After every event, fans wonder whom the winners will be matched up with next.
And 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 on ESPN+ 14’s most noteworthy winning fighters.
Those winners include Valentina Shevchenko (18-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC), who defended the UFC women’s flyweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Liz Carmouche (13-7 MMA, 5-5 UFC) in the main event at Antel Arena in Montevideo, Uruguay, as well as Vicente Luque (17-6-1 MMA, 10-2 UFC), Volkan Oezdemir (16-4 MMA, 4-3 UFC) and Marina Rodriguez (13-0-1 MMA, 2-0-1 UFC).
* * * *
Marina Rodriguez
Should fight: Cortney Casey
Why they should fight: Rodriguez graduated from being a promising new face in the strawweight division to being a potential contender to watch after she defeated one of the more respected names at 115 pounds in Tecia Torres.
Not only did Rodriguez beat Torres, but she did it without losing a round on any scorecard, which certainly gives some extra juice to her triumph. The Brazilian hasn’t lost in more than four years as a pro, and with consecutive wins over Torres and Jessica Aguilar, it’s time for Rodriguez to get a real step up.
The problem for her, however, is that most of the ranked names at strawweight are booked. Casey (8-7 MMA, 4-6 UFC) is available, though, and while “Cast Iron” may not have the most impressive record, she has shared the cage with almost all of the top names in the weight class and rarely gives up a loss easily. That’s just the opponent Rodriguez needs.
Volkan Oezdemir
Should fight: Aleksander Rakic
Why they should fight: Oezdemir brought the ugly stretch of losses in his career to a screeching halt when he utterly dominated Ilir Latifi for a second-round knockout in what was one of his more impressive UFC performances so far.
In most of his previous wins, Oezdemir caught and stopped his opponent early. He put a prolonged beating on Latifi, though, landing more than triple the amount of significant strikes before finishing the job with some thunderous shots for the knockout in the final minute of the second round. It ended his three-fight losing skid, and now Oezdemir is once again someone to take note of in the light heavyweight division.
Because of the speed in which he rose up the ranks to fight for the title, it seems like Oezdemir’s UFC journey has had a lot of twists and turns. He’s still shy of his 30th birthday, though, and still has the potential for a productive future at 205 pounds. He called out Jan Blachowicz and Dominick Reyes in his post-fight interview, but both those matchups seem unlikely at the moment.
If Oezdemir wants to prove he’s a serious contender again, a matchup with dangerous surging contender Rakic (12-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) could be fitting. The Austrian fighter has, much like Oezdemir, gotten off to a quick start in his career. He’s coming off a devastating 42-second knockout of Jimi Manuwa in June, and giving him another established name like Oezdemir would be a natural progression for him.
Vicente Luque
Should fight: Geoff Neal
Why they should fight: The welterweight division continues to get loaded with fighters on lengthy winning streaks, and Luque is among the thick of the bunch after his victory over Mike Perry resulted in getting his hand raised for a sixth consecutive time.
Luque defeated Perry by split decision in the “Fight of the Night,” badly breaking the nose of his opponent in a blood-soaked affair. It was Luque’s first time winning on the scorecards in the UFC after his first nine promotional wins came by stoppage, and that should certainly serve as a learning experience for the 27-year-old, who appears to be headed for a top 15 matchup in his division.
The Brazilian is hitting the stage of the 170-pound weight class where nothing close to an easy fight exists, and he tried calling his shot by suggesting a matchup with former title challenger Stephen Thompson. It seems “Wonderboy” has other pairings on his mind, though, but Luque could still get a ranked name, it just may not be someone so familiar.
Neal (12-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) was a name proposed for the winner of Luque vs. Perry after his thrilling victory over Niko Price at UFC 240 this past month, and it makes even more sense now. Both men received $50,000 bonuses in their most recent outings, and putting them in the octagon together could result in another.
Valentina Shevchenko
Should fight: Katlyn Chookagian
Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Shevchenko should fight Chookagian (12-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) next for her third women’s flyweight title defense.
