Winner: Salahdine Parnasse
Who he should face next: Rafael Fiziev
I can’t remember seeing a UFC debut as impressive and explosive as Parnasse’s in the main event (and destroyed) Hooker in less than one round. While the first impression is great, the fights only get tougher as you progress. This win should be good enough to get him through 15 of the best; but the fight against Max Holloway may not be next, though it was he who summoned Parnasse after the fight. Maybe the fight against Fiziev makes more sense. Fiziev is one of the best strikers at 155 pounds and is currently ranked No. 13. And he’s fresh off a knockout win Manuel Torres (relive it here). These two guys are related fireworks, so putting them together in the cage is the best we’ve seen.
Winner: Axel Sola
Who should he face next: Carlos Diego Ferreira
Sola was the second one of our big winners last nightdestroying Ziam in the opening frame to make it 3-1 inside the Octagon. A fight against Ferreira could produce even more fireworks – the Brazilian bomber has five knockouts inside the Octagon. He defeated last Billy Quarantillo losing two fights by unanimous decision last month.
Winner: Daniil Donchenko
Who he should face next: Sam Patterson
Donchenko won his fourth straight fight inside the octagon, surpassing the class Soriano Forest win by unanimous decision to extend his overall winning streak to eight straight. As for his potential next foe, I like Patterson as he is also on a nice run in the Octagon after posting a 5-2 record. He wins by knockout Santiago Ponzinibbio (see it here), a nice bounce back win after falling short to the enigmatic Michael Page.
Winner: Michael Page
Who should he face next: Buckley vs. The lucky winner?
Page was unimpressed with his own performance after the defeat Nursultan Ruziboev by unanimous decision, which was the final fight of his current UFC contract. He promised to do better going back to what made her a household name, which is her flamboyant striking style. Should he promote again (there is no guarantee), I’d like to see him go back to middleweight and face someone like Buckley or Malott who are slated to be knocked down. UFC Edmontonnext month’s main event (details here). Both men are aggressive, upfront fighters, which is exactly what Page needs to find his groove again.
Winner: Losene Keita
Who should he face next: Miles Johns
With an explosive victory, Keita showed Naimov (see it again here), cemented his UFC record at 1-1 (17-2 overall as a professional). Keita has a long way to go to get the top dogs in the 145-pound weight class, so a showdown against Johns seems appropriate. Johns scores a big win Gianni Vazquez snapped his three-game losing streak last month. It might not be the sexiest fight he can get right now, but it will be a tough test against a seasoned Octagon veteran to see exactly where he is in his young UFC career. Johns last fought at featherweight and has competed in that division twice in his last four outings, so I wouldn’t mind him trying to make a run there.
