UFC Vegas 39 took a number of hits, but in the end, we saw a quality main event and a number of fighters make strides in their respective divisions. We’ll play matchmaker and look at who the winners should fight next.
Marina Rodriguez vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Marina Rodriguez vs Joanna Jedrzejczyk should be next. I'm ready for that fire fight. #UFCVegas39
— John Hyon Ko (@JHKMMA) October 9, 2021
Rodriguez (15-1-2) pushed her winning streak to three-straight with a unanimous decision win over Mackenzie Dern this past weekend in the UFC Vegas 39 main event. The 34-year-old has honestly done enough to earn a title shot, but with Rose Namajunas defending her title against Weili Zhang next month and Carla Esparza likely getting the winner (who already holds a win over Rodriguez), it could be a while. That’s why Joanna Jedrzejczyk makes a lot of sense. The former strawweight champion hasn’t fought since her split-decision setback to Zhang in March 2020 and is still ranked #2 in the division. This would keep Rodriguez active and gives Jedrzejczyk some options if she’s able to win.
Randy Brown vs. Daniel Rodriguez
Randy Brown dominates Jared Gooden despite suffering gruesome toe injury in #UFCVegas39 co-main event https://t.co/yXzE09I3sD pic.twitter.com/8aHENQFMn6
— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) October 9, 2021
Brown (14-4) is coming off an impressive decision victory over Jared Gooden, especially with the fact he dislocated his toe off the first kick and still won the fight. The 31-year-old has gone four of his last five fights, with the one blemish coming against Vicente Luque last year. It’s time for Brown to get another ranked opponent and Daniel Rodriguez makes a lot of sense. Rodriguez is ranked #15 and is coming off a big win himself over Kevin Lee back in August. I feel like both of these fighters are on the cusp of big fights in the division, so it only makes sense for them to fight each other.
Mariya Agapova vs. Maryna Moroz
Mariya Agapova UNLOADS on Maryna Moroz for slandering her name.
"I would like to punish this b*tch because she's trying to destroy my career."#UFCVegas39 | Full video: https://t.co/okErUgXJDz pic.twitter.com/c2bYIg6TFg
— MMA Junkie (@MMAjunkie) October 9, 2021
Agapova (10-2) put on arguably the best performance of her career by stopping Sabina Mazo in the third round by submission and came through as the betting underdog. The Kazakhstan native completely dominated her opponent and then used that same energy in her post-fight interview on former teammate Maryna Moroz. This fight is absolutely a no-brainer and actually makes sense in terms of the division with neither fighter currently ranked.
