Matches to Make After UFC Fight Night 223

The Ultimate Fighting Championship's latest Fight Night offering was headlined by an entertaining bantamweight affair between Yadong Song and Ricky Simon. With Simon being a tireless, athletic wrestler and Song one of the best pure boxers in mixed martial arts, this was seen as a classic striker versus grappler contest.

Song lost his last outing, also a main event, against Cory Sandhagen, being badly beaten with a litany of strikes before the contest was waived off after the fourth round. Before that, however, he had won three in a row, with a split decision over very tough Casey Kenney being followed by sensational, highlight-reel knockouts of Julio Arce and Marlon Moraes.

Simon, for his part, was on an impressive five-fight winning streak. After a knockout of former top bantamweight contender Raphael Assuncao, he handed Jack Shore the first defeat of his career, and by submission at that.

Song conducted a masterful fight, stuffing takedowns and quickly getting up the few times he was down, while bashing Simon with punches. Simon held his own in the standup for a while, showing improvement of his own in that area, but it wasn't enough. Song finally put Simon down for good early in the fifth round, blasting him with a series of punches that caused referee Herb Dean to dive in and save Simon.

Here are several interesting fights that come to mind following UFC Fight Night 223:

Yadong Song vs. Marlon Vera 2

These two fought when neither was a ranked contender back in 2020, with Song taking a very controversial decision that most, myself included, had for the Ecuadorian. Why not have them meet again now that both have improved and Vera is No. 5 and Song No. 8? The first time around was a wonderfully exciting striking battle with both men dishing out and sustaining cracking blows. The issue back then was Song's cardio causing him to fade halfway through Round 2. That doesn't appear to be an issue any longer, as Simon had some of the best cardio in the entire division and Song only got stronger as the fight progressed, finishing him in the fifth stanza.

Caio Borralho vs. Chris Curtis

Borralho is a perfect 4-0 and at 30 years old, is ready to face tougher foes. Why not current No. 15 Curtis? It would be a great test for the Brazilian, as Curtis is a very good, heavy-handed striker with solid takedown defense. It would be an entertaining fight, as Borralho has shown a willingness to go toe-to-toe against such opponents, which he also displayed against Oleksiejczuk. Additionally, it would tell us a lot about Borralho and whether he is a serious contender for the UFC middleweight crown or “merely” a good fighter. To prove that he can, he has to defeat a higher-level fighter in Curtis.

Rodolfo Vieira vs. Andre Muniz

Vieira might be only 4-2 in the UFC, but he has shown noticeable improvement with his striking and cardio in recent bouts, and at any rate, has had more success than most pure Brazilian jiu-jitsu champions in MMA. Why not give him No. 14 ranked Muniz for an entertaining all-Brazilian battle? Muniz is a very good grappler in his own right, but is the better striker. However, Muniz can be submitted too, as his last outing against Brendan Allen proved. This will be a fun battle whether it involves grappling or striking, and the winner will be firmly in the Top 15 contenders at middleweight.