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What opponents will come next for the notable unranked prelim and early prelim fighters of the massive UFC 308 card which just took place in Abu Dhabi?
Ibo Aslan
Turkey’s Ibo Aslan has the support of a nation behind him after his 51-second knockout at UFC 308. He may even get a ranked opponent next, in only his third UFC fight, due to the shallow nature of the light-heavyweight division.
If so, 15th-ranked contender Alonzo Menifield is the logical opponent. Menifield is on a downswing with two TKO losses and needs to redeem himself against a rising prospect.
Alonzo vs Aslan would be a car crash, as both men often just stride forward with big punches, relying on their superior explosiveness to win. However, against one another, one man will find his own power lacking.
Aslan’s Next Opponent: #15 Menifield
Abus Magomedov
The Dagestan-born German fighter improved to 3-2 in the UFC against Brunno Ferreira with a late submission, though he is 3-0 when facing fighters who are not currently in the UFC middleweight title picture.
For his next bout, “The Iron Turtle,” aka Jun Yong Park, should be next. Park is 8-3 with the promotion and will test Abus everywhere.
Abus’ Next Opponent: Jun Yong Park
Farid Basharat
At age 27 and now possessing a 4-0 UFC record and 13-0 overall one, the sky is the limit for Afghanistan-born Farid Basharat. The Xtreme Couture fighter is one of the top rising unranked bantamweights, although his last fight technically took place at featherweight because of his opponent’s drastic weight miss.
The next opponent for him should be another rising fighter on a four-fight winning streak such as Vinicius Oliveira. ‘Lok Dog’ proved himself one of the most exciting new fighters in his UFC debut against Bernando Sopaj before showing himself to have the skills to match against former ranked fighter Ricky Simon.
Basharat vs Oliveira would be the ultimate matchup between two opposites. The pursuit of perfect control, technique, and tactics against swirling, unpredictable chaos.
Basharat’s Next Opponent: Vinicius Oliveira
Carlos Leal
Although Brazil’s former PFL championship finalist Carlos Leal’s UFC debut goes down as a loss, most fans and media members alike scored the fight for him. Even the commentary commiserated, as Jon Anik straight-up said that he may send Leal some money to make up for missing out on his win bonus.
He is 0-1 in the UFC welterweight division but should be matchmade as if he is 1-0. The 30-year-old knockout artist can be pushed forward into a fight against someone like Alex Morono, a veteran who will test him but not provide overwhelming danger.
Leal’s Next Opponent: Alex Morono
Rinat Fakhretdinov
Moscow’s Rinat Fakhretdinov has now had three tight decisions in a row; he drew against Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos and then won controversial decisions against Nicolas Dalby and now Carlos Leal.
His 5-0-1 record in the UFC is still respectable, as he is fighting some great fighters, but he has not truly earned a ranked opponent yet.
Fakhretdinov should fight a fellow fringe-ranked contender next. Most of the men who fit that billing, and who better than the winner of Nicolas Dalby vs Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos? It would help his case a lot if he could create an undeniable result this time and prove himself against the highest ranked of the foes he barely avoided losing against?
Fakhretdinov’s Next Opponent: Winner of Nicolas Dalby vs Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos.