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UFC 263: Adesanya vs Vettori II Prelim Matchmaking

PC: Christian Petersen

Brad Riddell def. Drew Dober via Unanimous Decision

Brad Riddell – Arman Tsarukyan

Brad Riddell is slowly building up a name as one of the most exciting lightweights in the sport. In an all out war, Brad Riddell edged out Drew Dober two rounds to one to secure a Top 15 spot. I’d expect to see Riddell face a ranked opponent later this year. A fight with Arman Tsarukyan could be next for Riddell.

Drew Dober – Bobby Green

Drew Dober looked to be a future title challenger before losing back to back decisions to Islam Machachev and Brad Riddell. Dober will likely be fighting an unranked opponent next in order to rebuild some of his momentum., A fight with Bobby Green could be next for Dober.

Eryk Anders def. Darren Stewart via Unanimous Decision

Eryk Anders – Julian Marquez

Eryk Anders will finally be able to close the Darren Stewart chapter of his MMA career. After a No Contest in their first outing, Anders was able to defeat Stewart across three rounds. Expect him to return to middleweight and face another fighter on a winning streak. Julian Marquez is on the cusp of entering the middleweight rankings and a win for either man will surely see them enter the Top 15.

Darren Stewart – Andrew Sanchez

Darren Stewart had some success early in the fight, but a strong third round by Anders sees Stewart drop his third of his last five. The Englishman will feel he needs a win in his next fight, and will hopefully be booked as such. A fight with Andrew Sanchez could be next for Darren Stewart.

Lauren Murphy def. Joanne Calderwood via Split Decision

Lauren Murphy – Valentina Shevchenko

Lauren Murphy has now rattled off five straight victories which is hard to come by in the women’s divisions. It was a competitive fight between the two 125lbers but it was the American that got her hand raised when the scorecards were read. Given her recent streak, Murphy is the most deserving challenger to Valentina Shevchenko. Expect that fight to take place in the fall.

Joanne Calderwood – Alexa Grasso

Joanne Calderwood fought tooth and nail for 15 minutes but came up short on Saturday. She will be back to the drawing board in hopes of stringing together a few wins. A fight with Alexa Grasso should be next to determine as she looks to continue her rise through the ranks.

Movsar Evloev def. Hakeem Dawodu via Unanimous Decision

Movsar Evloev – Bryce Mitchell

Movsar Evloev showcased his elite grappling on Saturday by nullifying any offence from the Canadian. The Russian will look to continue his rise up the division and will be matched with someone ahead of him in the division. A fight with another grappler in Bryce Mitchell would make for a compelling fight.

Hakeem Dawodu – Alex Caceres

Heading into Saturday night, Canadians felt that Dawodu was the best hope at a world title. Unfortunately for Dawodu, he was matched with a grappler who would nullify his entire game plan. Dawodu will look to get back to his winning ways and a bout with Alex Caceres could do just that.

Pannie Kianzad def. Alexis Davis via Unanimous Decision

Pannie Kianzad – Raquel Pennington

After her victory on Saturday night, the Swede called out former title challenger Raquel Pennington. She is currently sidelined due to suspension but will be looking to return this summer. A bout between Kianzad and Pennington would see one of the two fighters make a case for a Top 5 fight with a win.

Alexis Davis – Nicco Montaño

At 36 years of age, Alexis Davis still has so much to give despite her recent struggles. Unlike most of the struggling fighters we have seen this year, Davis has been narrowly losing fights. She should look to get back to her winning ways in a fight with former champion Nicco Montaño.

Terrance McKinney def. Matt Frevola via KO (Punches)

Terrance McKinney – Jamie Mullarkey

In just 8 days, Terrace McKinney headlined an LFA card in winning fashion and won his UFC debut. It has been an amazing week for McKinney, and to top if off with a seven second KO has to be more than even he could have wished for. A fight with Jamie Mullarkey who won his last fight in highlight reel fashion would make sense.

Matt Frevola – Mason Jones

It has been a hard year and a half for Matt Frevola. He has been forced to take last-minute opponent changes in his last two fights due to injuries and suspensions to his opponents. I would expect Frevola to be less inclined to accept a short notice fight next time out. A fight with Mason Jones should be next for Frevola in a fight to determine who returns to the win column after consecutive defeats.

Steven Peterson def. Chase Hooper via Unanimous Decision

Steven Peterson – Mike Trizano

Steven Peterson has been calling out Hooper for the last six months as he felt he could match Hooper’s ground game. His experience on the mat and his stand up was the difference maker on the night. MikeTrizano bounced back from his first career loss back ion May 8. A matchup with between the two could make sense for the early fall.

Chase Hooper – Shayilan Nuerdanbieke

Chase Hooper is one of the most beloved fighters in the UFC. At just 21 years old, the future is still so bright for Hooper despite his loss on Saturday. At 2-2 within the promotion, I’d expect to see him get favorable matchups for the foreseeable future. Shayilan Nuerdanbieke recently lost his debut to Joshua Culibao and would be a nice matchup for Hooper.

Fares Ziam def. Luigi Vendramini via Majority Decision

Fares Ziam – Mike Davis

Fares Ziam showed off his crisp stand up in the opening two rounds before getting taken down in the third. Ziam has now edged out his last two fights to bring his record in the promotion to 2-1. Mike Davis has been sidelined since injuring both of his arms back in January. When he is recovered, a bout between the two would make sense.

Luigi Vendramini – Sean Soriano

Luigi Vendramini had a late surge in the third round and even won 10-8 on one scorecard. However, he still came up short on the other two and now lost 2 of his 3 UFC bouts. The UFC should look to book him against someone in a similar position. A fight with Sean Soriano would make sense as Soriano lost in his return to the promotion at UFC 262.

Carlos Felipe def. Jake Collier via Split Decision

Carlos Felipe – Ilir Latifi

Carlos Felipe is now on a three-fight win streak after losing his very first UFC bout. A three fight win streak is hard to come by at heavyweight and will earn the Brazilian a step up in competition. A fight Ilir Latifi could be next for Felipe as both men won a close decision in their last outings.

Jake Collier – Chris Barnett

Former middleweight Jake Collier had his moments throughout the fight but couldn’t deal with the forward pressure of Felipe. He managed to take one of the scorecards but came up short on Saturday. A fight with Chris Barnett would make sense for Collier who would likely need a win in his next fight.

Sergio Pineiro

Sergio Pineiro is the Founder of FighterPath.com and host of the Quarantinecast podcast. Based in Canada he is both a sports journalist and MMA enthusiast. He practices the sport but has a passion for the individual stories of training, fighting and living the fighting lifestyle.

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