The Vanquished: What’s Next for the UFC Fight Night 239 Losers?

The standard extravagant affair punctuated by defining moments synonymous with the Ultimate Fighting Championship was notably muted at UFC Fight Night 239, which went down Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The omission of winners for the “Fight of the Night” honors reflected that divergence from the typical standard. Yet, the allocation of four “Performance of the Night” bonuses suggests that a handful of fighters from the 13-fight card succeeded in making a notable impression on the decision-makers. The winners’ column of the event skewed heavily towards submission-based triumphs, with six victories spread across the main card and prelims.

In the aftermath of the event, we engage in the task of matchmaking for fighters who unfortunately found themselves on the losing side. Let us explore potential matchups for the main card losers from UFC Fight Night 239.

Bryan Barberena

Gerald Meerschaert took his career win total to 36, of which 28 have been registered by submissions. Against Barberena, the 36-year-old stuck to what he does best, working to take Barberena to the ground and lock up a submission. While he couldn’t clinch a decisive finish in the first frame, he amplified his efforts in the second, and when the opportunity presented, he clamped onto a neck crank. Barberena went out without tapping, forcing the referee to intervene and halt the contest at 4:23 of the second round.

Back in July 2022, “Bam Bam” made news when he claimed that he would have retired if the UFC hadn’t offered him a new contract following his fight against Matt Brown. Since then, he has gone on a 1-4 run and has been finished in three of those outings. It’s reasonable to suggest that he retains a competitive edge despite recent defeats, and the UFC customarily exhibits no inclination to enforce retirement decisions on veteran athletes, especially those who, like Barberena, have earned a reputation for entertaining fights. That said, in the middleweight roster, Barberena pairs up well against Eryk Anders, a fellow fighter with a flair for entertainment, also seemingly in the twilight of his career. Anders has lost three in five Octagon assignments but came back to winning ways earlier this month, picking up a unanimous decision victory over Jamie Pickett.

Pannie Kianzad

Kianzad hasn’t been having the best run of luck recently, dropping her third fight on five occasions. With the submission loss against Macy Chiasson, which was a rematch over five years in the making, Kianzad is on a 5-4 run in the UFC and hasn’t won a fight since April 2022. When considering her next fight, she seems to pair up favorably against No.13-ranked Josiane Nunes, who dropped a unanimous decision loss to Chelsea Chandler on the same card. The loss against Chandler was the first loss that Nunes endured in her career, and she would be eager to return to action soon.

Isaac Dulgarian

Christian Rodriguez clinched his fourth consecutive UFC win by dealing Dulgarian his first career loss. He endured early wrestling setbacks to rally back and exploit Dulgarian’s discernible fatigue to dominate the final frame. In the end, he was awarded a split decision victory that took his overall record to 11-1. "The MidWest Choppa" would relish the opportunity for a showdown against someone of similar stature in the division, perhaps Italy’s Manolo Zecchini, a fellow 27-year-old who hasn’t fought since the KO loss to Morgan Charriere last September.

Kennedy Nzechukwu

Ovince St. Preux is back on the winning track with a split-decision victory over Nzechukwu. Throughout the bout, the light heavyweights engaged in a tactical exchange with each fighter displaying precision and resilience. The aggression and combinations mounted in the subsequent rounds after the first round was mostly determined by singular strikes. When the scores were tallied, St. Preux got the nod by split decision, handing Nzechukwu his second straight loss. Jimmy Crute, claimed after his loss against Alonzo Menifield at UFC 290 that he’s not retiring but taking some time away to fix his “unhealthy obsession” with MMA. If he plans to return to action anytime soon, Nzechukwu can be the ideal matchup, considering both fighters are seeking redemption after recent losses.

Tai Tuivasa

Birthday boy Tuivasa suffered a submission loss to Marcin Tybura, his fourth loss in as many fights. The Polish veteran got cut in an early exchange with Tuivasa, but remained focused, battling through the early onslaught to secure a takedown. It was all Tybura from there as he worked around to the back and began unloading blows, forcing Tuivasa to leave his neck exposed. He sunk a rear-naked choke and walked away with a solid victory over a dangerous opponent. It’s safe to say that Tuivasa’s competitive flame may have dimmed, but his fan-favorite character endures, largely due to his infectious personality and the iconic post-fight celebrations. The logical next step would be to pit him against Jairzinho Rozenstruik, who currently trails him in the heavyweight rankings. With the victory over Shamil Gaziev earlier this month, Rozenstruik will be eager to prove himself against the division’s top contenders.

On a side note, the co-main event between Bryan Battle and Ange Loosa ended in a controversial no-contest after Loosa signaled his inability to see after an accidental open finger from Battle grazed his eye. Following the conclusion, both fighters got into a heated exchange inside the cage and issued challenges to a rematch without delay to settle the contest.