This past weekend at UFC Vegas 9, Alistair Overeem (47-18, 1 NC) stopped Augusto Sakai (15-2-1) in the fifth round of their heavyweight main event. Despite all the obstacles, I would say that the card delivered a solid night of action for the UFC.
One of the things that is popular around the water cooler on Monday is what’s next for the fighters of the past weekend’s UFC card. With that, let’s take a look at two fights that the promotion should look to book after UFC Vegas 9.
A UFC rematch with Overeem & Rozenstruik
The first fight that I think the UFC should look to book is a rematch between Overeem and Jairzinho Rozenstruik (11-1). We just saw Rozenstruik back at UFC 252 where he knocked out Junior Dos Santos in their fight. Both contenders are ranked inside the top five.
These two men fought back in December at UFC on ESPN 7. In that fight, Overeem was getting the better of the fight and he was on his way to a decision win. However one massive shot in the final ten seconds of the fight gave the win to Rozenstruik.
Given the current state of the UFC‘s heavyweight division, a fight between the two men makes the most sense. Derrick Lewis (24-7, 1 NC) would have been another good option for Overeem, but Lewis is already booked to fight Curtis Blaydes in November.
Michel Pereira vs Anthony Pettis
If you’re not entertained when the UFC‘s Michel Pereira (24-11, 2 NC), I really don’t know what to tell you. Pereira is an absolute wild man with a wide range of powerful strikes. He used his skills to stifle and defeat Zelim Imadaev last weekend.
After the fight was over Pereira called out Jorge Masvidal. Hate to burst Pereira’s bubble, but that’s not happening. Pereira needs to get someone in the top fifteen in his next UFC outing though. Based on his techniques, I thought of someone interesting.
Pereira loves to throw flashy strikes like the showtime kick, so why not pair him against the man who made it famous? Anthony Pettis (23-10) is currently the 14th ranked welterweight in the UFC. The former lightweight champion doesn’t have an opponent at the moment.
A fight between the two men would pair two of the flashiest strikers in the UFC against each other. Men who aren’t afraid to jump off the sides of the cage to land something spectacular. It would also be a big fight for Pereira as he tries to advance his UFC career.
Huge right hand, Showtime kick, hands behind his back…@UfcPereira is officially flowing at #UFCVegas9 ? pic.twitter.com/ShDRVQx0k5
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 6, 2020