The UFC’s first-ever trip to Qatar and its fifth trip this year to the Middle East included a lot of fun, important fights with UFC Qatar headlined by a pair of potential number one contenders.
The main card got off to a hot start as Volkan Oezdemir, Myktybek Orolbai, Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Kyoji Horiguchi all scored impressive finishes en route to our top two fights. In the main and co-main events, Arman Tsarukyan and Ian Machado both called for Garry to make title shots following their wins. Now that UFC Qatar is in the books, let’s take a look what’s next for the winners.
Arman Tsarukyan
After moving 24 hours away from his rematch against Islam Makhachev early this year, the UFC was clearly not happy with the Armenian. That’s why he was ordered to win another fight even after he already earned his title shot. Being the massive betting favorite, Tsarukyan was under pressure to not only beat Dan Hooker, but to do so in a way that would cement his status as a number one contender. That’s what he achieved when he battered the Kiwi en route to a submission stoppage in the second round.
Rumors seem to be flying around that Ilia Topuria will headline the first numbered event of the Paramount era in January. The consensus seems to be that Paddy Pimblett will be his opponent due to the Englishman’s star power and their history. However, Tsarukyan still called for the shot in January and said he would be ready. There’s no doubt that Tsarukyan is way ahead of Pimblett in the queue from a meritocratic perspective, but time will tell if the UFC will still choose Pimblett in January. One thing is certain: whether it is in January or later, Tsarukyan’s next fight should be for the lightweight title.
Tsarukyan’s next fight: title shot
Ian Machado Garry
Like Tsarukyan, Ian Machado called Garry for a title shot after beating Belal Muhammad. Unlike Tsarukyan, Ian Machado Garry hasn’t put in the kind of performance that will cement his status as a number one contender. While you could do worse than pick the Irishman for Makhachev’s first title defense, he hasn’t had a truly inspiring win in a while. His loss to Shavkat Rakhmonov increased his stock significantly, but it was still a loss. His last four wins have been against Geoff Neal, Michael Page, Carlos Prates and now Belal Muhammad. All very good names, but none of those tests were passed with what you call “with flying colors”. I think this win for Garry gives both Rakhmonov and Michael Morales’ case a chance. Prates is scoring back-to-back sensational KOs, but his loss to Garry will keep him behind the Irishman. That’s also why I think Garry’s loss to Rakhmonov will likely keep him behind the Kazakh fighter. Now that public opinion seems to be that Morales needs one more win, Shavkat will likely be the first to take the title from Makhachev. That leaves Garry with Jack Della Maddalena, Morales and Kamaru Usman as the contenders he hasn’t faced yet. I really like the idea of JDM versus Prates, and I think Morales would have no problem getting in a shot. So give me Ian Machado Garry and Kamaru Usman in yet another number one fight.
Machado Garry’s next fight: Kamaru Usman
Volkan Oezdemir
The fighter from Switzerland remained one of the most stable fighters in the company. He never allows himself to go on long losing streaks that could derail his career, but he hasn’t put together the kind of winning streaks to get into the title since making a big splash seven years ago. It feels like he’s been in the top 10 forever and this latest first round KO of Alonzo Menifield will keep him there for a while. You both feel like you can throw any name at him even though you’ve already fought everyone. I think a sensual match for Oezdemir is next: the winner of the fight between Nikita Krylov and Modestas Bukauskas in January. Whether it’s a Krylov rematch or a streaking Bukauskas, we can count on Volkan to show up and be a knockout threat.
Oezdemir’s next fight: Krylov/Bukauskas winner
Myktybek Orolbai
A strange fight took place when a former lightweight and a former middleweight met in the middle at welterweight. On paper, the matchup was interesting because there were good reasons to favor both fighters. Yes, Hermansson was naturally the bigger fighter, but he’s now 37 and coming off an absolutely brutal KO loss in June. Meanwhile, Orolbai looked a lot smaller, but being ten years younger than Hermansson paid off. Orolbai simply walked a hesitant Hermansson down and kept throwing his right hand in a loop, waiting for one of them to land. When he finally made a clear connection with one of them, that was all she wrote. It will be interesting to see what Orolbai can do at welterweight after making multiple weight cuts at 155 pounds. There’s no wrong way to pair him, but I’d like to see him face Chidi Njokuani next, who is also a former middleweight.
Orolbai’s next fight: Chidi Njokuani
Waldo Cortes-Acosta
Just three weeks removed from his wild finish of Ante Delija, and with just two days notice, “Salsa Boy” flew all the way to Doha to take care of Shamil Gaziev in one minute and twenty-two seconds. What’s even crazier is that Cortes-Acosta called for one more fight before the end of the year and as the calendar winds down, I think the UFC could still squeeze him in if they really wanted to. I think the only fighter who might come off the bench and face WCS on short notice is someone like Derrick Lewis. “The Black Beast” has a lot of respect for those who stand and are afraid, so I have a feeling Cortes-Acosta has made it onto his radar by now. The UFC needs some fun storylines, so why not use it as a co-starring role for Royval and Kape to close out the year?
Cortes-Acosta’s next fight: Derrick Lewis
Kyoji Horiguchi
Almost exactly nine years after his last UFC fight, the 35-year-old looked as good as ever in his dominant performance against Tagir Ulanbekov, who had won four in a row. In those nine years away from MMA, Horiguchi’s only losses were to Kai Asakura (whom he also defeated), as well as Sergio Pettis and Patchy Mix, a bantamweight. His first stint in the RIZIN also included a submission victory over Manel Kape. This fight proved that the Japanese fighter has not slowed down and is still a top 5 flyweight in the world. With this win moving him into the top 10 of the division, he will face Amir Albazi next to see if he can crack the top 5.
Horiguchi’s next fight: Amir Albazi
#Whats #UFC #Qatar #winners