4 Fights We Need to See After UFC Fight Night: Garcia vs. Onama
Steve Garcia's win-streak is alive and well.
The 33-year-old, one of the fastest rising contenders in the featherweight division, returned to action in the main event of Saturday's UFC Fight Night card in Las Vegas.
Garcia knocked out opponent David Onama inside a round. It was his seventh win in a row, and his sixth in that stretch by knockout. There's nowhere to go but up from here.
Outside of Garcia, the biggest winner of the night was Dominican heavyweight Waldo Cortes-Acosta, who scored a first-round KO of his own in a chaotic, come-from-behind win over former PFL champ Ante Delija.
The rest of the card was short on household names, but we still saw a few important fights in the welterweight and women's bantamweight divisions.
Here are the matchups we would like to see next for Garcia, Cortes-Acosta, and two of the card's other big winners.
Steve Garcia vs. Yair Rodriguez
1 of 4
Garcia is on one of the hottest streaks in the UFC right now.
He's won seven fights in a row, finished six of those by knockout, and has beaten the likes of Chase Hooper, Kyle Nelson, Calvin Kattar, and now Onama.
None of those men can be called world-class in 2025, but they are no slouches, either. After so much success, there's no question Garcia is ready for a big step up.
There are a lot of exciting options for the American from here. The best is probably a fight with No. 3-ranked featherweight Yair Rodriguez.
Rodriguez, a former interim champ, is riding a decision win over Bellator legend Patricio "Pitbull" Freire. That victory served to push him back into title contention, but most fans and pundits agree he'll need at least one more win before challenging Alexander Volkanovski for the belt again. After all, he was dominated the first time he fought the champ.
A fight between Garcia and Rodriguez gives the former the chance to surge into title contention. Rodriguez, meanwhile, could set up another title challenge for himself in victory.
It's a beneficial fight for both featherweights, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a better matchup on paper, as they're two of the slickest knockout artists in their division.
Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Alexander Volkov
2 of 4
The last UFC heavyweight title fight couldn't have gone worse. It ended when champion Tom Aspinall suffered a first-round eye poke at the hands of challenger Ciryl Gane and could not continue.
That meant the bout was ruled a no-contest, and almost certainly set the stage for a rematch. That contest will have a ton of hype, but it will also slow things down in the heavyweight division, as other top contenders are forced to continue fighting in the meantime.
That includes Waldo Cortes-Acosta, who survived an eye poke and an apparent first-round stoppage only to be given the chance to continue fighting in Saturday's co-main event. It's safe to say he made the most of that opportunity, as he scored a dramatic comeback KO over Ante Delija.
The win pushed Cortes-Acosta to 6-1 in his last seven. He's not exactly red-hot, but he's one of the top contenders in the division right now, and could be a win away from a shot at the Aspinall vs. Gane winner, especially considering he hasn't fought either before.
From here, it makes sense to match him up with former Bellator champ Alexander Volkov—another hulking heavyweight who will be on the outside looking in while Aspinall and Gane settle their score.
Volkov is riding a close win over Jailton Almeida, and could have been next in line for the Aspinall vs. Gane winner had their fight not ended so badly.
Let's do a Cortes-Acosta vs. Volkov fight early next year so a clear-cut contender is waiting for the winner of Aspinall and Gane's rematch.
Jeremiah Wells vs. Michael Chiesa
3 of 4
Jeremiah Wells is now 39 years old, but he scored one of the best wins of his career on Saturday, relying on a clear grappling edge to defeat Themba Gorimbo by decision.
After the win, he called out a number of his fellow welterweights, including veteran grappler Michael Chiesa.
"I want to fight at least five times next year," Wells said at Saturday's post-fight press conference. "Like I said, I'll fight Michael Chiesa. I'll fight the guy from Australia, I can't remember his name right now—Jake Matthews. Give me Mike Malott. Give me those guys."
Wells' callouts of Malott and Matthews were a bit overambitious, as both are years younger than he is and clearly have a lot more upside. The fight with Chiesa is perfect, though, because it is realistic.
Chiesa is a former Ultimate Fighter winner, and while he's now in the twilight of his career and far removed from title contention, he remains a tough out for all but the best welterweights in the UFC. His current three-fight win streak is all the proof of that one could need.
The 37-year-old seems like a great test for Wells right now, and he doesn't seem like the type to turn a fight down.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Norma Dumont vs. Julianna Pena
4 of 4
Norma Dumont's split-decision win over Ketlen Vieira wasn't exactly thrilling, but it's still a shame it was buried on Saturday's undercard, as they're both in the top five of the women's bantamweight division.
The win was Dumont's sixth in a row. That's one of the best streaks in women's MMA right now. In fact, she would almost certainly be next for Kayla Harrison if the bantamweight champion wasn't awaiting a possible showdown with Amanda Nunes.
If the Harrison vs. Nunes bout goes ahead, Dumont will have to fight again before locking up her own title shot. In that event, the clear choice for her is a clash with former champ Julianna Pena.
The 36-year-old hasn't fought since losing the belt to Harrison in June, but remains the division's No. 1-ranked contender. She's typically been incredibly choosy about the fights she accepts, but she could hopefully be convinced to step into the Octagon with someone as momentum-rich as Dumont.
If Pena were to win, she would put herself right back in title contention. It's the quickest route to the place she wants to get.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
