4 Fights We Need to See After UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Kavanagh
There's a new contender in the UFC flyweight division.
On Saturday night, in the main event of the MMA promotion's latest stop in Mexico, England's Lone'er Kavanagh completely changed his career with an impressive decision win over former champion Brandon Moreno. The fight, which he accepted on short notice when Moreno's original opponent, Asu Almabayev, got injured, was the toughest challenge of his career by far, and he passed it brilliantly.
In victory, Kavanagh can expect to jump quite some distance into his division's top 15, as Moreno entered the Octagon ranked No. 6. There's quite a queue forming for the opportunity to challenge reigning champ Joshua Van for the belt, with Tatsuro Taira getting the opportunity this fall, so a title shot definitely won't be next for Kavanagh. However, he can probably expect another opponent ranked well inside the top 10.
Keep scrolling to see who we'd like to see Kavanagh fight next, as well as three other fights we'd like to see after the UFC's visit to Mexico.
Lone'er Kavanagh vs. Brandon Royval
1 of 4
Kavanagh really looked like a future title challenger on Saturday, defeating an extremely experienced former champ with some very slick striking and ironclad takedown defense. The victory was so impressive that it instantly turned him from an exciting prospect to a legitimate contender.
As a new arrival in the flyweight top-15, Kavanagh has almost nothing but fresh matchups to look forward to. Top contenders like Manel Kape and Kyoji Horiguchi would both make very tough tests for him, but now that Tatsuro Taira is set to challenge Joshua Van for the belt, it makes more sense to match those two up against each other.
In that case, let's match Kavanagh up with Brandon Royval. Royval, ranked No. 4 in the division, has challenged for the title and beaten some of the best competition available. However, he's riding losses to Kape and Van, and has drifted out of title contention as a consequence.
He would make a great test for the rising Kavanagh, and stands to completely reverse his fortune if he manages to defeat the young gun, which is definitely possible. He's done it before, famously beating Taira just a few years back.
David Martinez vs. Aiemann Zahabi
2 of 4
Lone'er Kavanagh wasn't the only fighter to greatly improve his standing in Mexico.
In the card's co-main event, rising bantamweight contender David Martinez picked up one of his biggest wins to date, defeating former title challenger Marlon "Chito" Vera by decision.
Now riding 10-straight wins, including three in the Octagon, Martinez can expect to make a slight climb up the rankings, likely settling somewhere around No. 9 — Vera's former perch.
From there, we'd like to see him booked for a fight with Canada's Aiemann Zahabi. Zahabi is currently ranked No. 6, thanks to a six-fight win streak that includes a decision win over Vera in his last fight.
Like Martinez, he is making his way toward the top of the division. Also like Martinez, he has failed to score the win that really puts him over, largely due to the lack of finishes on his recent record.
The timing of this fight might not work, as Zahabi may be called upon to participate in the UFC's April 18 card in Winnipeg, which will likely be too soon for Martinez. However, if Zahabi isn't booked for that stop in Canada, match him up with Martinez this summer, and see if either man can really show they're ready for the top.
King Green vs. Michael Chandler
3 of 4
Outside of Lone'er Kavanagh, lightweight veteran King Green was probably the biggest winner of Saturday's whole event.
Green, who has been fighting since some of the prospects on the card had yet to put on a pair of gloves, was back in action against Mexico's Daniel Zellhuber. Despite entering the Octagon as a big underdog, he ended up winning with a sizzling second-round knockout.
The win was Green's second in a row after a decision defeat of the debuting Lance Gibson Jr. in December. He believes that success should be enough to get him a ranked opponent, and he has someone specific in mind.
After his win over Zellhuber, Green called for a fight with former Bellator champ Michael Chandler, targeting the upcoming UFC White House card as the setting.
On one hand, this callout is perhaps a tad ambitious, as Chandler remains the division's No. 13 fighter and has been ranked for years. However, he is now 1-5 in his last six, with his lone win coming against the ghost of Tony Ferguson. He's also spent most of the last few years on the sidelines waiting for a fight with Conor McGregor that never materialized.
At this point, Chandler seems to be ranked based on nostalgia alone. With that established, a fight with Green seems both sensible and competitive. It's not the blockbuster fight with McGregor that it would have been, but it's a reasonably big fight, and the kind of winnable opportunity Chandler needs right now. Why not?
Ailin Perez vs. Norma Dumont
4 of 4
One of the most relevant matchups of Saturday's event in Mexico occurred on the undercard — at least as far as the rankings are concerned.
The undercard featured a high-stakes women's bantamweight clash between Ailin Perez, ranked No. 7, and Macy Chiasson, ranked eighth. As the oddsmakers predicted, Perez won by decision, once again strengthening her position in the division.
It was Perez's sixth win in a row. If this were a few years ago, when former champ Amanda Nunes had completely cleared out the division, she would probably be looking at a title shot right now. However, things are a bit chaotic in the division right now, with champion Kayla Harrison recovering from neck surgery, and the returning Nunes in line to get a crack at the belt when the champ is healthy.
That means Perez will need to fight at least one more time before fighting for the belt herself. Luckily, there's one potential opponent that makes a ton of sense for her right now: Norma Dumont.
Dumont is in a very similar position to Perez. Ranked No. 3, she has also won six straight fights. Were it not for Nunes' comeback plans, she would probably be next up for a shot at Harrison. With Nunes deservedly jumping the queue, however, Dumont has been left wondering what's next.
It only makes sense to match her up with Perez. That way, there's a clear No. 1 contender waiting for the Harrison vs. Nunes winner.
