UFC Vegas 122 went down last night inside Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, which saw Brendan Allen defeat Christian Leroy Duncan via fifth-round submission (see it here) in the main event of the evening. In the co-headlining act, Jai Herbert secured a huge win over Matheus Camilo in their Lightweight bout, while Loopy Godinez
defeated Ketlen Souza in their bout via unanimous decision.
Winner: Brendan Allen
Who He Should Face Next: Dricus du Plessis
Allen locked down his fourth straight win after choking
out Duncan, firmly cementing his spot in the Top 5 at 185 pounds. As far as what could be next for him, perhaps a showdown against former division king, Dricus du Plessis, is in order. “DDP” is currently ranked No. 2 in the division, but his most recent win over Kamaru Usman is not enough to get him back to another title shot. He will need at least one more win to get there. On the flip side, if Allen can take out the former champion, then his championship fight dreams get one step closer. The two men have a built-in beef, so this fight sells itself.
Winner: Jai Herbert
Who He Should Face Next: Rong Zhu
Herbert secured his first-ever back-to-back win streak inside the Octagon after defeating Matheus Camilo, which is hard to believe since he has been fighting for the promotion for six years. Nevertheless, he is now 3-1 in his last four and he will look to build off that momentum to improve his streak to three. A fight against Zhu sounds interesting since the Chinese-born combatant is also on a nice run, having won his last four fights inside the Octagon.
Winner: Loopy Godinez
Who He Should Face Next: Mizuke Inoue
Up next for Godinez after her win over Souza, perhaps a showdown against Inoue could be in order. Inoue is currently ranked No. 10 in the division, and is coming off a big win over Jaqueline Amorim last October, so she is overdue for a fight. She is currently on a two-fight win streak and is 3-1 so far inside the Octagon. Inoue has not been overly-active throughout her UFC career, but I would love for her to accept a fight like this to increase her popularity, ranking and confidence. For Loopy, defeating the No. 10 ranked fighter in the division helps her climb that ladder a bit more.
Winner: Andre Fili
Who He Should Face Next: Felipe Lima
Fili turned back the hands of time and delivered a great knockout performance over Kai Kamaka III (see it here), giving him his first win in three fights. Fili is one of the more experienced fighters in the division, so I would love to see him paired up against a rising contender in Lima to see if he keeps the gatekeeper status or if he can take a big step this late in his career. Lima is 3-1 under the UFC banner and was last seen defeating Morgan Charriere just last month. Both of these men are exciting in their own right so this bout could produce yet another highlight-reel finish.
Winner: Otari Tanzilovi
Who He Should Face Next: Carlos Vera
Tanzilovi secured his first-ever win under the UFC banner in explosive fashion last night by knocking out Malcolm Wellmaker, handing him his third straight defeat (see it here). The Russian striker could use this as a momentum booster moving forward, and a fight against someone like Vera could be an interesting choice. Vera is coming off a win over Josias Musasa, who defeated Tanzilovi on the Contender Series. Vera is also just 1-1 under the UFC banner, so it would be a battle of two up-and-coming contenders looking to make name for themselves in the 135-pound weight class.
For more UFC Vegas 122 fight card results, coverage and highlights click HERE.
