Matches to Make After UFC Fight Night 197

It was not the virtuoso performance to which the buying public had grown accustomed, but Max Holloway once again showed the unbreakable resolve that not long ago brought him to the front of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s featherweight line.

The Hawaiian likely cemented himself as the No. 1 contender at 145 pounds, as he outstruck “The Ultimate Fighter Latin America” winner Yair Rodriguez to a unanimous decision in the UFC Fight Night 197 main event on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Holloway carried all three scorecards, drawing 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47 marks from the cageside judges.

Rodriguez did not allow the former champion to leave the Octagon unscathed. His low kicks ravaged Holloway’s lead leg and left him with a noticeable limp while his educated hands slashed open a gnarly cut above the right eye and gave the Gracie Technics star a scar by which to remember him. Those efforts were not enough to save Rodriguez from his first loss in more than four years. Holloway successfully navigated a meat grinder of a fight, executed a career-best three takedowns and outlanded “El Pantera” by a 230-159 margin in significant strikes.

In the aftermath of UFC Fight Night 197, here are four matches that ought to be made:

Max Holloway vs. Alexander Volkanovski: Holloway needed all of his skills—including those he rarely utilizes—in his latest assignment, as he laid claim to a five-round unanimous verdict over Rodriguez and improved to 2-0 in 2021. The victory figures to set up a trilogy with Volkanovski, the reigning featherweight champion and a man who has already beaten the Honolulu native twice. He unseated Holloway at UFC 245 in December 2019, then eked out a split decision in their rematch some seven months later. Currently on a remarkable 20-fight winning streak, Volkanovski last competed at UFC 266, where he retained his undisputed featherweight crown with a unanimous verdict over Brian Ortega on Sept. 25.

Marcos Rogerio de Lima vs. Tanner Boser: The notoriously hot-and-cold Rogerio de Lima authored the most significant win of his 27-fight career in the heavyweight co-headliner, where he needed less than a minute to wipe out Ben Rothwell with punches. Having been installed as a slight favorite, Rothwell succumbed to blows 32 seconds into Round 1. Rogerio de Lima, 36, has the wind of consecutive victories in his sails for the first time since 2014, when he kicked off his Ultimate Fighting Championship run by beating Richardson Moreira and Igor Pokrajac in back-to-back outings. Boser last appeared at UFC Fight Night 190 on June 26, when he cut down Ovince St. Preux with second-round punches.

Kalinn Williams vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio-Geoff Neal winner: The dynamite-fisted Williams—he of the pre-fight serial-killer stare—moved to 4-1 inside the Octagon, as he put away Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Miguel Baeza with punches in the third round of their welterweight showcase. Baeza bowed out 62 seconds into Round 3. Williams zapped the MMA Masters product with a counter right hook, trailed him to the canvas and cut loose with follow-up punches until referee Chris Tognoni arrived on the scene. The 27-year-old has quietly made himself a person of interest at 170 pounds, as he has tasted defeat just once—he dropped a unanimous decision to Michel Pereira in December—across his past 11 assignments. Ponzinibbio and Neal are scheduled to lock horns at UFC 269 on Dec. 11.

Yadong Song vs. Raphael Assuncao-Ricky Simon winner: Song provided further separation between himself and a disappointing March 6 setback against Kyler Phillips, as he dispatched former two-division Ring of Combat champion Julio Arce with a head kick and follow-up punches in the second round of their bantamweight feature. Arce, who had never before been finished by strikes, met his end 1:35 into Round 2. Still just 23 years of age, Song has compiled a 7-1-1 record through nine appearances inside the Octagon and continues to reward those who view him as one of the sport’s top prospects at 135 pounds. Assuncao will take on Simon at UFC Fight Night 199 on Dec. 18.