The AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas played host to a special Fight Night event last night (Sat., March 25, 2023) featuring a Bantamweight brawl between Marlon Vera and Cory Sandhagen. After 25 minutes of action, Sandhagen walked away with a split-decision win (highlights here). In the co-main event, Holly Holm started off her new contract with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) with a dominate win over Yana Santos.
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Winner: Cory Sandhagen
Who He Should Fight Next: Merab Dvalishvili or Sean O’Malley
The Bantamweight picture is starting to clear itself up, and got a bit more crowded with the return of Henry Cejudo, who will battle current champion, Aljamain Sterling, at UFC 288 on May 6, 2023. Sean O’Malley is sitting at No. 2 in the rankings, while Dvalishvili is ranked No. 1 at the moment. There is no telling who will get the crack at the title next between those two, but it seems as if O’Malley was in line to get Sterling before Cejudo crashed the party. If O’Malley gets next dibs, then Sandhagen vs Dvalishvili is the fight to make. If Dvalishvili gets the nod, then “Suga” vs “Sandman” is up next. Easy does it.
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Winner Holly Holm
Who She Should Fight Next: Julianna Pena
While the men’s 135-pound division has been busy, all has been quite on the women’s side. Amanda Nunes is once again champion and was in talks to face Irene Aldana, but that fight never came to be. Julianna Pena is still lobbying for a trilogy fight against “Lioness” but I just don’t think it’s warranted. For my money, let’s books Pena vs. Aldana and have Holm take on Pena, fresh matchups all around.
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Winner: Maycee Barber
Who She Should Fight Next: Amanda Ribas
Barber picked up her fourth straight win after edging out Andrea Lee via razor-thin split-decision. Regardless if many felt Lee should’ve been declared the winner, “The Future” is the one that could make a leap in the rankings, though it remains to be see if she cracks the Top 10. I’m feeling a matchup against Ribas next. The Brazilian bomber is ranked No. 9, and is fresh off a win over Viviane Araújo, so depending on where Barber lands in the rankings this week this should be the next fight to book.
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Winner: Albert Duraev
Who He Should Face Next: Jun Yong Park
Duraev got back on the winning track thanks to a big win over Chidi Njokuani, bringing him to 2-1 inside the Octagon. Park, meanwhile, is currently on a three-fight win streak and was last seen defeating Denis Tiuliulin in February, so a fight between these two rising studs could be a barn-burner. Both are sitting pretty far off from a spot in the Top 15, so this fight makes sense, even though Park has more UFC experience than Duraev.
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Winner: Nate Landwehr
Who He Should Fight Next: Daniel Pineda
Both Landwehr and Pineda proved victorious in their fights against Austin Lingo and Tucker Lutz, respectively. Landwehr is on a three-fight win streak, while Pineda is 2-1-1 so far inside the Octagon, so why not book them to fight one another? They aren’t really close to the Top 15 and will have a similar turnaround time, for obvious reasons. It’s a great stylistic matchup for both men.
For complete UFC San Antonio: “Vera vs. Sandhagen” results and play-by-play, click HERE.