UFC Denver went down last night (Sat., July 13, 2024) inside Ball Arena in Denver Colo., featuring a women’s Flyweight main event that saw Rose Namajunas defeat Tracy Cortez via unanimous decision (recap here). In the co-headlining act, Muslim Salikhov narrowly defeated Santiago Ponzinibbio via split decision in a Welterweight affair (recap here), while Drew Dober and Jean Silva went to war in an instant classic (video replay here).
Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Winner: Rose Namajunas
Who She Should Face Next: Maycee Barber
After Barber bowed out of her fight against “Thug Rose” because of an illness, this is still the fight to make. Namajunas easily handled Cortez and the disparity in skill was crystal clear. While it was a dominant win for Namajunas, it wasn’t a shocker. Barber has the tools to give “Thug Rose” a bit more of a challenge. Should Namajunas get the win — her third straight at Flyweight — then a title fight is in order.
Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Winner: Muslim Salikhov
Who He Should Face Next: Niko Price
Salikhov ended his two-fight losing streak with a razor-thin win over Ponzinibbio, giving him his first victory since Nov. 2022. I like a fight against Price for Salikhov next. He, too, recently snapped his two-fight losing streak, defeating Alex Morono via unanimous decision. They have the same 2-3 record in their last five fights, so it all makes sense for a potential showdown.
Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Winner: Gabriel Bonfim
Who He Should Face Next: Chidi Njokuani
Bonfim got back in the win column after getting upended by Nicolas Dalby back in Nov. 2022, defeating Ange Loosa via unanimous decision. Now, Bonfim is out to start another streak like the one he enjoyed after racking up 15 straight. A fight against Njokuani sounds about right. “Bang Bang” is just 3-3 inside the Octagon, and snapped his three-fight losing streak with a win over Rhys McKee three months ago.
Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Winner: Jean Silva
Who He Should Face Next: Andre Fili
Silva competed at Lightweight and secured an impressive win over Dober just two weeks after defeating Charles Jourdain at Featherweight just two weeks prior. While he is adamant he can compete anywhere, I want to see him back down at 145 pounds where he belongs. Now that he is 3-0 inside the Octagon and has quickly made a name for himself, the challenges are only going to get tougher. But, if he keeps on impressing, he could have a rise similar to that of Diego Lopes. A matchup against someone like Fili is a good test for Silva because “Touchy” has vast UFC experience, having competed inside the Octagon for 11 years now. Fili is coming off a split decision win over Cub Swanson at UFC 303.
Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Winner: Julian Erosa
Who He Should Face Next: Choi Doo-ho vs. Bill Algeo winner
With just 10 seconds remaining in the first round, Erosa secured a fight-ending guillotine choke on Christian Rodriguez, earning his second straight such submission win. After starting his UFC career with three straight losses, “Juicy J” has gone onto go 8-3. I would like to see Erosa face off against the winner of Doo-ho and Algeo, who are scheduled to throw down on the main card of next weekend’s UFC Vegas 94 event in Las Vegas, Nevada.
For complete UFC Denver results, coverage and highlights, click HERE.
