the biggest winner on Saturday's card in Vegas was surely Brazil's Mairon Santos. Santos also picked up the biggest victory of his career, defeating former top-15 featherweight Sodiq Yusuff to bring his record to 16-1.
Towering Uzbek welterweight Nursulton Ruziboev also showed out on the card, beating Dustin Stoltzfus by decision to improve his record to 36-9-2 and cementing himself as one of the top welterweights outside the rankings.
Here's what we'd like to see next for Morales, Santos and Ruziboev, as well as our pick for Burns' next move.
Michael Morales vs. Ian Machado Garry
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Things are very messy at the top of the UFC welterweight division.
The next crack at new champion Jack Della Maddalena is expected to go to lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. Beyond that, Shavkat Rakhmonov has more than earned a title shot. Sean Brady and Ian Machado Garry are also in position for that opportunity, while the winner of an upcoming fight between Kamaru Usman and Joaquin Buckley will be ready for a title shot too. There is a massive queue of contenders waiting for a crack at the belt, and now Morales is in line too.
From here, Morales should be matched up with Ireland's Garry. Garry recently rebounded from a razor-close loss to Rakhmonov with a decision win over Carlos Prates. That win put him back in title contention, but like Morales, he'll probably need one more win to earn the opportunity — especially with guys like Rakhmonov and Brady ranked ahead of him.
The UFC should book this fight for an upcoming pay-per-view. It's a fascinating clash of strikers on paper, and hopefully things will have cleared up in the welterweight division by the time it's over.
Gilbert Burns vs. Colby Covington
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After his loss to Michael Morales in Las Vegas, former welterweight title challenger Gilbert Burns is now on a four-fight skid. It remains to be seen if he decides to fight again, but his days as a serious welterweight title contender are clearly over.
That doesn't mean there aren't still some exciting fights to be made for him.
If Burns decided to stick around, his next opponent should be three-time welterweight title challenger Colby Covington. Like Burns, Covington is on the worst skid of his career, with losses in four of his last six fights, including a decisive TKO loss to Joaquin Buckley last time out.
Covington will likely never stop boasting that he's the best welterweight in the world, but at this point, he clearly isn't, and should be matched up with other veterans like Burns and Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson instead of serious contenders.
A Covington vs. Burns fight would make a great Fight Night headliner, and it would likely be the last shot at real welterweight relevance for both men.
Mairon Santos vs. David Onama
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Mairon Santos' decision victory over Sodiq Yusuff was definitely the biggest of his MMA career so far. In fact, given that Yusuff was very recently ranked in the featherweight top-15, the victory should be enough to earn the Brazilian a fight with a ranked opponent next time out.
Our pick would be Uganda's David Onama.
Onama is a new face in the featherweight top 15, having recently debuted in the No. 13 spot thanks to a win over Georgian striking specialist Giga Chikadze. He may not be thrilled with the idea of fighting an unranked opponent so soon after joining the rankings, but sometimes you have to defend your spot, and Santos certainly deserves the opportunity.
It would be a welcome addition to any upcoming fight card, and it would tell us which of the two rising featherweights is ready for the next step.
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Nursulton Ruziboev vs. Randy Brown
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Uzbekistan's Nursulton Ruziboev is now 4-1 in the UFC welterweight division, with his lone loss coming against top contender Joaquin Buckley. It's too early to call him a serious title contender, but he's clearly very good, and backs up his skill with a ton of experience and an impressive 6'5" frame.
After his Saturday decision win over Dustin Stoltzfus, he arguably deserves a ranked opponent, but it's likely he'll have to take one more fight outside the rankings first.
Our pick for his next opponent is Randy Brown.
Brown has been hovering just outside the welterweight rankings for years, but has been a bit too inconsistent to ever break through. After a stunning knockout win over Nicolas Dalby in his last fight, he is once again closing in on the top-15, and a fight with Ruziboev would give him a great opportunity to take that next step. At 6'3", he's one of the few welterweights on the roster who is anywhere near as tall as the Uzbek veteran, and they both share a proven ability to finish fights on the feet and on the mat. Book it for an upcoming card in the Middle East, and give the winner a ranked opponent.
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