UFC Vegas 38 has come and gone, with a number of fighters picking up key wins including Thiago Santos, Niko Price, and Krzysztof Jotko. We’ll play matchmaker and look at who they should fight next.
Thiago Santos vs. Magomed Ankalaev/Volkan Oezdemir winner
Spoke to a UFC official this morning who clarified that Thiago “Marreta” Santos actually has three fights remaining on his current contract after Saturday’s #UFConVegas38.
Asked Santos' team for comment, who said they would prefer not to discuss contract details publicly.
— John Morgan (@MMAjunkieJohn) October 4, 2021
Initially, I was going to suggest that this was the end of the road for Santos in the UFC, with him mentioning post-fight, that this was the last bout on his current contract. At 37-years of age and off major knee surgery, I could see how the UFC could view him as expendable. However as you can see above, it appears Santos made a mistake and will be with the promotion after all at least for three more fights. Despite beating Johnny Walker this Saturday, Santos appears to have lost a step and doesn’t appear to be the same fighter as the one that knocked out light heavyweight champion Jan Błachowicz in 2019. With that said, I think fighting the winner of the upcoming Magomed Ankalaev vs. Volkan Oezdemir matchup at UFC 267 makes sense. Rankings wise it makes sense and it would keep both parties busy while names like Jiri Prochazka and Aleksandar Rakic look to earn their shot at the 205-pound title.
Kevin Holland vs. Kyle Daukaus Rematch
The Kyle Daukaus vs. Kevin Holland no contest sparked a big debate 🤔 https://t.co/y6RkUiBRTe
— MMA Junkie (@MMAjunkie) October 3, 2021
Stating the obvious here, but with these two having a “no contest” this past Saturday due to an accidental headbutt, it only makes sense to run this fight back. Both fighters appear to want it and they need to settle the score once in for all.
Niko Price vs. Matt Brown/Bryan Barberena winner
#UFCVegas38 Official Scorecard: Welterweight Bout: Alex Oliveira vs Niko Price (@NikoHybridPrice) ⤵️
— UFC News (@UFCNews) October 3, 2021
Price snapped a three-fight winless streak after defeating Alex Oliveira this past Saturday at UFC Vegas 38. That’s why I don’t think a ranked opponent is in the cards for the “Hybrid” despite the victory. The 32-year-old has fought a number of notable welterweights in the division, except Matt Brown and Bryan Barberna who are set to clash on December 4th at UFC Fight Night. It doesn’t matter who wins, stylistically this makes for an amazing matchup with a potential “Fight of the Night” written all over it.
