(ALSO SEE: Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Anderson Silva after UFC 234 loss?)
After every event, fans wonder whom the winners will be matched up with next.
With another night of UFC action in the rearview mirror, it’s time to look forward, put on a pair of Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard’s shoes, and play UFC matchmaker for UFC 234’s key winning fighters.
Those included Israel Adesanya (16-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC), who stayed unbeaten by beating Anderson Silva (34-9 MMA, 17-5 UFC) by unanimous decision in the main event, as well as Montana De La Rosa (10-4 MMA, 3-0 UFC) and Jim Crute (10-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC).
Jim Crute
Should fight:
Rashad Coulter
Why they should fight: Whether the stoppage was early or not, there’s no denying Jim Crute looked like the superior fighter to Sam Alvey. Even if the light heavyweight fight wasn’t stopped by TKO in the first round, the end result would’ve likely been the same with Crute getting his hand raised.
The undefeated 22-year-old has all the promise to be a future contender at 205 pounds. His skillset and dedicated approach to the sport combined with a catchy personality give Crute the whole package, now it’s just a matter of developing the right way so his career potential can be maximized.
Although Alvey is a name a lot of UFC fans are familiar with, he’s not the opponent who should elevate Crute into the next tier of competition. There’s absolutely no need to rush this young prospect, and that’s why a fight against someone like Coulter (9-4 MMA, 1-3 UFC), who doesn’t have the best UFC record but edges Crute on experience, would be the right step forward.
Montana De La Rosa
Should fight: Paige VanZant
Why they should fight: De La Rosa put on another triumphant octagon performance when she easily overwhelmed and outmatched Nadia Kassem before finishing the women’s flyweight fight with a submission in the second to stay perfect in her octagon career.
With the most finishes in the young history of the women’s 125-pound division, De La Rosa has proven she’s an exciting fighter capable of ending a fight. Whether those skills would translate against top competition, though, will be the major question for De La Rosa going forward.
At just 23, De La Rosa is still very young in her career. She took issue with the UFC over her “The Ultimate Fighter” contract, and said if they want to book her against top-10 opponent, she deserves top 10 pay. That seems plenty reasonable, and whether that will come next after more fights remains to be seen.
VanZant (8-4 MMA, 5-3 UFC) is not part of the top 10, though, and she’s the name who De La Rosa has called out all the way from pre-fight until post-fight. With “12 Gauge” coming off a submission win of her own against Rachael Ostovich at UFC on ESPN+ 1 in January, the timing to fight De La Rosa should work out perfect.
Israel Adesanya
Should fight: Winner of Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum or Ronaldo Souza
Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Adesanya should fight the winner of a potentially rebooked Whittaker (20-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC) vs. Gastelum (16-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) title fight or face contender “Jacare” Souza (26-6 MMA, 9-3 UFC).
For complete coverage of UFC 234, check out the UFC Events section of the site.
