UFC Vegas 24 went down last night (Sat., April 17, 2021) inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, which saw Robert Whittaker defeat Kelvin Gastelum via unanimous decision in the main event of the evening (see it again here). In the co-main event, Andrei Arlovski got back on track with a solid decision win over Chase Sherman in Heavyweight action.
Winner: Robert Whittaker
Who He Should Fight Next: Israel Adesanya title fight
While Marvin Vettori’s run has been great, Whittaker deserves the rematch against “The Last Stylebender” for the Middleweight title. He is currently on a three fight win streak and is the No. 1 contender and a former champion. His win over Gastelum seals the deal and Vettori can either face the winner or take another fight in the interim. Then again, who knows what UFC matchmakers — and Adesanya — are thinking. Because if push comes to shove, the promotion could very well set up a title eliminator fight between Whittaker and Vettori. While it wouldn’t be a bad fight, “The Reaper” should get a chance to fight for the strap he once held without having to win another fight.
Winner: Andrei Arlovski
Who He Should Fight Next: Aleksei Oleinik
Arlovski got back in the win column after earning a hard-fought victory over Chase Sherman, giving him the chance to fight another day inside the Octagon. “The Pitbull” is 3-1 in his last four fights but isn’t ranked in the Top 15. Oleinik, meanwhile, is currently hanging on to the last spot on the official UFC rankings. He is currently on a two fight skid and needs an impressive win to hold on to that spot. For Arlovski, beating Oleinik could get him back into the rankings. It would be a battle of two of the most experienced Heavyweight fighters in the game, one known for his stellar submission game and another for his striking.
Winner: Jacob Malkoun
Who He Should Fight Next: Gerald Meerschaert
Malkoun put on a great wrestling display to take out and hand Abdul Razak Alhassan his third straight defeat in “Sin City.” It was a much-needed win for Malkoun after coming up short in his UFC debut at UFC 254 in Oct. 2020. As for Meerschaert, he was also victorious last night after defeating Bartosz Fabi?ski via first round submission, putting an end to his two fight losing streak. Both he and Malkoun have a long way to go before they start battling for a Top 15 spot, so why not face off against one another to see who can take that next step of getting closer?
Winner: Tracy Cortez
Who She Should Face Next: JJ Aldrich
Cortez continued her rise up the Flyweight ranks by picking up her third straight win inside the Octagon to improve her win streak to nine. While she did miss weight, the up-an-coming 27-year old contender made up for it with a great performance. Up next for Cortez, a fight against Aldrich seems fitting. Aldrich got back on the winning track in her previous bout, defeating Cortney Casey via split decision last month. Aldrich is 5-3 so far inside the Octagon and would be a good test to see just where Cortez is. She has a slight experience advantage over Tracy, so it would be a good matchup between two former Invicta FC combatants.
Winner: Luis Pena
Who He Should Face Next: Jamie Mullarky
Pena got back on track after edging out Alexander Munoz via split decision in what proved to be a hard-fought battle. The former Ultimate Fighter (TUF) winner improves to a 5-3 UFC record and could use a few good consecutive victories to get in the mix in a crowded Lightweight division. I would love to see “Violent Bob Ross” face off against Mullarky in his next UFC outing. Mullarky finally picked up his first UFC win at UFC 260 after knocking out Khama Worthy in the very first round in March 2020. Prior to that, the Australian-born fighter was 0-2 inside the Octagon. Mullarky is a former two-division champion so he has experience despite just three fights under the UFC banner. A win over Pena would give him a great boost while “Violent Bob Ross” can pick up some momentum if he can score back-to-back wins for the first time in nearly two years.
For complete UFC Vegas 24 results and coverage click HERE.