UFC Matchmaking: What's Next After UFC Vegas 112
- Zak Drapeau
- 2 minutes ago
- 3 min read
by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen
12/17/2025
Sportz Nation
Zak Drapeau's Picks
#2 Manel Kape
vs Joshua Van
(Flyweight Championship)
In our last matchmaking I had Tatsuro Taira as the next challenger at 125 but now Manel Kape has moved into that spot with Pantoja injured. Kape has never faced someone outside of the Top-15 and now has won 7 of his last 8 with 3 knockouts in a row.
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#4 Brandon Royval
vs (Winner of Albazi vs Horiguhi
Royval has lost 2 in a row to the two men I just mentioned in the next title fight so he still belongs in the Top-5. So while he's not ready for another title eliminator, I like him against the winner of Albazi-Horiguchi which I really believe will be Amir Albazi. Those two will be both within the Top-6 and the winner of THAT should get an eliminator.
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#13 Kevin Vallejos
vs Pat Sabatini
WHAT A KNOCKOUT. Vallejos moves into the Top-15 of the Featherweight division with a dirty spinning back fist-knockout over Giga Chikadze. While it's great he's ranked #13 now, he still needs to prove his ranking in my mind and just because Sabatini isn't ranked right now doesn't mean he isn't one of the best 145-ers in the world.
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Giga Chikadze
vs Sean Woodson
Chikadze isn't ranked for the first time in 4 years but you better believe he is still a contender. Still in the 15-20 range, Chikadze is a gatekeeper now and should face another guy on his way up. Sean Woodson would also be a terrific matchup for the kickboxing-Georgian and should make for a war on the feet.
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Cezary Oleksiejczuk
vs Gerald Meerschaert
The brother of UFC-veteran Michel Oleksiejczuk, just had his UFC debut and dominated it with his wrestling. A veteran like Gerald Meerschaert is daunting for someone's 2nd-UFC fight but gives a great challenge for this up-and-comer in a similar postion on the Middleweight-ladder.
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Melquizael Costa
vs Dan Ige
I would have liked to see Mel Costa get the shot against Chikadze for a ranking but after his first round-knockout last weekend. So if he needs a title shot against a "gatekeeper", why not one of the best Top-15 gatekeeper the UFC has ever seen in Dan Ige. Mel Costa has been coming for a while not, and he is just about to arrive in the Featherweight division.
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King Green
vs Estaban Ribovics
Bobby... I mean King Green just got back in the win column and while it's a little too late for him to go for another Top-10 run, he's always ready for another banger. A fight against Ribovics should put the winner in line for a ranked-eliminator at 155 while seeing some savagery in the mean time.
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Yaroslav Amosov
vs Nicolas Dalby
One of the biggest underdog-wins over the weekend, the 32-year old Ukrainian just won his UFC debut and gets immediately thrown around the 20's in Welterweight. Why not give him another guy looking for a ranking coming off a huge win in Nicolas Dalby?
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-Z.D. (@DrapeauZak)
-Matt Hylen (@matthylen_)