With another evening at the Apex Center behind us, let’s take a look at the potential future for Bobby Green and the other UFC Vegas 80 main card winners.
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Bobby Green vs. Renato Moicano
Just like that Bobby Green has transformed himself from an underrated journeyman to a contender who will be ranked among the best lightweights in the UFC. While he’s known for a slick and defensively savvy style of point fighting, Bobby Green laid out number 10-ranked Grant Dawson with a picture-perfect left hand in just 33 seconds.
Bobby Green makes for a very interesting addition to the rankings. He presents a stylistic challenge while simultaneously presenting vulnerabilities with a personality that’s easy to market. That’s without factoring in the way he completely derailed the Grant Dawson hype train. A fight night main event with Renato Moicano seems right. A fight between Bobby Green and the similarly outspoken Brazilian respects the divisional hierarchy and should be action-packed. In his last outing Moicano, who is on the tail end of rehabbing a knee injury, submitted Brad Riddel at UFC 281.
Joe Pyfer vs. Gregory Rodrigues
Just over a year after making his way to Octagon by way of the Contender Series, Joe Pyfer has quickly established himself as someone the middleweight division should be keeping an eye on. His submission win over Abdul-Razak Al Hassan was dominant in every way and left no room for doubt.
Pyfer’s high placement on the card is probably a good sign that the UFC is very high on the Philadelphia native. With that in mind, let’s pair him up with another Contender Series vet who has the division on notice: Gregory Rodrigues. “Robocop” scored a first-round knockout of Denis Tiuliulin in August.
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Joaquim Buckley vs. Elizeu Zaleski Dos Santos/Rinat Fakhretdinov winner
In perhaps his most mature performance to date, Joaquim Buckley looked spectacular against Alex Morono. Despite Morono’s unconventional style and stellar resume coming into Saturday evening. Buckley was able to show patience and calculation while not sacrificing his knack for damaging strikes.
Buckley’s drop to welterweight seems like just what the St. Louis native needed to reach the next level. With his fan-pleasing style, it’s tempting to throw him to the wolves but let’s continue the measured approach until going pedal to the metal. The winner of Elizeu Zaleski Dos Santos and Rinat Fakhretdinov fits the bill. They will fight one another next month in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Drew Dober vs. Matt Frevola/Benoit Saint Denis winner
Drew Dober reminded us of exactly why he has been one of the most consistently exciting fighters at 155 with his explosive finish of Ricky Glenn. Not even the most blatant of illegal glove grabs could stop destruction brought by heavy hands and frightening ground and pound. Dober’s first-round TKO secured his place in the record books with the most KO finishes in the UFC’s lightweight division.
Fortunately for Dober, he can continue putting on thrilling displays while attempting to work his way back into the rankings. The winner of Matt Frevola and Benoit Saint Denis could check both of those boxes. Frevola and Saint-Denis will meet in the prelims of UFC 295.
Bill Algeo vs. Billy Quarantillo
With an interesting blend of awkward movements, durability, and defense, Bill Algeo successfully disrupted Alexander Hernandez’s return to featherweight. Hernandez represents Algeo’s most impressive win and the definitive nature of the victory should serve as an indicator of what potential he has in the division.
There is no shortage of suitable opponents for Algeo in his next fight. However, “Senor Perfecto” floated a particularly intriguing one in his post-fight interview: Billy Quarantillo. Algeo and Quarantillo share similar records against similar opposition and the 34-year-old responded to the call out with enthusiasm on social media before the cage was cleared for the next fight.
This one made itself. Quarantillo was last seen winning a decision over Damon Jackson in August.
