4 Fights We Need to See After UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. Duncan

Renato Moicano has still got it.

The experienced Brazilian lightweight returned to action in the main event of Saturday's UFC card in Las Vegas, taking on Scotland's Chris Duncan.

On paper, it looked like a tough challenge. Moicano entered the Octagon with consecutive losses to Beneil Dariush and Islam Makhachev behind him, while his younger opponent was riding four-straight wins.

Despite that, Moicano was able to convert his skill, strategy, and experience into a masterful performance that culminated in a second-round submission. With that, he will remain in the lightweight rankings, where only the toughest fights await.

Beyond the headliner, the most memorable moments of Saturday's UFC main event were a collection of highlight-reel finishes from several interesting prospects, notably Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev, Ethyn Ewing, and Tommy McMillen.

All of the above are likely to get big steps up in competition next time out, but it will be interesting to see how the UFC matchmakers handle the next phases of their careers.

Read on to see what we would like to see next for renewed lightweight contender Moicano, as well as the three prospects mentioned above.

Renato Moicano vs. Paddy Pimblett

Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

After Renato Moicano's impressive victory over Chris Duncan, it's immediately tempting to suggest a matchup between him and Dan Hooker next.

The pair have exchanged some verbal jabs in the past, and have been orbiting each other in the middle of the lightweight rankings for years. However, closer consideration quickly deflates the appeal of this potential matchup.

Hooker has been effortlessly handled by the last two grapplers he's fought—Arman Tsarukyan and Benoit Saint Denis—and Moicano, a BJJ black belt with a dangerous submission game, would most likely give him the same treatment.

When you think about it, the outcome of this one seems obvious enough that it begins to feel like a waste of everyone's time. So how about Moicano vs. Paddy Pimblett?

England's Pimblett is one of the biggest stars in the division right now and has entered contender territory, but he is riding a fairly decisive loss to Justin Gaethje.

Now several months removed from that setback, he will soon be looking to get back on track, and Moicano seems like just the right kind of test for him.

The Brazilian is skilled enough to give the Scouser a good challenge at the very least, and is also a big enough name that a fight between them would be a pretty big deal. They've also had their share of back-and-forths in the past.

It could easily headline any Fight Night card in Europe or the Americas, and it would make a welcome addition to any numbered event on the calendar. Book it.

Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev vs. Ion Cutelaba

Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Turkey's Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev is one of the best prospects we've seen in the UFC light heavyweight division in years. After a first-round submission win over Brendson Ribeiro, he's now 2-0 in the UFC, 9-0 overall, and with seven first-round finishes to his credit. The guy is very good.

Yakhyaev's talent is evident enough that his fight with Ribeiro felt like a mismatch from the moment it was announced. Now that that's thankfully out of the way, it's time to stop dillydallying. He's ready for a fight with a far higher level of opposition—even if it still feels a bit early for a top-15 opponent.

How about Ion Cutelaba?

Cutelaba, from Moldova, has been in the UFC for years, but has never gotten especially close to title contention. Despite that, he's spent his time in the promotion battling some of the top light heavyweights in the game, and has generally had good results against all but his toughest opponents. He even holds a stoppage win over Khalil Rountree Jr., which has aged very well.

Make no mistake, Cutelaba would probably be a sizeable underdog against Yakhyaev. However, he would also be the toughest test of Yakhyaev's career to date, and is fully capable of derailing the prospect's momentum with one well-placed strike.

Ethyn Ewing vs. Adrian Yanez

Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

It's getting crowded on the Ethyn Ewing hype train.

Late last year, he came out of nowhere with a dominant win over Malcolm Wellmaker in his short-notice UFC debut. Then, on Saturday, he made it 2-0 in the UFC bantamweight division with a third-round stoppage of the formerly undefeated Rafael Estevam.

Both victories were just about perfect, and they were marked by some of the best striking you will see in the Octagon in 2026.

He has, quite simply, looked brilliant, and like Yakhyaev, he seems ready for the fast track.

While it's not that hard to picture Ewing beating some fighters on the outer edge of the bantamweight rankings right now, we'll suggest a slightly more measured approach in the form of a bout with Adrian Yanez.

Yanez's UFC career began with somewhat similar hype, as he blew away his first few opponents with extremely high-level boxing, tailored perfectly for MMA.

Unfortunately, he's struggled significantly since then, with losses in three of his last five fights, but he recently battled Ricky Simon to a draw, which proved he still deserves a spot on the UFC roster.

He would be a big underdog against a prospect with Ewing's momentum, but he would have his opponent beat in terms of experience and has certainly shared the cage with much stronger opposition.

At the very least, it would be an entertaining display of very advanced MMA striking technique for as it lasts.

Tommy McMillen vs. Andre Fili

Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

One of the other prospects to make a splash on Saturday was featherweight Tommy McMillen, a training partner for former UFC bantamweight champ Sean O'Malley.

The Contender Series graduate made his Octagon debut with a entertaining first-round TKO win over Italy's Manolo Zecchini.

In victory, McMillen is now 10-0 as a pro, and due to his affiliation with O'Malley, he is probably going to get a bit of favorable treatment from the UFC. That is probably a good thing because, as impressive as he's been so far, he also looks extremely raw, and frankly seems likely to get knocked out by higher level opposition if he doesn't shore up the gaping holes in his striking defense.

Having said that, there's no sense in babying him. He's in the UFC now, with his first Octagon victory to boot. Let's see how far he can get.

Our pick for his next opponent would be Andre Fili.

Fili, a staple of Sacramento, California's Team Alpha Male, is one of the most experienced fighters in the UFC bantamweight division. He's been extremely inconsistent of late, alternating wins and losses over his last 10 fights, but still looks pretty good against lower and mid-level opposition.

With some much big-stage experience behind him, he would be an extremely tough test for somebody as unpolished as McMillen. However, he's also the kind of test one can imagine McMillen passing, especially if the prospect can tighten up his game over the course of his next camp.

With O'Malley in the training room, it's possible he'll level up quickly.