Matches to Make After UFC Fight Night 212

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UFC Fight Night 212 was
headlined by an important contender’s fight in the women’s
flyweight division between Alexa
Grasso and Viviane
Araujo. Unfortunately, partly due to Askar
Askarov versus Brandon
Royval being canceled and partly due to this being a typically
weak, modern-day Ultimate Fighting Championship card, this was
the only match of note, so I will be concentrating on it.

Coming into Saturday’s main event, Araujo was 3-1 in her last four
fights at flyweight, including a nice domination of Andrea Lee
despite being a slight underdog. However, her record could easily
be a perfect 4-0, as most thought she deserved the
win against perennial elite 125-pounder Katlyn
Chookagian. Araujo is an immensely skilled fighter whose only
flaw is her cardio, one that has betrayed her in past fights, but
has been improving.

Grasso, meanwhile, was a perfect 3-0 since moving to flyweight from
strawweight, with her last fight there being a very close fight
against current 115-pound queen Carla
Esparza, one that Grasso might have won if she had been a
little more aggressive in Round 3 after hurting her. Grasso is
notably undersized at flyweight, but that hasn’t stopped her from
easily defeating Ji Yeon Kim
and Maycee
Barber, then scoring a nice first-round submission over
Joanne
Wood, showing her growth from a striker to well-rounded martial
artist.

Grasso improved to a perfect 4-0, outpointing Araujo on the feet
while minimizing the impact of the Brazilian’s takedowns, defending
well from the bottom and then easily getting back up. It was more
competitive than the 50-45, 49-46, 49-46 scorecards may have
conveyed, but it was unquestionably a victory for Grasso.

In the co-main event, skilled and underrated Jonathan
Martinez, possessing some of the nicest kicks in MMA, faced
venerable longtime contender Cub Swanson.
Martinez nearly knocked out Swanson at the end of the first round,
and then continued the punishment in Round 2 before recording a
rare leg kick stoppage, as Swanson was unable to even stand back
up.

Here are some interesting match-ups that can be made in the
aftermath of “UFC Vegas 62”:

Taila
Santos had a razor-close fight against the reigning flyweight
queen Shevchenko—my pick for the greatest female fighter ever—but
I’m not a fan of immediate rematches, and among remaining
contenders, Grasso has the best argument for a title shot. Keep in
mind that Santos got her own title shot after a first-round
submission of Joanne Wood
and Grasso not only duplicated that feat, but had an even more
impressive victory by defeating Araujo. Will Grasso test the
legendary Shevchenko, who has seven title defenses? I believe she
might, thanks to her speed, solid striking, and increasing skill in
defending off her back and getting back up.

Turning 36 in late November and with this loss to Grasso, Araujo
may be unlikely to get a title shot at flyweight. However, she
would stay in the mix with a battle against former 115 pound
champion and flyweight title challenger Jessica
Andrade. It would be a furious three-round contest between two
women who can both strike and grapple at a high level, and
certainly keeps the winner in the conversation of top contenders at
125 pounds.

Talk about a barnburner. This would not only be a potential fight
of the night, but a fight of the year. Both are exceptional,
dynamic, 28-year-old strikers on hot streaks, with Yanez a perfect
5-0 in the UFC and Martinez having won four in a row. It would be a
tremendous spectacle watching Yanez’s superlative boxing take on
Martinez’s phenomenal kicks. Additionally, the winner might crack
the outside of UFC’s top 10-12 bantamweights and set themselves up
for even bigger fights in the future.