Matches to Make After UFC Fight Night 215

UFC Fight Night 215 on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas will go down as one of the weakest events in Ultimate Fighting Championship history. An already poor card was left devoid of contenders when the Derrick Lewis-Sergey Spivak heavyweight headliner had to be scrapped when Lewis fell ill in the hours leading up to the show.

As a result, the suspect co-main event was promoted to marquee attraction, as Ion Cutelaba—a man known for fighting like a crazed berserker—faced the massive Kennedy Nzechukwu at 205 pounds. Both men desperately needed a win. Cutelaba had suffered two straight submission defeats and had just one victory and a draw in his previous six appearances, while Nzechukwu had lost two of his past three bouts. Neither man was viewed as a Top 15 contender despite the historically weak state of the current UFC light heavyweight division. After Cutelaba won a wild first round, he appeared to be visibly depleted at the start of the second. Nzechukwu eventually smashed him with a knee strike and follow-up punches to prompt the stoppage and right his ship.

Meanwhile, the only competitor on the card worthy of prospect status was Jack Della Maddalena. The 26-year-old crushed Danny Roberts in a first-round knockout to improve to 3-0 in the UFC, all via punch-induced stoppage.

In the aftermath of “UFC Vegas 65,” here are two matches that ought to be made:

Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Dominick Reyes: It is crazy to think that when Reyes fought Jon Jones for the light heavyweight title in 2020, a majority of those watching, myself included, had “The Devastator” winning. After being knocked out as a big favorite in his ill-fated battle with Jan Blachowicz for the vacant title, Reyes got slept by another future champion in Jiri Prochazka. His latest setback, which took place just over a minute into his encounter with Ryan Spann, does not figure to be viewed in such a forgivable light. Reyes, who turns 33 in December, desperately needs to get back on track. His facing Nzechukwu would serve as an exciting matchup with plenty of big blows. Plus, it could reveal if Reyes has anything left in the tank and show whether or not Nzechukwu has more to offer than what he has already shown.

Jack Della Maddalena vs. Daniel Rodriguez: Della Maddalena has shown some excellent striking thus far, so it would be interesting to see how he fared against a tough, durable and skilled veteran like Rodriguez, who is currently ranked No. 15 at 170 pounds. “D-Rod” has a way of shutting down more explosive, exciting opponents who may not have all it takes to get to the next level. He proved as much against Mike Perry and Kevin Lee, among others. He would serve as an excellent next test for the promising Della Maddalena in what would almost certainly be an entertaining standup scrap for the fans.