After another win at UFC 320, what’s next for Joe Pyfer?

Kicking off the PPV main card at UFC 320 this past Saturday night was a big time middleweight matchup with two guys who were trying to jump into the rankings. Contenders Joe Pyfer (15-3) and Abus Magomedov (28-7-1) battled it out.

Going into the fight, I loved Pyfer’s chances of not only winning, but scoring a finish. Magomedov is solid, but I didn’t think he had the power or speed to hang with someone like Pyfer. Magomedov also has a history of gassing out (as does Pyfer), but I trusted Pyfer’s power to carry more than Magomedov’s.

In the first round, Pyfer shocked me by trying to grapple. He immediately came out and attacked takedowns. Unfortunately for him, Magomedov got the better of the grappling and ended up spending most of the first round on top of Pyfer.

In the second round, Pyfer needed to gain momentum back and this time, he chose to keep it standing. Almost immediately, he went after Magomedov and rocked him with a huge right. Magomedov was dropped by Pyfer and Pyfer got to his back. Once there, he secured a rear naked choke and he got the submission win at UFC 320.

What’s next after UFC 320?

After this win, Pyfer has found himself in the UFC’s top fifteen with the rankings update this week. Pyfer is now ranked 15th at 185 and he wants to continue climbing up the ladder. That said, I’m not convinced that his next opponent should be one that’s already ranked.

In looking at the middleweight landscape, I think the perfect next opponent for Pyfer could be Edmen Shahbazyan who finished Andre Muniz on Saturday night at UFC 320 in the first round. Like Pyfer, Shahbazyan won his third fight in a row.

While Shahbazyan is not ranked, it just seems like both guys are virtually in the same spot in the division and both men have won three in a row. Just feels like the perfect time for these two to fight, but if the UFC wants a ranked opponent, there are some other options for Pyfer.

Some options for Pyfer looking up in the rankings would be guys like Jared Cannonier or someone like Roman Dolidze. Those two are ranked 11th and 12th which seems like a solid next step for the 15th ranked Pyfer. Ikram Aliskerov could be another name to watch if he wins in a couple of weeks for Pyfer’s next fight as Pyfer took his spot in the rankings when he moved up.