Matches to Make After UFC on ESPN 54

Manon Fiorot is about to make a tough decision: wait for a deserved title shot or risk her top contender spot by competing again.

France may be one more win away from a Ultimate Fighting Championship belt if Fiorot’s request is granted. Showcasing her superior striking for five rounds, Fiorot earned a clean sweep of the scorecards against Erin Blanchfield to potentially punch her ticket to flyweight gold. The strong Fiorot claimed she wanted to wait for the winner of Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko. It remains to be seen if that decision will hold up after a few months of inactivity, and there is an option for her if she wants to set foot in the cage once more before a championship appearance.

The promotion tied the single-event record for knockouts with eight, although that tally may shift dramatically in the near future due to multiple controversial results. Fouls played a factor in more than one victory, and the prospective appeals may also impact matchmaking. A former middleweight surged into the top 10 of his new weight class, one former champ showed there is still something left in the tank and an old-school grappler demonstrated she can remain competitive at the top of her weight class.

In the aftermath of UFC on ESPN 54 “Blanchfield vs. Fiorot,” here are four matches that ought to be made:

Manon Fiorot vs. Maycee Barber:

Fiorot proved she is the top contender to beat at flyweight, and she rightfully earned a title shot with a clear-cut win over the youngster Blanchfield. In a just world, she would fight against the winner of Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko, full stop. It is almost unfair that the Frenchwoman has to wait a long time for the title picture to clear up so she can vie for the 125-pound strap. Grasso and Shevchenko still have unfinished business with their immediate trilogy and a season to air of “The Ultimate Fighter.” If the rumored date of that third pairing comes in September, the year will end before the next champion is ready for Fiorot to take her on. Therefore, Fiorot could afford to take one more fight to assert her position at the top, fighting someone she would otherwise need to face as the beltholder.

Barber’s claim that she would be the youngest champion in UFC history did not hold up, but she appears finally poised to make the run at gold she promised several years ago. Some efforts have been close while others blowouts, and Barber’s six-fight win streak in the Octagon is just one behind Fiorot. With the complicated championship picture, Barber still needs one more win to go for the throne, which means she should go through Fiorot. If “The Beast” does not sit out a la Leon Edwards or Colby Covington to wait for the opportunity, this flyweight clash could easily serve as a Fight Night main event or the co-headliner to the Paris card at the end of September.

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Joaquin Buckley vs. Sean Brady:

Both Buckley and Vicente Luque carried lengthy highlight reels into their meeting, and a poor decision by the Brazilian led to Buckley winning. While it will not likely end up as an opener for pay-per-view events, the pillar-to-post performance concluding with a beatdown in Luque’s pulled guard will make Buckley a ranked welterweight in a hurry. No matter how he got it done, the number of men to knock out the uber-durable Luque is now officially two. Buckley will almost certainly claim the spot where Luque was ranked, so he can also claim the matchup that Luque expected before Brady’s withdrawal.

Instead of a person, Buckley called out an event—and a beer distributor—for his next appearance. “New Mansa” wants to compete in his home city of St. Louis on May 11 while practically begging for a sponsorship. Brady was scheduled for the co-headliner of UFC on ESPN 54, and an undisclosed injury that did not seem to have a lengthy timetable for recovery kept him out of the fight. If the fight is too soon for Brady to take, an easy name can be brought to the table: former foe Kevin Holland. The two threw down in 2020, with Holland getting the late stoppage, and there is no doubt that Buckley would want to get that back.

Chris Weidman vs. Bruno Silva 2:

By and large, immediate rematches should only be scheduled when an event’s result is controversial. Weidman initially knocked Silva out, only for the replay to determine that his eye pokes prompted the knockout. The finish transformed into a technical decision that should not leave any party satisfied—if it holds up should Silva appeal it. Weidman may have been in the driver’s seat, but multiple eye pokes unquestionably altered the course of the match. If “The All American” truly wants to keep competing and not retire after getting his hand raised in front of a home crowd, the UFC could do worse than throwing this rematch on a show in the next couple of months.

Other than some lacerations and surface swelling, there do not appear to be any lasting injuries from the first 12-plus minutes of combat. Weidman’s schedule has been lackluster the last few years, so he could do with an uptick in activity. The recently confirmed event in Newark, New Jersey, could use another local. The two could settle their business and remove any doubt a little over 100 miles away from their first encounter. If nothing else, Weidman has earned the right to compete in front of home crowds until he calls it a career. Should Weidman wish to look forward instead of rehashing old business, he could do worse than facing another mid-tier middleweight like Jacob Malkoun, Marc-Andre Barriault or even Eryk Anders.

Virna Jandiroba vs. Amanda Lemos:

It took three close rounds for the veteran Jandiroba to outperform the surging Lupita Godinez, but “Carcara” held the line and kept a grip on her no. 7 spot on the Sherdog Official Rankings at 115 pounds. Fighting down in the ranks against Godinez, it is only fair for her to take a step up against one of the names above her she has not yet encountered. The seemingly one-dimensional grappler with a decent one-two has outhustled both grapplers and strikers alike, with her recent win streak containing victories over Angela Hill, Marina Rodriguez and now Godinez. She may not be landing impressive submissions at this echelon of the division, but she can still give the former title challenger a run for her money.

Lemos last set foot in the cage against Mackenzie Dern, and she survived a few scary situations as she lumped up the former ADCC champ. Both ladies are getting up there in age, but other than against the elite of the elite, they are still performing well. Lemos has yet to receive a dance partner after the victory over Dern, and a pairing could move one dangerously close to a fresh or another crack at gold. For Jandiroba’s sake, it helps that she floated a matchup against Lemos should she prevail, as she can be consistent on her targets pre- and post-fight.