UFC Atlantic City went down last night (Sat., March 30, 2024) inside Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., featuring a women’s Flyweight fight that saw Manon Fiorot defeat Erin Blanchfield via unanimous decision (highlights). In the co-main event, Joaquin Buckley scored an impressive technical knockout win over Vicente Luque (see it again here), extending his win streak to three in a row.
Winner: Manon Fiorot
Who She Should Face Next: Wait for a title shot (or fight Maycee Barber)
After defeating the No. 2 ranked fighter in the Flyweight division, Fiorot will overtake that spot and become the next woman in line to fight for the strap…after Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko settle their trilogy, of course. Indeed, the two ladies will fight for a third time after they conclude their duties as the next coaches of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) later this year. That means that Fiorot will have to play an extended waiting game should she choose to sit idle. If she gets restless, then she could very well take a fight against Maycee Barber.
Winner: Joaquin Buckley
Who He Should Face Next: Neil Magny
Buckley could be looking at a spot in the Top 15 after disposing of Vicente Luque, who is currently ranked No. 11 in the Welterweight division. Things are only going to get tougher for “New Mansa,” who has now won three in a row. I fight against Magny might be ideal seeing as how the longtime veteran is ranked No. 12 in the division and is coming off a win over Mike Malott at UFC 297.
Winner: Chris Weidman
Who He Should Face Next: Bruno Silva rematch
It wasn’t the greatest fight — sloppy at times — but I, as well as many others, do not like the way it ended. Weidman’s eye pokes were working overtime and it’s unfortunate that the officials did not overturn the fight to a No Contest (NC) after reviewing the tape. Nevertheless, Silva does have a gripe, so let’s just run it back to erase any and all doubts because despite what “All American” says, I don’t think Silva was looking for a way out of the fight.
Winner: Nursulton Ruziboev
Who He Should Face Next: Eryk Anders
Ruziboev picked up his tenth straight first-round stoppage win by ending Sedriques Dumas’ night via TKO, his second win under the UFC banner. “Black” has already proven he is a force to be dealt with at Middleweight, and he will only continue to get better as his career inside the Octagon progresses. A fight against Anders would be a good measuring stick. Anders is coming off a unanimous decision win over Jamie Pickett, and his experience could give Ruziboev some trouble.
Winner: Kyle Nelson
Who He Should Face Next: Julian Erosa
After starting his UFC career with a dreadful 1-4-1 record, Nelson has since racked up three straight wins, defeating Bil Algeo via first-round TKO last night in Atlantic City. The talented Featherweight is firing on all cylinders at the moment, but he still has a ways to go before he sniffs the Top 15. As for Erosa, he recently got back into the win column by defeating Ricardo Ramos via first-round rear-naked choke, stopping the bleeding his two-fight losing streak.
Winner: Chidi Njokuani
Who He Should Face Next: Max Griffin
Njokuani saved himself from a potential release by snapping his three-fight losing streak with a razor-thin split-decision win over Rhys McKee, his first win in nearly two years. Now that he has some confidence back, let’s see how he does against Griffin, who got back into the win column himself last month with a victory over Jeremiah Wells, also via split-decision. Both men have not had a ton of success as of last inside the Octagon, so let’s pit them against one another to see who can get some momentum going.
For complete Atlantic City results, coverage, and highlights, click HERE.