The UFC got back into the swing of things this Saturday night at the UFC’s Apex Centre and with it came a new top contender in the welterweight division.
Dismantling former champion Tyron Woodley over a full 25 minutes, Gilbert Burns continued his quick ascendancy through the 170 lbs rankings to rack up his sixth straight win, his fourth at his new weight class.
With the UFC now back on schedule and an event slated every week until July, here are five bouts for the UFC matchmakers to pencil in for the big winners from UFC on ESPN 9:
Gilbert Burns vs. Leon Edwards
Earning his fourth welterweight win in nine months, Gilbert Burns has already climbed to the #1 spot in the UFC’s rankings.
With excellent performance after excellent performance, Burns has now picked up the biggest win of his career following his wide unanimous decision victory over Tyron Woodley.
While the UFC could easily set up an Usman vs. Burns title fight, teammates notwithstanding, I think the idea of Usman squaring off against Jorge Masvidal is still the bigger fight.
With that being the case, a definitive #1 contender match-up between Burns and Leon Edwards would make for an excellent fight.
Augusto Sakai vs. Alexei Oleinik
Extending his undefeated UFC record to four and six bouts overall, Augusto Sakai has quickly cracked the top 10 at heavyweight.
With Alexei Oleinik picking up a big win of his own recently against Fabricio Werdum, a fight between upstart and veteran would make a lot of sense for both men.
Roosevelt Roberts vs. Steven Ray
Completing the task he set out to do against Brok Weaver, Roosevelt Roberts outclassed his opponent en route to a second-round submission win.
With his second straight win and a 4-1 UFC record to his name, Roberts deserves a step-up in competition and a fight with Scotland’s Steven Ray would offer a tough test against an 11-fight UFC veteran.
Brandon Royval vs. Rogerio Bontorin
Defeating former flyweight title challenger Tim Elliott in his UFC debut, Brandon Royval is a name to look out for at 125 lbs.
Going forward, a fight with another high-ranking contender would make for fun viewing and a match-up with Brazilian Rogerio Bontorin should be next.
Casey Kenney vs. Raoni Barcelos
With the UFC’s bantamweight division so stacked from top to bottom, it’s easy to find top quality fighters lost in the shuffle.
Casey Kenney may well be one of those fighters struggling to break through but a fight with fellow impressive 135 pounder Raoni Barcelos would allow the winner to make a bigger name for themselves.