UFC Vegas 96 hit UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, this past weekend (Sat., Aug. 24, 2024), leaving several fighters feeling the post-fight blues. Among them was Neil Magny, who was knocked out by undefeated (17-0, 5-0 UFC) contender, Michael Morales, in the first round (watch highlights).
And Edmen Shahbazyan, who was choked out by Gerald Meerschaert (see it again here), his fifth loss in last seven fights under UFC’s banner. But, which fighter is suffering from the worst post-fight hangover, now a few days removed from the show?
Coming into the event, Cannonier was hoping to erase the memory of his fourth round technical knockout loss just a few months ago at the hands of Nassourdine Imavov (see it again here). The No. 5-ranked Middleweight was also desperately trying to avoid his second straight defeat to prevent falling further away from another title shot.
Unfortunately for “Killa Gorilla,” he ran into a younger, stronger and hungrier contender in Caio Borralho, who took home a unanimous decision win after 25 minutes of back-and-forth action. And it was all action indeed because both men gave, and took each others’ best shots. Cannonier showed grit and toughness after he was rocked on a couple of occasions, not allowing Borralho to get a highlight-reel finish.
Cannonier did have several shining moments, and you only have to look at Borralho’s face afterward for proof:
Caio Borralho’s eye after his main events win pic.twitter.com/WKXUPrLhuk
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) August 26, 2024
In the end, however, Borralho did enough to win ton all of the judges’ scorecards, extending his win streak to 14 in a row (recap here). For their efforts — and to soften the blow of a loss for Cannonier — both men took home an extra $50,000 in post-fight bonus money.
Still, that doesn’t negate the fact that Cannonier — a former 185-pound title challenger — has now lost two straight fights for just the second time in his career. His most recent setback will undoubtedly cost him his No. 5 spot on UFC’s official rankings, and his hopes of getting back to the big dance are drifting further and further away.
As far as what could realistically be next for “Killa Gorilla,” he has already taken on everyone ranked ahead of him in the Top 5 except for division champion, Dricus du Plessis. Below him at the moment sitting at No. 8, however, is Paulo Costa, one of three fighters Cannonier has yet to face in the Top 10.
Costa has seen better days himself because he, too, is riding a two-fight losing streak and has dropped four of his last five fights inside the Octagon. His most recent defeat came at the hands Sean Strickland at UFC 302, losing to Robert Whittaker prior to that.
It’s the only fight that makes sense at the moment, and both men would come out motivated to prevent suffering their first-ever, three-fight losing streak of their respective careers.
For complete UFC Vegas 96 results, coverage and highlights, click HERE.