5 Fights to make after UFC Vegas 68

The ball is now officially rolling for the biggest MMA organization in the world upon its return this past weekend with a fight card that did not end until almost 3 AM EST. That being said here are five fights I would like to see next from some of the bigger winners from UFC Vegas 68

5. Adam Fugitt vs Ange Loosa

How else can you describe Adam Fugitt other than the word gangster? So far in his two fights with the UFC, he has only faced undefeated opponents with his debut fight being offered on a weeks' notice against a 23-year-old MMA phenom Michael Morales. Despite coming up short against Morales, Fugitt made an excellent account for himself by scoring a takedown which and some control time along with success in striking which arguably could have given the first round. That was last July, and this past weekend he returned for his next challenge and dominated Yusaku Kinoshita who was also undefeated going into this fight. Fugitt looked ever evolving as he secured a first round finish. Ange Loosa is another guy who has had to earn his position within the UFC welterweight division. He and Jack Della Maddalena put forth a war on Dana White's Contender Series in 2021, and even though Loosa was not awarded a UFC contract that night, he would soon find himself being presented with an opportunity to make his debut. Loosa has since amassed a 1-1 record in the UFC coming up short his debut but bouncing back with a win in his next fight. Fugitt and Loosa match up very well because Loosa has shown incredible composure, heart and very well-rounded technique against his adversary and always pushes them to their limit. While Fugitt appears to be improving with each fight due to the competition he has been given thus far.

4. Tatsuro Taira vs Amir Albazi

Considering the manner in which Taira is finishing his opponents, it is apparent that he is just as good if not better than his undefeated record accounts for. This man is a problem for any flyweight right now and is only 23 years old with three fights under the UFC. What truly stood out to me in his fight against Aguilar this past weekend, was the composure he displayed while spending a good portion of the fight stuck in an incredibly tight guillotine choke but never appeared to come close to submitting or being choked unconscious. Considering the lack of depth within the UFC flyweight division compared to their other weight classes, I think Albazi is the proper test for Taira at this juncture despite Albazi being ranked within the top 10 along with the fact that Albazi has yet to lose during his UFC stint.

3. Anshul Jubli vs Mateusz Rebecki

Both these guys are fresh faces in the complete shark tank that is the UFC lightweight division. That being said, this is a very interesting matchup for a number of reasons. First, Rebecki is a shorter lightweight that showed he is an absolute machine in his debut against Nick Fiore on the January 14th UFC card. Jubli on the other hand, is 6 feet and has a solid frame for the weight class. Jubli faced Jeka Seragih in his Road to UFC final this past weekend and although it did not show against Jubli, Seragih's style in his previous Road to UFC tournament bouts drew similarities to the bulldozing style Rebecki displayed in his debut. Jubli neutralized a seemingly unfocused Jeka Seragih with a second-round finish and became only the second UFC fighter ever to represent India. A fight between these two draws lots of interest, just go back and watch Rebecki's debut and Jubli's fight against Seragih.

2. Sergei Spivac vs Winner of Volkov/Romanov

Spivac is in such an odd spot within the top 10 of the UFC heavyweight rankings now. While, Derrick Lewis is the biggest win of his career, he also holds wins and losses over guys who are firmly entrenched alongside him in the rankings. He beat Tai Tuivasa in 2019 and Tuivasa's now in the top five. Spivac also holds losses to Tom Aspinall and Marcin Tybura. A rematch with any of those three previously mentioned names does not make that much sense for Spivac in my opinion. Alexander Romanov and Alexander Volkov are fighting on March 11th with Volkov ranked 8th and Romanov being ranked 13th. Romanov is coming off the first loss of his career to Marcin Tybura last year while Volkov is coming off a TKO win against Jairzhino Rozenstruik both occurring this past summer. A win for Romanov propels him into the top 10 similarly to Spivac, and a win for Volkov puts him on a two-fight win streak and keeps him in the top 10.

1. Derrick Lewis vs Augusto Sakai

If there is one thing that hurts my heart as an MMA fan, it is seeing Derrick Lewis lose. He has given so many awesome moments in his fights as well as with his media appearances/interviews. The guy is one of a kind within the world of MMA and has his own legacy as the man with the most knockouts in UFC history. But the fact of the matter is, he is now on a three-fight skid. If there is a favorable fight for Lewis to allow him to potentially get his groove back it would be against Augusto Sakai. Sakai is also on a three-fight skid but has fought a murderer's row of heavyweights in the UFC. In my honest opinion, this could very well serve as a make-or-break fight for both men. Which bothers me to say considering how skillful of fighters they are and the commitment they give to this unforgiving sport.