UFC Vegas 51 went down inside UFC Apex last night (Sat., April 16, 2022) in Las Vegas, Nevada featuring a Middleweight bout that saw Belal Muhammad defeat Vicente Luque via unanimous decision (recap). In further action, Drakkar Klose stopped Brandon Jenkins with a vicious technical knockout, while Andre Fialho also did the same to Miguel Baeza (see it).
Winner: Belal Muhammad
Who He Should Face Next: Gilbert Burns
Muhammad picked up his third straight win, seven of eight overall, after shutting down Luque after 25 minutes of grueling action. With the win, Muhammad can expect to jump into the Top 5. He did call for a fight against Colby Covington, but that won’t be happening since Dana White is eyeing “Chaos” vs Khamzat Chimaev, who recently defeated Gilbert Burns at UFC 273. Speaking of Burns, that’s who Muhammad should expect to face next. Despite coming up short against “Borz,” Burns is still ranked No. 4, and is the only man in the Top 5 with no fight dance partner lined up. If “Remember The Name” can defeat Burns, a title shot is next.
Winner: Caio Borralho
Who He Should Face Next: Anthony Hernandez
While the win didn’t come without controversy (read about it here), a win is a win for Borralho, who upped his win streak to seven straight after handing Gadzhi Omargadzhiev his first-ever loss. A fight against Hernandez seems logical because he just competed at UFC 273, defeating Josh Fremd via unanimous decision. Hernandez is five fights deep into his UFC career, racking up a 3-2 record. Both men are 12 fights deep into their UFC careers, so it’s not like one has more experience than the other. Book it.
Winner: Andre Fialho
Who He Should Fight Next: Mounir Lazzez
Fialho picked up his first UFC win in impressive fashion by knocking out Miguel Baeza rather violently in the very first round. Up next for the Portuguese-born fighter should be a fight against Lazzez, who also picked up a huge win on the main card over UFC newcomer Ange Loosa. Both men have the potential to be contenders in the Welterweight division, this fight will let us know who gets to take a big step toward the Top 15, which is loaded with killers across the board. This has a bang-fest written all over it.
Winner: Mayra Bueno Silva
Who She Should Face Next: Karol Rosa
Silva got back on the winning track to put her UFC record at 3-2-1, which means she hasn’t been very consistent when it comes to wins. I’d like to see her take on Rosa, who is coming off a tough loss against Sara McMann a few weeks ago, snapping her six-fight win streak in the process. Both ladies are trying their best to crack the Top 15, and while it’s still a tough road there for both of them, any victory along the way helps.
Winner: Pat Sabatini
Who He Should Face Next: Jonathan Pearce
Sabatini picked up his sixth straight win — fourth inside the Octagon — after he defeated T.J. Laramie via unanimous decision the former Cage Fury FC Featherweight champion has been on fire as of late and is making great strides toward a spot in the rankings. He is still a few more wins away from getting there, but if he can defeat Pearce it would be a huge step. Pearce is currently on a three-fight win streak and is 8-1 over his last nine fights. His lone loss came at the hands of longtime UFC veteran, Joe Lauzon.
For complete UFC Vegas 51 results and coverage click here.