Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was back in action last night (Sat., Oct. 24, 2019) as UFC Fight Night 162 went down from inside Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore featuring a Welterweight matchup that saw Demian Maia submit Ben Askren in round three (highlights). In the co-main event, Stevie Ray picked up a huge win over Michael Johnson to help him climb the Lightweight ladder (recap).
Winner: Demian Maia:
Who He Should Fight Next: Winner of Stephen Thompson and Vicente Luque
Luque and Thompson are set to throw down next Saturday (Nov. 2, 2019) at UFC 244, so I’d like to see Maia take on the winner of that bout. I originally wanted to pair him against Rafael dos Anjos due to his higher ranking, but “RDA” is coming off a loss, and I want to see Maia face someone coming off a win to help his stock a bit more. Demian’s striking will be tested against either Thompson or Luque, so I’d like to see if he can twist either of those tow men up like a pretzel.
Winner: Stevie Ray
Who He Should Fight Next: Clay Guida
Whether people believe Ray should’ve earned the decision against Michael Johnson is now irrelevant, as he is now back in the win column. Facing someone like Guida seems like a good move soon. “The Carpenter” recently lost to Jim Miller this past August, so he is looking to get back on the winner’s podium. Ray may not be the type of names Clay is accustomed to fighting, but at this point in his career I’m sure Guida is happy to take any fight that will keep him busy.
Winner: Beneil Dariush
Who He Should Fight Next: Joe Lauzon
Beneil has now won three in a row, so I’d like to see him face off against a longtime veteran next just to see where he’s at and how he will do against someone who has been around the block a time or three. Joe got back into the win column after an extended hiatus last week after knocking out Jonathan Pearce at UFC on ESPN 6 in Boston, Mass. While there were rumblings that Joe was thinking about hanging them up, that is not the case, as he intends to keep chugging along. I like this matchup for both men.
Winner: Ciryl Gane
Who He Should Fight Next: Maurice Greene
Gane remained undefeated after submitting Don’Tale Mayes in Singapore. The big man moves to 5-0, 2-0 UFC and is looking to become a player in a division that is severely lacking some depth. A fight against Greene seems inappropriate. Maurice recently had his three-fight win streak snapped by Sergei Pavlovich on this same card, so he will be in a hurry to get another “W.” if Ciryl can score another impressive victory, he could be on the fast track to rise at 265 pounds where it doesn’t take much to get you into big fights given the lack of talent.
Winner: Muslim Salikhov
Who He Should Fight Next: Alex Morono
Winner of three in a row, Muslim is looking to climb a division that is perhaps the most stacked in the division, at welterweight boasts a bevy of hard-hitters and contenders eager to climb the ranks. While Salikhov has a long way to go, a fight and subsequent win over Morono will help his cause. Alex, like Muslim, has won three in a row, so taking out a streaking fighter up other man’s resume and stock.
For complete UFC Singapore results and coverage click here.