What’s next: The winners of UFC Vegas 96

Last Saturday’s UFC Vegas 96 proved to be one of the most entertaining Apex-based cards in a long time (though we’ll still be excited to leave the venue behind in November). A very engaging and thoroughly action-packed main event, a solid co-headliner and comeback to open the main card, and two of the most memorable Ultimate Fighter finishes in recent memory helped elevate a card that might otherwise have been “just another” show at the UFC’s private venue.

What’s next for the night’s big winners, including new Ultimate Fighter champions Ryan Loder and Mairon Santos? Let’s see how the matchmaker hat fits and do a little fantasy booking.

Caio Borralho

Fighting Nerd Caio Borralho’s UFC run so far has been nothing short of extraordinary. If you remember his appearance on the 2021 Contender Series, he had to fight twice during the season, although he did win his fight against Aaron Jeffrey, a real top contender who is now in Bellator. That second fight took place at light heavyweight and ended in a finish, after which Borralho dropped back to middleweight and never looked back.

The Brazilian has now won 16 fights in a row, seven of them under the UFC banner (and if you add in the two DWCS fights, you should have an idea of ​​how impressive Borralho was). UFC Vegas 96 was still a gamble, though: Borralho, ranked outside the top 10, was paired with a former title challenger, Jared Cannonier, who at 40 was still ranked No. 5 in the UFC’s 185-pound division.

If this was a test, Borralho passed with flying colors. We can’t say “brilliant” here, because Cannonier held his own and Borralho hurt at times. But the fight, while hard fought, belonged to Borralho, who won on all three scorecards and scored two near-wins, first by TKO and later by submission.

Rest assured, while Borralho may not rise to the top of the division, he will almost certainly be in the top 10 when the rankings are updated. And there’s no turning back now. At middleweight, there’s a new sheriff in town in Dricus Du Plessis, and while Sean Strickland is likely next in line in a rematch of their UFC 297 meeting, otherwise it’s all wide open as light heavyweight Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya just lost to the champion (yes, there’s the Whittaker-Chimaev winner, but as we all know, anything can happen in title fights).

The bottom line is that Borralho needs another big fight. It should be easy enough to sell him as a headliner on another Fight Night card or to put him high on a PPV. Either way, he needs another top-10 opponent. While Brendan Allen and Marvin Vettori were recently busy arguing in a casino, Allen is actually booked against Nassourdine Imavov in Paris next month. The winner of that fight makes perfect sense for Borralho. Both would be in the running, but probably a fight or two away from a title shot anyway. And Allen in particular is on a very impressive run.

Borralho’s next fight: Winner Allen vs. Imavov

Tabatha Ricci

The “Baby Shark” was in good use at UFC Vegas 96 when Tabatha Ricci fought Angela Hill. The three-round co-main event was overshadowed by the excellent headliner that followed, but it was still a very good fight. Ricci, who began the night ranked 11th, should soon be back in the top 10.

Here’s where it gets tricky: Mackenzie Dern and Amanda Ribas are booked to face off in Tampa later this year. They’re ranked 8th and 7th at strawweight. Ricci fought Loopy Godinez (ranked 9th) but lost to the Mexican with Canadian roots last November. Frankly, it’s too early for a rematch. Marina Rodriguez has a fight booked in October and any higher spot might be too much right now. That means they’ll have to fight lower down the rankings and the only option not booked (or that Ricci hasn’t faced yet) is Karolina Kowalkiewicz. She’s ranked 15th and, despite suffering a loss, had previously won four fights in a row.

The former strawweight title challenger still has some name recognition and doesn’t have a fight booked. It’s a fight that should work for both women.

Ricci’s next fight: Karolina Kowalkiewicz

Ryan Loder

Ryan Loder defeated a very impressive opponent, Robert Valentin, in the second of two Ultimate Fighter 32 finals at UFC Vegas 96 on Saturday. He gets the six-figure contract and the TUF crown for it, but we must remember that Loder has less than 10 professional fights under his belt (he is 7-1), plus his two exhibition fights on TUF.

That said, there’s no need to rush here. Honestly, as unappealing as it may be, the best option is to pit Loder against a DWCS debutant. Or, if the timing is good, someone who only has a single fight in the bracket. Jose Medina fought on the same card and lost, but since Loder just won TUF, that’s a step back. With no 1-0 fighter available, we’re giving him a Contender Series winner who enters the bracket full steam ahead.

Loder’s next fight: Every middleweight debuting from the DWCS

Mairon Santos

With 15 professional fights, TUF 32 featherweight winner Mairon Santos is just a little more experienced than his middleweight counterpart. Like Loder, he looked fantastic against a very good Kaan Ofli, who was a standout fighter on the show. In fact, Santos’ biggest challenge of late has been on the scale, but on Friday he got the job done after stripping down.

As for his debut, 2023 Contender Series winner Hyder Amil is 10-0 and has won his first two UFC fights, so this looks to be a very entertaining matchup.

Santos’ next fight: Hyder Amil

Michael Morales

More people should be talking about welterweight contender Michael Morales. The man finished the UFC welterweight division and won against Neil Magny at UFC Vegas 96, won a Performance of the Night bonus for his efforts, and is 17-0. The problem is, the 170lbs division is loaded with top undefeated talent right now: Shavkat Rakhmonov is 18-0 and you can’t really call him a talent anymore, he’s a contender. Ian Machado Garry is 15-0. Add in Jack Della Maddalena, who is not undefeated but has won 17 fights in a row, and Morales is often overlooked. Those other three names are listed in the rankings; Morales was not in action on Saturday. That will soon change, however.

There might be pressure to have Morales face any of the three, especially since none have a fight booked. But Garry is ranked 7th, Maddalena is ranked 5th, and Rakhmonov is ranked 3rd. He could actually be champion Belal Muhammad’s next opponent, and all three could be out of reach for Morales right now. The two men ahead of Magny’s 12th-ranked spot in the division, Geoff Neal and Joaquin Buckley, both have fights booked for later this year. However, Sean Brady is scheduled to face Gilbert Burns in less than two weeks. Brady is ranked 8th, and Burns is ranked 6th. The loser of that fight (though Morales is coming off a win) could make sense ranking-wise. The winner could work too, since it’s unlikely either of them will have anything close to a title shot, but Brady really does seem like the better option, having once been in a similar position to Morales.

Morales’ next fight: Sean Brady

Gerald Meerschaert

Middleweight Gerald Meerschaert has so much fighting spirit in him that we fear he’ll soon start chasing (and beating) cars. In 2019, at his 40th fight at UFC Newark, he admitted he had more fights under his belt than the numbers showed. Even then, he called his skills “old man jiu-jitsu.” Well, Meerschaert now has 54 fights under his belt and two wins this year. At 36 years old and unranked, he’ll never fight for a title, but he’s a very dangerous opponent for those looking to break into the top 15.

Roman Kopylov could make sense in that regard. He’s 5-1 in his last six fights, has two performance bonuses, and was scheduled to fight on Saturday before appendicitis knocked him off the list. Once he’s ready, booking those two could work out.

Meerschaert’s next fight: Roman Kopylov