Matches to Make After UFC Edmonton
Tyler TreeseNov 03, 2024
The Ultimate Fighting Championship made its return to Canada with 13 fights. While the UFC Fight Night 246 card lost a heavyweight fight between Derrick Lewis and Jhonata Diniz, the flyweight main event between Brandon Moreno and Amir Albazi had plenty of action. With the former 125-pound champion bouncing back with a win, it’s clear that this card will impact the title picture going forward.
Here are five matches to make following UFC Fight Night 246.
Moreno (22-8-2) broke a two-fight losing streak by completely outworking Albazi (17-2) and proving he’s still one of the best flyweights in the world. It’s too early to be talking a title shot after losses to Brandon Royval and titleholder Alexandre Pantoja, and there aren’t many top 125-pound fighters on a win streak at the moment. So why not a trilogy fight against Royval (17-7), who “The Assassin Baby” has split fights with? Both veterans are fighters at the highest level and the winner would have a strong case for a title shot, especially if Kai Asakura can upset “The Cannibal” next month. It’s a great Fight Night main event and a fight no one would complain about seeing again.
Blanchfield rebounded from a rough start and outwrestled former strawweight queen Rose Namajunas to a unanimous decision win. “Cold Blooded” is now 7-1 inside the UFC but a recent defeat to Manon Fiorot has her on the outside looking in on the title picture. Blanchfield (13-2) called out former flyweight champion Grasso and that is a call-out that makes sense. The former titleholder will be looking to rebound after a loss to Valentina Shevchenko and this will give the American a chance to cement herself as a top contender at 125 pounds.
Ribeiro fought Caio Machado to a close split decision, but it will ultimately go down as a victory for "The Gorilla." Ribeiro (16-7) snapped a two-fight skid with the victory. That means the former Shooto Brasil champion will get another opportunity inside the UFC. A fight against Prachnio would make sense as the 36-year-old would serve as a stern test for the Brazilian. Prachnio has been susceptible to submissions but has recent wins over Devin Clark and William Knight. If the 28-year-old can get past the Polish fighter, then he’ll prove he is here to stay in the Octagon for years to come.
Jasudavicius kept her upward momentum in the flyweight division going with a brabo choke submission win over Ariane Lipski. Jasudavicius (12-3) has now put together three straight wins since losing a decision to Tracy Cortez. The Canadian is ready to face someone in the top 10, and "Blonde Fighter" Cerminara makes sense. The American came up short in recent fights against Maycee Baber and Manon Fiorot but recent wins over Amanda Ribas and Jennifer Maia show she's still a threat. Both fighters are 35, so it's now or never for one of them to go on a run.
Stoltzfus came out on top of a brawl with Marc-Andre Barriault, ultimately scoring a brutal knockout. Stoltzfus (16-6) has now won two of his last three fights. A fight against another fun to watch veteran would make sense, such as Tavares. The "TUF 11" alum is still dangerous despite coming up short in his last two fights and we can see if the Hawaiian still has the fight in him as three losses in a row would likely bring his Octagon career to a close.