This past Saturday on the main card of UFC Vegas 50, we saw a fun showdown in the featherweight division. Top prospect Sodiq Yusuff (12-2) was making his return against veteran featherweight Alex Caceres (19-13, 1 NC).
Caceres was entering the fight on a five-fight winning streak meanwhile Yusuff was coming off of his first loss in the UFC. The fight was incredibly important to both men for very different reasons.
For Yusuff, he needed to get back on track while Caceres was trying to prove that he was worth a ranking. I figured the fight would be fairly competitive and it was, but one fighter was much sharper throughout the night.
That fighter was Sodiq Yusuff. I was impressed with is ability to mix things up at UFC Vegas 50. He did a really good job of mixing in kicks and mixing in some grappling to keep Caceres guessing throughout the night.
Now, Caceres did have moments and he landed some good shots on Yusuff. However, Yusuff was just a step ahead all night and he walked out of UFC Vegas 50 with a unanimous decision victory.
What’s next after UFC Vegas 50?
As mentioned above, this was a huge win for Yusuff to get back on track after he suffered his first UFC loss last year. Now, he can try to build a winning streak and I only see ranked opponents in his future.
In terms of the featherweight division, who should the UFC pair him with next? One fighter I would look out for is Giga Chikadze. Chikadze is coming off his first loss in the UFC and he’s ranked right just a couple of spots ahead of Yusuff.
This would be a tremendously entertaining fight and an important one for the division. However, I’m not sure the UFC would give Yusuff that fight. Perhaps someone lower in the rankings like a Shane Burgos could be next.
I think they need to pair him with someone that will challenge him and someone who can bring an exciting fight. Both featherweights mentioned would do just that. I’ll be