As the card tasked with following UFC 305, UFC Vegas 96 did not have much hype entering it but ended up being one of the better offerings of the year.
Headlined by middleweights Caio Borralho and Jared Cannonier, UFC Vegas 96 featured several Fight of the Night worthy bouts, including the five-round war in the main event. All but one fight that went to a decision was decided by one round with three going to a split decision.
Two new fighters were added to the UFC roster on the night with Ryan Loder and Mairon Santos becoming the newest winners of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Loder and Santos both won by TKO in the second round and immediately became interesting names to watch in their respective divisions, making it interesting to see how the promotion books their next fights.
A lot of headlines came out of the event and two new fighters entered the top 10 of their weight classes on the night, giving a lot of potential options moving forward. Here are our predictions for who each winner of the UFC Vegas 96 main card faces next.
Caio Borralho
Next fight prediction: Loser of Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev
In a division that is now wide-open with Dricus du Plessis in search of his next title challenger, Borralho emphatically entered himself into the top five with his impressive win over Cannonier. His next fight being the title shot he called for is highly unlikely but with the performance he had, Borralho should be one fight away.
Sean Strickland is presumably next for the title sometime in early 2025 but Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev are also facing off at UFC 308 in what could produce the next No. 1 contender. The loser of the fight is still not far off, potentially making them an ideal next opponent for Borralho. Israel Adesanya is also a viable option.
Tabatha Ricci
Next fight prediction: Winner of Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas
With her win over Angela Hill in the co-main event, Ricci is back on another win streak, regardless of how controversial it may be. The 101 significant strikes she landed in the fight were the most of her career with her striking looking significantly improved.
Even so, Ricci’s wrestling is still her calling card. She has beaten two strikers in a row but her best fights tend to come when she faces another elite grappler. Arguably the two best grapplers in the division — Mackenzie Dern and Amanda Ribas — are booked to fight in December, making the winner a suitable opponent for Ricci.
Two wins after suffering her first loss at strawweight to Loopy Godinez, Ricci proved she still has the skills to be a future title challenger in the division. A win over either Dern or Ribas, especially Dern, would do wonders for Ricci in her career.
Ryan Loder
Next fight prediction: Sedriques Dumas
Loder was not overly impressive in the TUF House during the 32nd season of “The Ultimate Fighter” but showed another level to his game with an impressive grappling-heavy win over Robert Valentin. As an accomplished collegiate wrestler, Loder proved he could be a sleeper in the middleweight division with his grappling background if given the right matchups.
At 33, Loder is significantly older than most prospects, making that term almost inappropriate for him. His striking is also still largely unproven, making it ideal for him to face another grappler. With a 3-2 record in the promotion, Sedriques Dumas fits the bill in a matchup both fighters could benefit from with a win.
Mairon Santos
Next fight prediction: Steven Nguyen
Even with Loder’s big win and Wang Cong’s knockout in the first fight of the night, it is hard to say any fighter had a more impressive UFC debut on Saturday night than Mairon Santos. He entered the fight with Kaan Ofli as the favorite but could not have been much better in his second-round knockout win.
He is still young, but Santos is a guy who is ready to make a push. Even so, he still needs to be built up against fighters with similar experience, which is where Steven Nguyen comes into play. At 9-2, Nguyen is a striker with enough experience to test Santos on the feet but is still a fight the 24-year-old should win.
Michael Morales
Next fight prediction: Winner of Geoff Neal vs. Rafael dos Anjos
Neil Magny has been the welterweight “gatekeeper” for several years now but nobody has ever beaten him the way Morales did. Entering UFC Vegas 96, Magny had not been knocked out since losing to Santiago Ponzinibbio in 2018 and not in the first round since 2016. That streak ended with a spinning back elbow from Morales that sat him down and predatorial ground-and-pound that finished the fight.
There are a lot of exciting young rising stars in the welterweight division but Morales could be the best one of them all. After beating Magny in the way he did, he is entirely ready for another step up. Geoff Neal and Rafael dos Anjos are competing for a top 10 ranking at UFC 308 and either would be a perfect next step for Morales.
Gerald Meerschaert
Next fight prediction: Paul Craig
After submitting Edmen Shahbazyan in one of the wildest fights of UFC Vegas 96, Meerschaert called for a fight with Paul Craig, and at this point, he deserves what he wants. Not only that, but the fight makes perfect sense and is one every fan would want to see. As two grapplers with a pension for getting into trouble before pulling off improbable comeback wins, Meerschaert and Craig are practically spitting images of each other.
Meerschaert and Craig are both around a similar spot in the rankings and are separated in age by just one month. The fight is practically guaranteed to end before the final horn and the scrambles would be wild. It is not the type of matchup either fighter typically is in but both men deserve it and it would be a fun addition to any fight card.
