The first card of 2023 lived up to expectations last night as we saw multiple finishes throughout the night. Many fights will have significant impacts on the rankings and title contention. The question for many of these fighters after their impressive performance is this: what’s next for the winners of UFC Vegas 67? For some fighters they’ll be looking at defending their rankings, whilst others will be looking to climb and move up towards a title shot. See here for what we think about their next step.
What’s Next for the Winners of UFC Vegas 67?
Sean Strickland and Nassourdine Imavov
Sean Strickland dominated Nassourdine Imavov in a fight he took on 5 days notice, reversing his previous loss to Cannonier and cementing his status as a top 10 Middleweight. The UFC and Dana White will likely reward him with a chance to climb the ranks again. A fight against Derek Brunson would make sense. Brunson is coming off a loss to Cannonier and would be a good main event or co-main event. Other top 5 fights are not seen as making sense or have already been scheduled.
Imavov is a tougher one. Strickland defeated him not in devastating fashion, he was thrown into the deep end with the late replacement, but the fight showed him that there are levels to the division. The immediate decision here would be to rebook the Gastelum fight, but there are other opportunities here. With the UCF rumoured to be returning to France later this year, Darren Till makes sense. Till is ranked lower than Imavov but has the name value Gastelum presented, and with Till only being across the channel the logistics for the UFC are easy to solve. Whoever wins still climbs the rankings – it makes sense for everyone.
Dan Ige and Damon Jackson
Dan Ige got back into the win column in the best way he could have. Coming off of 3 losses in a row, Ige missing out on a win may have had him missing out on the UFC altogether. However, Dan ‘50k’ Ige certainly lived up to his name and flatlined Damon Jackson in the second round. Jackson was on a 4 fight win streak and had all the momentum behind him, and knocking him out so far has been Ige’s Magnum Opus.
With that knockout, Dan Ige finds himself in a unique position to make the most out of a difficult situation. Despite his 1-3 record in his last four fights, Ige will likely get a chance to start working towards a title shot. Fights against Edson Barboza or Bryce Mitchell would make sense, as both are coming off losses and are within the 10-15 ranking that Ige is likely to target for his next fight. While it may not be clear if Ige deserves a top ten shot, the impact of that knockout may propel him towards the upper echelon of the division.
Jackson despite the loss is not out of the picture yet. He still had a good win streak behind him and will probably fight another unranked featherweight next or somebody like Alex Caceres. The options are much broader for Jackson given that he does not have the rankings to be restricted by, but he might be out for a while before his next fight.
Punahele Suriano and Roman Kopylov
Roman Kopylov proved who the better 9-2 middleweight was last night with his body strikes. An even fight but with many picking Soriano to get the knockout as he has shown to do before, Kopylov knew what he had to do. He has redeemed his 0-2 entrance into the UFC with two back to back KOs, and with one more unranked win under his belt, will likely spot a chance to enter the ranks.
Suriano on the other hand only has a couple more chances before the UFC likely waives him off. If he comes back Dan Ige style and knocks somebody out cold then he has a chance. Other than that, Soriano is now 3-1 in his last 4 and 3-3 in the UFC. He has to be careful but by no means is it over for him. He absolutely has the potential to stay and to do even better, so he just needs to keep his head in the game.
Ketlen Vieira and Raquel Pennington
Without question the most important fight in terms of title implications, Pennington with the close split decision now moves to 5 wins on the trot. In the division these girls are in, that is a big win streak. The top 5 for bantamweight is always so tight and considering Nunes is at the top, she has cleared most of the division already. A third fight for Pennington and Holm makes sense for me. Holm is 2-0 against Pennington dating back to 2020 and 2015, but Holm is on a loss. She can defend her number 3 by her name against Pennington in the summer.
With Ketlen Vieira it is tougher to match her up but a fight with Pannie Kianzad could make sense, as Kianzad is coming off the back of a decision win against Lina Lansberg, and her last loss is also to Pennington.
Umar Nurmagomedov and Raoni Barcelos
Umar Nurmagomedov pulled off a massive KO over Raoni Barcelos. With a huge knee into a lead hook combo, Barcelos went to sleep in the Octagon as Nurmagomedov celebrated with his team. Nurmagomedov’s KO proved he’s not just a wrestling machine and can handle himself on the feet too. With the name he has and the ability he brings, the UFC will likely push for a higher ranked opponent. Dana White has already come out and said that they are looking for a quick turnaround for him. So, while a Dominick Cruz fight would be fun, it has to be somebody who can fight soon. Song Yadong would make sense – he last fought and lost in September and now has to defend his ranking, and with his speed and striking it would be entertaining to see how he holds up to Umar’s wrestling.
All is not over for Raoni Barcelos. 1-3 in his last 4, he will likely have a chance to redeem himself and stay within the UFC. Prior to his first loss in the organisation Barcelos went on a 5 fight win streak and tore apart the division – if he manages to find his form again, I am sure that he will stay within the promotion and start to fight ranked opponents once again.
What’s Next for the Winners of UFC Vegas 67?
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
