UFC Vegas 39 went down last night (Sat., Oct. 9, 2021) inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada featuring a main event bout between Marina Rodriguez and Mackenzie Dern. After 25 minutes of action, Rodriguez won the fight via unanimous decision (see it again here). In the co-main event, Randy Brown defeated Jared Gooden, getting the unanimous decision victory.
Winner: Marina Rodriguez
Winner: Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Marina Rodriguez solidified herself a a legit threat to the division title after racking up her third straight win against a high-ranked opponent. A fight against former division champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk seems like the logical fight to make next. Carla Esparza should get the winner of the upcoming championship rematch between champion Rosa Namajunas and Weili Zhang, leaving “JJ” and Rodriguez with the only top two ranked fighters without a fight. Let them tango inside the Octagon to see who will likely get the next shot at the strap. Rodriguez had some choice words for the ex-champion due to her inactivity, and though she says she isn’t too keen on fighting her, if the contract shows up it will behoove her to sign on the dotted line if she wants to make it to the big dance eventually.
Winner: Randy Brown
Who He Should Fight Next: Tim Means
Brown won twice this weekend. Not only did he defeat Jared Gooden, he took home 20-percent of his opponent’s purse after he failed to make weight. Brown has done pretty well for himself over the last few years, racking up an impressive 4-1 record over his last five fights. He still has some work to do if he wants to close in on a spot in the Top 15 at welterweight, but a fight and a win over Means could be what gets him closer. Like Brown, Means has been on quite a run, winning three in a row and is also 4-1 in his last five fights.
Winner: Matheus Nicolau
Who He Should Face Next: David Dvorak
Nicolau picked up a huge win over former flyweight title contender, Tim Elliott, to improve his win streak to four straight fights. Most of the 125-pound fighters ranked in the Top 10 are currently booked, leaving Dvorak as the only viable option since he isn’t locked down with a fight at the moment. Dvorak is ranked No. 10, while Nicolau sits at No. 11. Dvorak is on a 16 fight win streak and is 3-0 inside the Octagon. This match up would prove to be a tough challenge for each of them.
Winner: Mariya Agapova
Who She Should Face Next: Casey O’Neill
Agapova got back on the winning track and earned an extra $50,000 in post-fight bonus cash after securing an impressive submission win over Sabina Mazo. That is Agapova’s third post-fight bonus in last four fights (one under the Invicta FC banner). With a record of 2-1 inside the Octagon, a fight against O’Neill seems fitting. O’Neill is 3-0 under the UFC umbrella and is coming off a big win over Antonina Shevchenko. Undefeated at 8-0, O’Neill would be a huge feather in Agapova’s cap if she can be the one to hand her the first loss of her career.
Winner: Chris Gutierrez
Who He Should Face Next: Nate Maness
Gutierrez improved to 5-1 under the UFC banner after scoring a split decision win over Felipe Colares, allowing him to keep his momentum going. Fighting in the stacked Bantamweight division, Gutierrez has his work cut out for him if he wants to crack the Top 15. Up next for the surging contender, a fight against Maness seem possible. Maness is currently on a four fight win streak and has won all three of his fights under the UFC umbrella thus far. Maness was last seen defeating Tony Gravely via knockout last month, so his return to action could align with Gutierrez’s
For complete UFC Vegas 39 results and coverage click here.