Matches To Make After UFC Vegas 85

UFC Vegas 85 went down last night (Sat., Feb. 3, 2024) inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, featuring a Middleweight bout that saw Nassourdine Imavov defeat Roman Dolidze via majority decision (recap here). In the co-main event, Renato Moicano delivered a gutsy performance to outlast Drew Dober in a Lightweight bout (relive it here).

Winner: Nassourdine Imavov
Who He Should Face Next: Allen vs Vettori winner

Imavov picked up one of the biggest wins of his career by edging out the No. 8 ranked fighter at 185 pounds, which will catapult him into the Top 10. Imavov and Chris Curtis got into it during a stall in the fight due to an illegal blow, further intensifying their already bitter beef stemming from their original fight resulting in a No Contest (NC) due to an accidental clash of heads. That said, Imavov is not interested in the rematch since Curtis is ranked No. 13. As far as what could realistically be next for Imavov is to face the winner of the upcoming collision between Brendan Allen and Marvin Vettori, who are set to square up against one another on April 6.

Winner: Renato Moicano
Who He Should Face Next: Beneil Dariush

Moicano picked up an impressive win over knockout artist Drew Dober, improving his record to 4-1 over his last five fights, which may be enough to give him a Top 10 ranking. He called for a fight against Dariush after his win, which isn’t a bad idea. Listen, Dariush was at one tpoint a win away from a title fight, but his luck has gone downhill drastically. He is on a two-fight win streak, losing bout via first-round knockout at the hands of Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan, dropping him down all the way to No. 7. He won’t be getting higher-ranked foes at the moment, but if he can defeat Moicano it could get him back on track in a big way.

Winner: Randy Brown
Who He Should Face Next: Michael Chiesa

Brown improved to 6-1 in his last seven fights after scoring an impressive one-punch knockout win over Muslim Salikhov, earning him some cool post-fight bonus cash. If “Rude Boy” doesn’t get a Top 10 ranking next, perhaps a win over Chiesa will get the job done. After all, “Maverick” is still ranked No. 14 despite losing three in a row and having not competed in seven months. Brown expressed his unhappiness with Chiesa holding a ranking spot, and I agree with him. It’s time to defend it.

Winner: Natalia Silva
Who Should Face Next: Tracy Cortez

Silva picked up her eleventh straight win, fifth inside the Octagon, after earning a unanimous decision win over Viviane Araujo. Currently ranked No. 9 in the women’s Flyweight division. At the moment, every single person ranked ahead of her has a fight booked except for Valentina Shevchenko, but that fight is not a remote possibility at the moment. For now, I am feeling a fight between Silva and Cortez. Both women are scorching hot at the moment, with Cortez also winning 11 in a row, five under the UFC banner…just like Silva.

Winner: Charles Radtke
Who He Should Face Next: Kevin Jousset

Radtke earned his sixth straight win, second inside the Octagon, by stopping Gilbert Urbina via strikes with only 13 seconds left in the first round. Currently on a six-fight win streak, Radtke facing Jousset next sounds like a good idea. Jousset was last seen defeat Kenan Song in Dec. 2023, giving him his second win under the UFC banner, just like Radtke. With both men coming in strong, let’s see who takes a huge step forward.

For complete UFC Vegas 85 results, coverage and highlights, click HERE.