UFC Vegas 15 went down last night (Sat., Nov. 28, 2020) inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, featuring a Light Heavyweight bout that saw Anthony Smith get back in the win column by submitting Devin Clark in the first round with an impressive triangle choke (highlights). In the co-main event, Miguel Baeza improved to 3-0 inside the Octagon after he defeated Takashi Sato via arm triangle in the second round (see it again here).
Winner: Anthony Smith
Who He Should Face Next: Thiago Santos rematch
Smith got a much-needed win after submitting Devin Clark which snapped his two-fight losing streak. Now that he has his confidence back, it’s not time for “Lionheart” to take it easy, as things will only get tougher from here. Up next, I’d like to see a rematch between Smith and Thiago Santos. “Marreta” initially defeated Smith back in 2018 when they were both competing in the Middleweight division. Santos made his return a few weeks ago after a lengthy layoff, though his comeback efforts saw him lose to Glover Teixeira. It’s about time these two run it back, this time with a little bit extra weight on their bodies.
Winner: Miguel Baeza
Who He Should Face Next: Nicolas Dalby
Baeza continued his winning ways to remain undefeated (10-0, 3-0 UFC) after submitting Takashi Sato, proving that he was more than worthy to make the jump up from the “Contender Series.” Up next for “Caramel Thunder,” I’d like to see him face off against Dalby, another rising 170-pounder who is proving his worth inside the Octagon. Dalby is 2-0-1 so far under the UFC banner, and is 5-0-2 in his last seven fights, and the former interim Cage Warriors Welterweight champion was last seen defeating Daniel Rodriguez at UFC 255. Both men have a well-rounded skill set and both have the potential to do some damage in what is already a stacked weight class. I like this fight a lot.
Winner: Parker Porter
Who He Should Fight Next: Don’Tale Mayes
Porter earned his first win inside the Octagon by defeating Josh Parisian via unanimous decision. While the 265-pound division isn’t the most stacked at the moment, you still need to win impressively — and often — to make moves into the Top 15. Still, Porter is young in his UFC career and has time to do his thing. Up next for him, I’d like to see him face Don’Tale Mayes. Both men have around the same experience as professionals, so one wouldn’t have the advantage over the other in that department. Mayes was last seen defeating Roque Martinez a few weeks ago at UFC Vegas 14, giving him his first win inside the Octagon. Porter, meanwhile, is 3-1 in his last four. Both are still pretty far out from cracking the Top 15, so at this point taking a fight without being too picky is pivotal for each of them.
Winner: Bill Algeo
Who He Should Face Next: Jonathan Pearce
Algeo picked up his first win under the UFC banner after defeating Spike Carlyle via unanimous decision. The scrappy Featherweight needed the win in the worst way after coming up short against Ricardo Lamas in his UFC debut, as well as losing his fight on the “Contender Series.” Pearce, on the other hand, also got back into the win column by defeating Kai Kamaka last night in “Sin City.” It only makes sense to book these two-up-coming 145-pounders against one another.
Winner: Norma Dumont Viana
Who She Should Face Next: Julia Avila
Viana picked up her first UFC win by absolutely dominated Ashlee-Evans Smith, officially putting her back in the win column after suffering the first loss of her pro career against Megan Anderson in her UFC debut. Vianna is going to have trouble finding worthy fights at Featherweight, so her best bet is to make the drop down to Bantamweight to face off against Julia Avila, who had her four-fight win streak snapped by Sijara Eubanks a few months ago. Avila is as scrappy as they come and she’d prove to be a tough test for the Brazilian bomber.
For complete UFC Vegas 15 results and highlights click here.