Matches to Make After UFC on ESPN 29

Jared Cannonier may not have aced his latest exam, but his B-plus effort was enough to get past Kelvin Gastelum inside the Octagon.

“The Killa Gorilla” kept his place in line in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s middleweight division, as he laid claim to a unanimous decision over Gastelum in the UFC on ESPN 29 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. All three cageside judges struck 48-47 scorecards for Cannonier, who bounced back from his Oct. 24 defeat to former champion Robert Whittaker.

Operating out of the John Crouch-led MMA Lab camp, Cannonier played role of the matador and did so brilliantly. He shut down all eight of Gastelum’s takedown attempts and limited “The Ultimate Fighter 17” winner to a paltry 36% success rate on his significant strikes. Perhaps most importantly, Cannonier connected with the most impactful blow of the 25-minute bout when he sat down the Kings MMA export with a right hook in the third round. The resilient Gastelum recovered, but in a battle where the margins for error were narrow, the exchange took on added significance.

In the aftermath of UFC on ESPN “Cannonier vs. Gastelum,” here are four matches that ought to be made:

Jared Cannonier vs. Paulo Costa-Marvin Vettori winner: Cannonier improved to 4-1 at 185 pounds and maintained his place of relevance behind reigning titleholder Israel Adesanya, the aforementioned Whittaker and Costa—the man he was originally slated to face at UFC on ESPN 29. The 37-year-old Cannonier figures to remain on a shortlist of potential challengers for Adesanya for the foreseeable future and benefits from the fact that he has not yet faced “The Last Stylebender” for the undisputed middleweight crown. However, with Whittaker believed to be next in line for a rematch, he figures to be in limbo until their situation resolves itself. Costa will lock horns with Vettori at a UFC Fight Night event in October.

Mark O. Madsen vs. Jim Miller-Nikolas Motta winner: The undefeated Madsen escaped his co-main event opposite Clay Guida with a split decision after three relatively uneventful rounds. Judges Michael Bell and Eric Colon scored it 29-28 and 30-27 for Madsen, while Sal D’Amato struck a 29-28 scorecard for Guida. Madsen, a silver medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, struggled to control his manic counterpart across the majority of their 15-minute encounter. However, the resourceful Dane turned to his jab when all else failed and managed to outstrike Guida in all three rounds. Miller and Motta are scheduled to collide at UFC Fight Night 192 on Sept. 18.

Vinc Pichel vs. Rafael Fiziev: An often-forgotten piece of the UFC’s lightweight puzzle, Pichel put forth a comprehensive performance and captured a unanimous verdict over former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Austin Hubbard in their three-round showcase at 155 pounds. All three judges scored it 30-27 for “The Ultimate Fighter 15” semifinalist. Pichel overcame four takedowns from the Elevation Fight Team rep, slowly but surely implemented his game plan and had Hubbard reeling with power punches from both hands at the end of the fight. The Factory X standout has rattled off three straight wins since he submitted to a Gregor Gillespie arm-triangle choke in June 2018. Fiziev last appeared at UFC 265, where he took a unanimous decision from Bobby Green.

Alexandre Pantoja vs. Alex Perez: Pantoja put his second straight win in the books, as he tapped Brandon Royval with a rear-naked choke in the second round of their flyweight attraction. Royval conceded defeat 1:46 into Round 2, suffering the first submission loss of his 18-fight career. Pantoja figures to get his opportunity to fight for the 125-pound title at some point—he owns a 2018 win over current champion Brandon Moreno—but recent losses to the undefeated Askar Askarov and former champion Deiveson Figueiredo curb some of his appeal. That could force UFC matchmakers to think outside the box until the situation at the top of the division resolves itself. Perez might emerge as the most logical option, provided he can turn away Matt Schnell at UFC Fight Night 191 on Sept. 4.