What Is Next For The Main Card of UFC Fight Night 43
In what was previewed to be the road for Miesha Tate’s comeback towards the bantamweight title ultimately ended in a setback with Tate losing by unanimous decision. As Vieira throughout the entirety of the main event was the better mix martial artist.
What is next?
Vieira: Likely next matchup will be against top 5 opponents or rematches versus Aldana/Kunitskaya.
Tate: Despite her off night, Tate is in great shape and still looks motivated to step in the octagon. However, her fate as a UFC fighter is unknown as she could either retire or continue to pursue the title. One fight she could take to bring her back into contention and avenge a loss would be against Raquel Pennington whom she retired against at UFC 205.
In what was a high-stakes ranking and grappling battle. Sean Brady took over the first and second round to beat Michael Chiesa by unanimous decision. It is noteworthy however that in the third round Brady’s gas tank was low due to his wrestling and grappling. As Chiesa let his hands go and fought with urgency winning the last round with a flurry of combinations and knees. Signifying if this fight were to go five rounds, I believe Chiesa would’ve scored the victory due to this Brady's dwindling cardio and Chiesa’s experience, striking, and sense of urgency.
What is next?
Brady: Future welterweight contender in our hands as his next opponents should be against a top 10 ranked fighter.
Chiesa: Going back to the drawing board, Chiesa's next fight should be against someone in the rankings whether it be the winner of Neal/Ponzinibbio or Li Jingliang.
In a display of elite jiu-jitsu, Taila Santos solidified a statement win over former contending flyweight Joanne Wood. Sinking in a rear-naked choke after knocking down Wood in the first round.
What is next?
Santos: With that statement win, Santos has emerged to be a contending flyweight title challenger. As she beat the fifth-ranked UFC flyweight. Her next matchups could be Lauren Murphy, Viviane Araujo, Katlyn Chookagian, or Jennifer Maia.
Wood: With back-to-back losses, Wood is in a situation where is it unknown who her next matchup will be considering she has fought nearly everyone fighter in her division. So when creating fights, a majority of the bouts will be rematches.
Ending in a slightly dominant decision by Rani Yahya through his grappling and wrestling. Kyung Ho Kang had a plethora of chances to win by TKO because of superior striking and dropping Yahya several times. The problem that occurred however was Kang’s poor takedown defense and groundwork that plagued him from winning the fight. As he just could not keep the fight standing.
What is next?
Yahya: In an impressive grappling yet disappointing striking display, Rani Yahya's next fight will be against a great striker once again considering the bantamweight division and his lack of striking. Can he continue to grapple and wrestle his way into a top fight or will he fall due to a certain matchup?
Kang: Despite this bout being his first fight in nearly two years Kyung Ho Kang, looked great standing up but when it came to his ground game Kang looked unable to get the fight back to the feet. His next fight will be against a wrestler, a rising prospect, or UFC veteran. But when it comes to his road back into top fights, Kang isn’t someone you should doubt as the striking and potential is there.
In the Fight of the Night, Adrian Yanez versus Davey Grant was an amazing competition that brought not only the heat but the question of who was the better striker. Despite Grant’s pressure and heavy punches, Yanez stood on top scoring a narrow split decision with his technique and striking output.
What is next?
Yanez: With the win, Adrian Yanez will continue the climb the rankings and secure a top 15 ranked opponent in the future. If not a ranked opponent, Yanez has already proven himself to be a contender and will likely be matched up against a household name or another up incoming fighter.
Grant: After back-to-back losses versus two really good fighters in Yanez and Marlon Vera. Davey Grant isn’t far from contention and an opportunity in the top 15. He just needs another win back in the column and will likely get another crack at a ranked opponent once again.
All images and thumbnail are by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC. All stats and rankings are from UFC.com