Matches to Make After UFC on ESPN 46

UFC on ESPN 46 was headlined by an excellent flyweight duel between top contenders Kai Kara-France and Amir Albazi. New Zealand's Kara-France is a sensational striker who had amassed an impressive record of 7-3 within the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Two of those defeats came against current flyweight champion Brandon Moreno and the other against a walking mismatch in Brandon Royval. Against lesser mortals, Kara-France handed Askar Askarov his first loss and knocked out former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt as well as Rogerio Bonterin in the first round.

Iraq's Albazi is a newer addition to the UFC, but at a perfect 4-0 in the promotion before his first main event, had already impressed. Three of those triumphs had occurred via stoppage, with only a unanimous decision against Zhalgas Zhumagulov (AA versus ZZ!) going the distance. This was expected to be a highly competitive match too, as the betting odds were even.

Indeed, it was a close five-round battle contested mostly on the feet, as Kara-France did a wonderful job neutralizing Albazi's grappling. Kara-France appeared to have a small but consistent advantage striking, edging out 4 of the 5 rounds, with Albazi winning Round 3 with takedowns and submission attempts. All three Sherdog scorers had it 49-46 Kara-France but alas, the judges disagreed, with 1 having it 48-47 Kara-France only to be overruled by two scores of 48-47 Albazi, giving him the split verdict.

The rest of the card was thin to non-existent in terms of serious contenders or prospects. In the co-main, Alex Caceres and Daniel Pineda engaged in an exciting back-and-forth affair, with Caceres taking the opening frame and Pineda Round 2. However, Caceres brutalized Pineda in the final round, including a number of stomach-churning punches and kicks to the bread basket, winning the judges' verdict. The 34 year-old Caceres has now won 7 of his last 8, the sole loss coming against Sodiq Yusuff.

Here are a few interesting matches for later this year:

Related » UFC on ESPN 46 Round-by-Round Scoring

Amir Albazi vs. Brandon Royval

Albazi and Royval were originally scheduled to face one another in December of 2022 but the match attains greater status now as a potential title eliminator, as Royval knocked out Matheus Nicolau in just over 2 minutes despite being an underdog, climbing to No. 4 in the rankings, and Albazi will likely take over Kara-France's current No. 3 spot. Both men are dangerous grapplers and will likely engage in many fantastic techniques, but both are also willing to stand up and throw heavy strikes for extended periods. Royval is far more dangerous in that area, having overwhelmed Kara-France with strikes, including a ruthless onslaught kicks and knees from his enormous 5’9” frame for flyweight. However, Albazi's defense is very tough and it should be an exciting battle as well as an important one.

Kai Kara-France vs. Matheus Nicolau

Considering most felt he deserved the win, I doubt Kara-France's stock will be hurt much by the defeat. He should bounce back against No. 5 ranked Nicolau, a confrontation between two of the most beautifully technical strikers at flyweight outside of champion Brandon Moreno. Both having outstanding, lovely boxing and powerful kicks, and will likely neglect the grappling, meaning both will be free to go toe-to-toe without fear of being taken down. This could be one of the best fights of the year if everything lines up.

Alex Caceres vs. Edson Barboza

Neither man is going to seriously contend for a title, but they're both ranked contenders at featherweight (Caceres No. 15 and Barboza No. 14) who are still good strikers that can put on exciting contests. With that in mind, why not have them fight one another? Barboza is almost purely looking to stand these days, which Caceres will certainly welcome. And on the feet, this could be tremendous fireworks, with both men possessing deadly kicks to go along with skilled boxing. It's a possible fight of the night contender on any card it appears on.