Dennis Bermudez showed heart tonight, as well as submission ability. Bermudez, who fought Tommy Hayden, recovered from a knee to the head to choke out Hayden with a guillotine choke in the first round.
Bermudez, a veteran of The Ultimate Fighter, has proven to be a legitimately tough featherweight. He has shown that he can take punishment in his TUF entry bout with Jimmie Rivera and his absorption of a knockout knee that Hayden threw.
From here, what’s next for Dennis Bermudez? Does he earn himself a top challenge or does he continue his build up with mid-tier talent?
Diego Brandao beat him in the TUF finale, but faltered in his second fight with Darren Elkins. Bermudez, on the other hand, beat Pablo Garza and Tommy Hayden since the finale.
If it were up to me, I would give Bermudez a top-10 opponent. But seeing that he is a developmental prospect, I doubt the UFC would give The Menace” a challenge that tough.
A fight with fellow TUF competitor Steven Siler would be plausible, as he is on a tear, but also on the brink. It would be a style contrast with fight night bonus capability.
A meeting with Manny Gamburyan, a borderline top-10 guy, would make sense in the development of his career. Gamburyan is a heavy hitter with a good ground game that would really test Berbudez’s full arsenal.
He may not be elite, but he is tough. He could definitely show us some serious potential in a big fight.
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