Five Best Fights To Make Following UFC on FOX 28

The UFC put on a banger of a card with UFC on FOX 28 in Orlando on Saturday night featuring contenders emerging, veterans picking up massive wins, and a night full of brutal finishes.

Max Griffin, Ilir Latifi, and Jeremy Stephens picked up big victories, and the landscapes of several weight classes changed overnight.

Let’s take a look at what’s next for Saturday night’s UFC on FOX 28 winners:

5. Jéssica Andrade vs. Winner Of Rose Namajunas vs Joanna Jędrzejczyk II

Andrade looked the best she’s ever looked on Saturday, dominating Tecia Torres en route to a clear cut decision victory.

The women’s strawweight division is sort of in limbo right now with Rose and Joanna running it back. Namajunas is now the champion of the division, and Andrade has earned another shot at the belt. Now on a two-fight win streak, Andrade deserves the winner of Namajunas vs. Jędrzejczyk II, which is going down at UFC 223 in April.

In a division lacking top talent, Andrade is making quite the name for herself. Although she came up short against Jędrzejczyk, she’s shown the necessary improvements to compete with the top strawweights, so don’t be surprised if the UFC were to put her in a title fight next.

4. Josh Emmett vs. Cub Swanson

Emmett came up short against Stephens in Saturday night’s main event, succumbing to brutal strikes in the second round. While there was some controversy regarding a possibly illegal knee by Stephens during the final exchange, “Lil’ Heathen” still clearly proved that Emmett has some work to do.

Emmett vs. Swanson is a fight that benefits both men. A victory for either would be huge considering the shark tank that is the featherweight division. Swanson was submitted in his last outing against Brian Ortega, so both men will be looking to get back into the win column.

Emmett still appears to have quite the upside, but he will need to work on his game a bit more as he works his way back up through the featherweight division. For Swanson, a win over Emmett would make him 5-1 in his last six fights, which isn’t bad for a veteran.

Both men need a victory, making this bout a relevant and sensible matchup for the two of them.

3. Alan Jouban vs. Max Griffin

Both of these welterweights turned in stellar performances in Orlando, with Jouban knocking out Ben Saunders and Griffin upsetting Mike Perry by decision.

With that said, that better fight to make than this? Both men should be ready to fight again around the same time, and both are hovering around the cusp of top ten for the division. The winner between Jouban and Griffin will be a certified top ten welterweight, ever closer is their quest for a title shot.

Jouban shut the lights out on Saunders on the preliminary portion of the card, so if you didn’t happen to see it, definitely check it out. Jouban brutalized “Killa B,” and one-punched him in the second round.

Many fight fans didn’t even know who Griffin was before Saturday night, let alone gave him a chance against the hometown hero Mike Perry. However, Griffin came prepared and outclassed Perry on the scorecards.

The welterweight division has never been so stacked, and that’s a wonderful thing for fight fans everywhere.

2. Ilir Latifi vs. Volkan Oezdemir

Latifi looked incredible on Saturday night, choking Ovince Saint Preux unconscious in the first round. Despite putting in mixed results throughout his UFC career, when Latifi does win, he wins spectacularly.

Saint Preux is a perennial top five and top ten light heavyweight, and Latifi choked him out standing despite a massive height and reach disadvantage.

Meanwhile, Oezdemir came up short in his title shot against Daniel Cormier, who TKO’d Oezdemir in the second round. Latifi is the perfect fight for Oezdemir to get back on track. On the other hand, Latifi could pull off an upset and be closer than ever to a title shot.

Both Europeans could compete on a card somewhere across the pond, and the matchup lends itself to excitement and relevance, so why not? Latifi vs. Oezdemir should be the fight to make, especially after Latifi’s performance on Saturday night.

1. Jeremy Stephens vs. Max Holloway

Stephens has been on an absolute tear lately, scoring his third victory in a row Saturday night after knocking out Josh Emmett in the second round.

Emmett came into the bout highly touted following a blistering first-round knockout of Ricardo Lamas, but “Lil’ Heathen” showed his experience and maturity was far too much for his opponent. Before that, Stephens TKO’d Doo Ho Choi, who had gone five hard rounds prior with Cub Swanson.

Stephens has always been around in the UFC but has never gotten a title shot. Now that he has settled into his style and picked up an impressive win streak, now is the time for the UFC to capitalize on making an exciting fighter like Stephens a champion.

Give him a shot at Max Holloway, who’s looking to fight someone besides Jose Aldo again.