After a successful UFC debut, what’s next for Yaroslav Amosov?

This past Saturday night on the prelims of UFC Vegas 112, we saw the octagon debut of a former Bellator world champion. Yaroslav Amosov (29-1) made his octagon debut as he took on veteran Neil Magny (31-14).

Before I say anything else, the placement of this fight on the card was awful. First of all, Magny has had an incredible run in the UFC and he’s been in there with some of the best guys in the world. Amosov is a former world champion and many were excited for his debut. Considering the lackluster main card, this fight had no business on the prelims.

Just had to get that first point out of the way and now let’s talk about the fight. Neil Magny is a great litmus test for contenders in the UFC. Just look at his resume and you see that he’s a guy who has defeated top prospects or guys who are rising up the ranks and then he falls against the guys who rise to the very top of the division.

History has shown that if you beat Neil Magny, you’re one of the best in the promotion at 170 pounds. Well, Yaroslav Amosov passed his test with flying colors on Saturday night. He was able to use his dominant grappling to get Magny down and he ultimately submitted him with an anaconda choke in the first round announcing his arrival to the UFC with authority.

What’s next after UFC Vegas 112?

The welterweight division is on fire right now and the addition of Yaroslav Amosov just makes this division that much more exciting. Keep in mind, this is a former Bellator champion that is still only 32-years-old and he has an incredible 29-1 professional record. Running through Neil Magny in the manner he did is very impressive.

I think the UFC would be wise to give him someone at the tail end of the welterweight rankings or someone knocking on the door next. Guys I’m thinking about are guys like Daniel Rodriguez who is currently ranked 15th and has won three fights in a row.

That said, a fight I really like is a fight with Joel Alvarez who just moved up to 170 after previously fighting at lightweight. Alvarez was a fixture in the lightweight rankings and a lot of folks have their eyes on him at 170. That would be a tremendous fight between the two hopeful contenders.