What To Do After FN Macau: UFC Matchmaking

by Zak Drapeau

Sportz Nation - 6/1/2026

Photo Credits to Jeff Bottari via Zuffa LLC

Song Yadong vs

WINNER of Sandhagen/Bautista

Zak Drapeau -

With this win over Figueiredo, Yadong is back in the title picture, even if he's probably the last man in the rotation. With the top of this division so clogged regarding each fighter's upcoming fight, Yadong is probably left to fight either the winner of the Sandhagen/Bautista fight or the loser of the recently announced Nurmagomedov/Martinez fight.

Yadong has lost his last few fights against other Top-5 guys, so this fight may be his last chance. With Sandhagen at 4 and Bautista at 8, the winner should be at 4 or 5. Not only that, but either man would be an excellent test on the feet for Yadong and could create a highly competitive, 5-round Fight Night Main Event.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Deiveson Figueiredo vs

Raúl Rosas Jr.

Matt Hylen -

With Deiveson Figueiredo on a pretty big losing streak and extremely past his prime, I would not be shocked if he retired. With that said, since nothing has been rumored or announced, it seems like he wants to fight at least one more time before he puts down the gloves.

So, I think making Figgy a gatekeeper and giving him a prospect makes the most sense in my eyes. He's proven that he is too old to start an upward trajectory ever again, but he is still a big name to have on a resume. With Raúl Rosas Jr. being one of the biggest prospects in the division and looking for a fight up the rankings, this matchup makes perfect sense to me.

Rosas Jr. is a very talented grappler who may be able to showcase some striking against a guy like Figgy. Rosas Jr. needs a big name before really making that push for a top-5 spot, so finishing a guy like Figgy could absolutely show the world that his talent is for real. As for Figueiredo, it could be an interesting farewell fight in which he would not have to worry too much about striking.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Alonzo Menifield vs

WINNER of Baraniewski/Tafa

Zak Drapeau -

Menifield shocked me with that knockout because I really thought his career was kind of down and out. However, his power is DEFINITELY still there. Even though he got a good win, I don't think he instantly gets a fight in the Top-10 or anything, but how about we give him one of the most exciting prospects in the division.

The original matchup of Baraniewski/Elekana would've been a banger, but since Elekana backed out, Junior Tafa stepped in, and I mean no disrespect, but he probably won't last 3 minutes with Baraniewski. With Menifield and Baraniewski locking up sometime in the future, look for fireworks as soon as the bell rings and a potential KO of the Year.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Zhang Mingyang vs

Billy Elekana

Matt Hylen -

Unfortunately for him, Zhang Mingyang got fraud-checked, at home, against Alonzi Menifield. After losing another fight in which he was favored pretty heavily, Mingyang proved that he may not be nearly as good as everyone thought, or at least wanted him to be.

Due to the fact that Mingyang lost another extremely winnable fight, he needs a step down in opponent to get back on track. With Billy Elekana having to pull out of his booked fight, it could make sense to get rebooked against a powerful striker like Mingyang. For Zhang, it would allow him to have a pretty decent name on the resume and get him back into possibly another ranked fight. As for Elekana, it would warrant him a ranked opponent next and solidify himself as one of, if not the best, unranked fighters in the division.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Sergei Pavlovich vs

LOSER of Gane/Pereira

Zak Drapeau -

I originally had Alexander Volkov as Pavlovich's next matchup, but Matt convinced me to switch to the loser of the Heavyweight Championship we'll see in 2 weeks' time.

Pavlovich just threw his fist into Teixeira's face last weekend, "Francis Ngannou-style," and it worked, flashing back to his style pre-Aspinall knockout. With a hypothetical matchup against another top contender in the division, I fully expect him to return to his current "boxing and decision" style. To face either Gane or Pereira is to face one of the elite strikers in the entire world and should test Pavlovich as much as anyone has.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Kai Asakura vs

Jonathan Martinez

Matt Hylen -

Finally!!! That version of Kai Asakura is the version we all expected him to be in the first fight we had in the UFC. Asakura proved he still has a lot left in the tank and can absolutely be a potential contender in this division. Sure, the opponent was not the highest level, but Asakura was able to demonstrate his powerful striking and unique ability on the feet.

With that said, I would still give him one more fight before a ranked opponent, which is why a fight against Jonathan Martinez makes sense to me. Though he has not fought since 2024, Martinez is a seasoned veteran with proven opponents on his resume. He has fought some really good competition, such as Jose Aldo, Cub Swanson, and Marcus McGee, and could give Asakura an interesting look with his striking. If Asakura can get a victory against another talented striker in Martinez, he is right back in the ranked conversation with plenty of momentum on his side.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Jake Matthews vs

Kevin Holland

Zak Drapeau -

Jake Matthews has quietly become one of the most dependable welterweights outside of the top 15 over the last four years, and I think he's ready to face some better opponents.

A matchup with Big Mouth should be, in a sense, a "ranked eliminator" for the division. Both men are coming off a top-20 win and would present a fun style clash between two boxers. This would also be a good way to give Matthews some name recognition by pairing him with the always-watchable Kevin Holland.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Alex Perez vs

Brandon Moreno

Matt Hylen -

It may not have been the ending we were hoping for, but Alex Perez did not look too bad before the fight was called off. There is not much to say about the fight itself since it ended in a No Contest, but a fight against a veteran in Brandon Moreno could be the next move for Perez.

What we did see in that fight was that Perez still possesses legit power. He was not able to use it too much, but it is still in the tank. Thus, giving Perez a test against a grappler in Moreno, who has become more of a ground-focused fighter, could present both as an opportunity to turn their fortunes around.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Cody Haddon vs

Said Nurmagomedov

Zak Drapeau -

Haddon is now 2-0 in the UFC, and this may be a bit presumptuous for the 27-year-old, but I think the UFC could match him with a contender for his next fight already. A contender that may have been great once but has been on a rough patch, like Said Nurmagomedov.

Truth be told, Haddon would jump on this fight offer, but I'm not sure Said would, feeling as though he's deserving of a fight closer to the Top 15. However, Haddon's striking and wrestling prowess would be a great matchup for Said, and even though he's further down the rankings, it would be a great test for the man who has lost 3 of his last 4 and hasn't competed in almost a year.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Jaqueline Amorim vs

Angela Hill

Matt Hylen -

Both Jaqueline Amorim and Angela Hill are coming off a brilliant win in Macau, so why not match them up against each other? Hill still has some gas left in the tank, while Amorim could present a huge challenge for Hill on the ground. This would be your classic striker vs. grappler matchup that I think could propel the winner into a ranked matchup next.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Other Fights to Make

Tallison Teixeira vs Victor Petrino

Cameron Smotherman vs Malcom Wellmaker

Carlston Harris vs Jingliang Li

Sumudaerji vs Jose Ochoa

Luis Felipe Dias vs Cody Brundage

Lee Yi-Sak vs Gerald Meerschaert

Jose Henrique vs Oban Elliott

Meng Ding vs Francisco Prado

Aori Qileng vs Quang Le

Rei Tsuruya vs Hyun Sung Park

Luis Gurule vs Brian Kelleher

Xiong Jingnan vs Loma Lookboonmee

Rodrigo Vera vs Nate Landwehr

Zhu Kangjie vs Shayilan Nuerdanbieke