Now that the promotion’s latest trip to the Apex Center, UFC Vegas 77, has concluded let’s look at what could lie ahead for the main card winners including, Mayra Bueno Silva and Jack Della Maddalena.
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Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Ketlen Vieira/Pannie Kianzad winner
Mayra Bueno Silva officially announced her contendership for the vacant bantamweight title with her UFC Vegas 77 submission victory over former champion Holly Holm. Mayra Bueno Silva is the first non-champion to score a finish over Holm and made her own title aspirations clear immediately after getting her hand raised.
However, Rachel Pennington should be the one to look across from Juliana Pena when the belt is reintroduced. In the meantime, let’s see what Mayra Bueno Silva can do with the winner of Ketlen Vieira and Pannie Kianzad. Vieira and Kianzad are scheduled for next week’s event at the O2 Arena in London.
Jack Della Maddalena vs. Jeremiah Wells/Carlston Harris winner
Is Bassil Hafez a grossly overlooked prospect that happened to get some good fortune with his late notice call-up to the big show? Is Jack Della Maddalena someone that got pushed too far too fast into the spotlight? Or perhaps two weight cuts, a late opponent change, and a bad style match forced the Australian into deeper waters than he expected. We simply don’t know at this point.
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So let’s slow things down a bit to reassess where Della Maddalena is in the pecking order of the welterweight division. Instead of rebooking him against number eight-ranked Sean Brady, let’s take a trip just outside of the top 15 with a fight against the winner of Jeremiah Wells and Carlston Harris. Wells and Harris are scheduled to meet in just under a month at Nashville fight night.
Francisco Prado vs. Marc Diakiese/Joel Alvarez winner
With one of the nastiest displays of ground and pound in recent memory, Francisco Prado destroyed Ottman Atizar in the first round, successfully rebounding from his first career defeat earlier this year. The killer instinct Prado showed means that at the very least he’ll put on a show.
Fortunately, the Argentinian has no shortage of potential opponents that can match his energy. The winner of next week’s contest between Marc Diakiese and Joel Alvarez should provide a suitable option. Either man brings an impressive highlight reel and will likely lead to fun times for the fans.
Jun Yong Park vs. Armen Petrosyan
The combination of a dangerous jab, a good chin, and a deceptive shoulder roll was enough to disrupt Albert Duraev’s attempts to overwhelm Jun Yong Park with power at UFC Vegas 77. Duraev found himself battered, dropped, and tapping to a rear naked choke late in the second round. Park’s complete performance was his best since joining the UFC roster in 2019.
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Armen Petrosyan would make a good opponent for the South Korean. Petrosyan earned a unanimous decision win against Christian Leroy Duncan last month.
Norma Dumont vs a Bellator featherweight
Although she did what she was supposed to do, it’s unlikely that Norma Dumont’s dominant decision win will do much for her. After controlling Chelsea Chandler in every realm, there really isn’t much to offer Dumont. After securing the most wins in the brief history of the UFC’s featherweight division, a shot against Amanda Nunes would’ve been the textbook move a few weeks ago. But with Nunes gone from the sparsely populated 145ers, there’s literally no one there that makes sense to face her for a vacant belt.
Dumont would be better suited outside of the Octagon. Unless she commits to making the 135 pounds, something she has struggled with much earlier in her career, she’d be better suited for a run in Bellator.
Nazim Sadykhov vs. Jared Gordon
Nazim Sadykhov looked very impressive in his second UFC outing. After surviving a rear naked choke attempt from Terrance McKinney in the first round. The “Black Wolf” was able to turn the tables in the second round with a rear naked choke of his own.
The nine-fight win streak and the previous hype behind his opponent should be enough to propel Sadykhov to a more prominent booking. The Ray Longo protege is gunning for a spot on November’s Madison Square Garden show. Let’s honor that request and pair him with fellow New York resident Jared Gordon. Before being pulled from a June meeting with Jim Miller, Gordon was last seen in a no-contest against Bobby Green.
