What To Do After Fight Night Allen v Costa: UFC Matchmaking

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen

Sportz Nation - 5/18/2026

Photo by Ed Mulholland via Zuffa LLC

7Arnold Allen vs

10Kevin Vallejos

Matt Hylen -

Sure, it might be weird to see Arnold Allen not getting a fight up the rankings, but with the top so clogged, a win against one of the best prospects in the entire UFC might do just as much for him.

Allen looked fantastic on Saturday. He completely shut down Costa's striking and controlled him on the ground for most of the fight. So, while a fight against the 10th ranked guy in the division may not make sense on paper, the opponent absolutely does. Kevin Vallejos is, like I said, one of, if not the most hyped prospect in all of the UFC. If Allen can beat him, it would put him directly into title conversations.

12Melquizael Costa vs

Nathaniel Wood

Zak Drapeau -

I really thought Mel Costa was ready to hang with the big boys of the Featherweight division, but it seems like he needs a few more fights with the "prospect tier." After his loss, I don't expect Costa to fall too much in the rankings, maybe to only 13 or stay at 12, which is a prime spot for a guy like Nathaniel Wood. Wood has a 4-fight win streak and has beaten 3 of the best "up and comers" of the division, so a ranked fight is necessary, and it should be a guy like Costa who has as much to prove, if not more.

Doo Ho Choi vs

15Josh Emmett

Matt Hylen -

After a great comeback TKO win, Doo Ho Choi is right at the cusp of the rankings in my eyes. He may not be there just yet, but there are a bunch of fighters right around that spot that could present Choi with a big challenge.

A fight against another heavy hitter in Josh Emmett makes a lot of sense in my eyes. Choi, being a heavy-hitting striker himself, could add another big name to his resume, which could warrant a ranked opponent next. Not only that, but this would be an extremely fun fight that could sell a lot of tickets. If I were the UFC, this is a no-brainer in my mind. It gives Choi a huge test on the feet while also giving Emmett one last chance to turn his career around against another powerful striker.

Juan Diaz vs

Ricky Simon

Zak Drapeau -

I stood 10 toes down and proclaimed that Diaz would shock Wellmaker last weekend, and then he did even better than I thought. Diaz is still raw and is very small for the division, but I believe he deserves a fight much higher in the rankings. A fight with Ricky Simon will put him against a long-term veteran of that 15-30 range of Bantamweights and will give Diaz a better look at what it's like to fight the UFC's best.

Modestas Bukauskas vs

Rodolfo Bellato

Matt Hylen -

It was not the most entertaining of fights, but Modestas Bukauskas was able to get the job done in dominant fashion. Like Choi, this puts him right outside the rankings in his respective division, so I would like to see Bukauskas get a challenge next in what could be a ranked eliminator fight.

Rodolfo Bellato is coming off a win himself, looking just as good if not better than Bukauskas did. Both are talented strikers that can grapple if needed, so the styles they possess could clash in an intriguing way for fans. I like this a lot either as a ranked eliminator or a fight to get the winner to a ranked eliminator fight next.

Bernardo Sopaj vs

Malcom Wellmaker

Zak Drapeau -

Sopaj has now strung together 2 impressive wins in a row after his only UFC loss to a now-ranked Vinicius Oliveira. Sopaj is a guy that the UFC could look to really move up the cards, and his timeline for his next fight should fit beautifully with Malcom Wellmaker's, who also fought on the card. Wellmaker is a tough and precise striker who has only lost 2 in a row to 2 of the better prospects in the division. This fight makes a lot of sense for both fighters who look to move into that 25-30 range in the division.

Ivan Erslan vs

Junior Tafa

Matt Hylen -

After getting the decision win on Saturday, Ivan Erslan broke his three-fight skid and is back on the rise. Though he is pretty far away from any sort of ranking consideration, there are guys like Junior Tafa who can help him get back towards that position.

With Tafa also getting a win after suffering a losing streak, it makes sense to pair these two up to see who is legitimate and who is not. I like the matchup it presents on the feet, but also feel it will be a fight that will keep the winner inside the UFC and the loser possibly cut.

Tommy Gantt vs

Daniel Zellhuber

Zak Drapeau -

Gantt made his UFC debut this weekend and was everything as advertised. A relentless pressure artist with great wrestling, Gantt smothered Minev and got a dominant TKO win. At 12-0 and 33 years old, I think Gantt could get a quick rise to the top, and that should start with a budding prospect like Zellhuber. Zellhuber is currently #44 at Lightweight, and after 3 losses in a row to established veterans, it's time for him to fight some prospects again.

5Ketlen Viera vs

3Joselyne Edwards

Matt Hylen -

With the top two contenders (Julianna Peña and Raquel Pennington) inactive at the moment, this is the top contender fight to make in my opinion. With Kayla Harrison fighting Amanda Nunes once she returns from injury, a fight between Ketlen Vieira and Joselyne Edwards would be next in line for that title shot.

I really like this matchup. Edwards is a very talented striker that has a history of finishing opponents, while Vieira is a high IQ fighter who can grapple with the very best. As I said, this is 100% a title eliminator, with no other fight really making sense for either Vieira or Edwards.

Cody Brundage vs

Kelvin Gastellum

Zak Drapeau -

Brundage finally got out of his losing streak with a nice stoppage of Andre Petroski, but let's pump the brakes for anyone who expects a higher fight next for him. A good fight for him would be against an aging veteran who still has some name value, and Gastelum checks all of the boxes. For Kelvin, this is a fight that will establish if he still belongs in the Octagon, and for Brundage, it's a fight to show if his win this weekend was just a fluke.

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Other Fights to Make

Daniel Santos vs Jack Jenkins

Christian Edwards vs Brendson Ribeiro

Timothy Cuamba vs Long Xiao

Kalinn Williams vs Chidi Njoukani

Nikolay Veretennikov vs Islam Dulatov

Tuco Tokkos vs Kevin Christian

Artur Minev vs Gabe Green

10Jacqueline Cavalcanti vs Michelle Montague

Andre Petroski vs Cezary Oleksiejczuk

Alice Ardelean vs Jessica Andrade

Polyana Viana vs Shanelle Dyer

Luis Gurule vs Clayton Carpenter

Nicolle Calliari vs Luana Pinheiro

Shauna Bannon vs Motserrat Ruiz