Fights to Make after UFC Fight Night: Kattar VS Chikadze

Fights to Make after Fight Night: Kattar v Chikadze

Kattar: I would love to see Calvin Kattar get matched up against Yair Rodriguez for his next fight. I know Yair is coming off a loss, but it was a razor close fight with Max Holloway, who will have a title shot his next fight back from injury. They could turn this more into a number 1 contender’s bout than if he fought Ortega next. Only because Ortega will likely need a couple wins after his recent title losses. The matchup would create excitement among the fans as both fighters have had good performances in their last fights out. The championship timeline is a little off given Max just pulled out of his title match against Volkanovski. Volk wanted to keep active fighting in April against Korean Zombie puts a hold on everyone else because Max will likely keep his spot. Both Kattar and Rodriguez took a good amount of damage in their last fights and likely will need some time off. I would like to see these two fight in summer. That would give them time to heal up. Hopefully, allow Volkanaovski to start eyeing a return date and defend his belt against Holloway at the end of next year. This could set up a title shot for the winner in early 2023.

Giga: Giga is definitely going to need time off after his last fight. The problem is that Giga is starting to reach the back end of his prime so this is not the best time to be inactive. I have two potential fights I would like to see next for Giga. First, I suggest Dan Ige. This makes sense because they are close in the rankings and coming off losses. Ige took some damage in his last fight in November. If he wants to take some extra time off, this could be a perfect matchup for a win or go home. Not in the sense that the UFC would cut the loser, but they would be all but done as contenders and the winner would set himself up nicely going forward. The other matchup I would like to see would be Korean Zombie at the end of this year. This is contingent that Zombie loses to Volkanovski, which is the way I am leaning in my early prediction. Giga and Zombie have built in drama as their beef has made headlines recently. This would be a fun fight and be a similar situation to the Ige fight, just a little more fireworks in my opinion.

Collier: Heavyweights that like to stand and brawl are always entertaining. After Jake Collier’s fight Saturday, Justin Tafa called him out on Twitter. The tweet prompted Collier to take a jab at Tafa. ‘The Prototype’ called out Andrei Arlovski but the timelines do not add up given Arlovski’s upcoming fight on UFC 271. Tafa and Collier have both fought recently and got first round finishes with little damage taken. The fight would be entertaining and the little bit of promo they did has made it more enticing to me than any other options for them at the moment.

Chookagian: Chookagian is currently in contract negotiations with the UFC and is currently a free agent. This means her next fight may not even be in the UFC. I think she is their best option currently to keep Shevchenko active. The Blonde Fighter is on a good streak recently and makes the most sense to get the next title shot. The fight with Valentina was pretty one sided last time and likely would be again. Chookagian has shown improvement since her last title shot and that’s what you want to see from a former contender climbing their way back up the ranks.

Royval: Fresh off a split decision battle with Rogerio Bontorin, Royval has set himself up well in the flyweight division. He is one of the most popular fighter’s in the division and that means the UFC will want to highlight him. I expect his next fight to be against the winner of Alex Perez v Matt Schnell. I anticipate Perez to win. He has been in a similar career path with Royval and the fight makes a ton of sense. It could set up a title shot for the winner, but not a lock given the big flyweight fight coming up in Askarov v Kara France. Pantoja also has a return looming and a win would likely set him up for a shot against the champion. Schnell would be an interesting bout as well if he were to win against Perez. That would lean towards the winner being another win away from a title shot.

Borshchev: Let Slava dance! Viacheslav Borshchev made a statement Saturday night. For a guy that caught the eye of fans with a solid performance on Dana White’s contender series, he made another jump with his liver shot KO in the first round against Dakota Bush. ‘Slava Claus’ is a 6-1 prospect that has hype behind him. I think his best option would be to take a few fights against lower competition in the UFC to get his feet wet. He showed holes in his debut that could be exploited if he does not take time to work on them. Rushing to the top, could mean taking a few hard lessons that he doesn't necessarily need to take under the bright lights. If he wants to take a slower route, it could set him up with a matchup that would be fitting for the Alpha Male member. I would like to see him in the octagon with Alan Patrick next. Patrick is known for his oscar worthy performance after an eye poke from Slava Claus teammate, Mason Jones, and causing a fight he was losing to end in a draw. Ultimately, the fight got rescheduled and Patrick pulled out on short notice. Slava Claus would be a good way for Alpha Male to give Patrick his due. I would love to see how he deals with the tree chopping body hooks from Borshchev.

Algeo: Bill Algeo has a really fun style of fighting to watch. As a fight fan, I have found myself looking forward to seeing his performances. After his win Saturday, he cut a good promo in the post fight interview and left a memorable moment for the viewers. In that interview, he predicted Giga’s lost and said he wants him next. While that is unrealistic currently, I think with one more win Algeo will find himself at that level. For his next time out, I hope it is against Lando Vannata. ‘Groovy’ is an entertaining stand up fighter that has taken time off recently. Algeo said he is looking to stay active in 2022 and wants a stand up match in his next fight, as he has faced a stretch of grapplers recently. This would check the criteria. Given the timeline and upcoming fights, I think this fight would be ideal for April. This fun striking match would be perfect for the prelims of UFC 273 in Jacksonville.

Geek On The Case: Goosey