The barking has stopped, and Jean Silva's questionable pre-fight antics are done for another year.
UFC Noche is officially in the books. Now comes the part that actually matters. The UFC has a choice after a card like this. It can keep recycling the same safe names for a few easy headlines, or it can start building the fights the promotion actually needs. Here's what should happen next, and why each matchup makes sense.
Jean Silva vs Lerone Murphy
Silva is exciting, dangerous and, one way or another, always box office. He still hasn't done enough to justify a title shot just yet. Murphy, meanwhile, is currently without a fight and needs to get back in the win column after his loss to Movsar put the brakes on his own title charge.
Put these two together and you have a genuine title eliminator. Whoever wins walks away with a legitimate claim to the belt, while the loser still comes out of it having shared the cage with one of the division's most dangerous contenders. It is a fight that makes sense for everyone.
Jose Delgado vs Sean Woodson
Delgado did his stock no harm at Noche, but he is not quite ready for another fight against a ranked opponent. Woodson, meanwhile, just picked up a close win over Australia's Jack Jenkins and has more than earned a step up in competition.
This is the kind of matchup that actually tells us something. It gives Delgado the chance to prove his performance at Noche was not a one-off, while Woodson gets an opportunity to show he belongs closer to the top 15. Both men have plenty to gain, and neither needs to be rushed into a matchup above their level.
Brandon Moreno vs Kyoji Horiguchi
Moreno has fought just about everyone at the top of the flyweight division at this point. There is really only one name left that he has not shared the cage with, and that is Horiguchi. Horiguchi is coming off a loss to Kape, and at this stage of his career, he does not have time to sit around waiting for the perfect opponent. He needs fights, and he needs them soon. This is a matchup between two championship-level fighters, and it is exactly the kind of fight flyweight fans have been asking for.
Tommy McMillen vs Yair Rodriguez
McMillen is undefeated, but he came dangerously close to losing that unbeaten run against Rahiki. That tells us he is not quite ready to be handed a loss in the UFC just yet. Yair Rodriguez, meanwhile, has pulled out of his fight with Jean Silva for a second time.
Enough is enough.
If he wants to remain relevant in this division, he needs to prove it against a live opponent rather than continuing to dip in and out of bookings. McMillen gets his chance to crack the rankings, while Yair is forced to answer questions about his durability and reliability at the same time.
Curtis Blaydes vs Vitor Petrino
Heavyweight is a mess right now, and Blaydes always seems to find himself in that awkward middle ground where nobody quite knows what to do with him. On paper, matching him with Petrino could almost feel disrespectful given where Blaydes sits in the pecking order. That is exactly why it works. Blaydes has built a reputation for humbling highly touted prospects, and Petrino is the kind of name he has made a career out of shutting down. It is a statement fight disguised as a mismatch, with both men having plenty to prove.
David Martinez vs Cory Sandhagen
A knockout over Dan Ige is no small achievement. It is more than enough to earn Martinez a genuine shot at the top five. Sandhagen, on the other hand, is coming off back-to-back losses and has spent years fighting nothing but the elite of the division. At some point, you have to let the next generation through. Sandhagen fighting down the rankings for once is not a step backwards. It is the kind of matchup that gives a genuine killer like Martinez the platform he deserves.
Yousri Belgaroui vs Ikram Aliskerov
Belgaroui has been ruthless since arriving in the UFC and has more than earned his shot at finally adding a number next to his name. Aliskerov is exactly the kind of opponent who can test whether Belgaroui is ready for that next step. This is the fight that tells everyone he is not just a prospect anymore. It is time to find out if he is a genuine contender.
This is the standard the UFC should be holding itself to.
No safe rematches and not prospects wrapped in bubble wrap until they're handed someone past their best. Fights that are actually earned, made while the momentum from Noche UFC is still fresh.
The UFC has the roster to make this happen right now.
All it needs is the will to do it.
