Matches to Make After UFC Fight Night 145

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Perhaps a fight with Thiago Santos should come with a warning label attached.

“Marreta” stepped up his climb on the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s light heavyweight ladder, as he took care of former KSW champion Jan Blachowicz with punches in the third round of their UFC Fight Night 145 headliner on Saturday at the O2 Arena in Prague. Santos made the Pole his latest victim 39 seconds into Round 3, recording his fourth straight win and third consecutive finish.

Blachowicz performed well for two-plus rounds but decided to press his luck in the third and paid a steep price. A 31-fight veteran, he overextended on an uppercut and left himself vulnerable to a Santos counter. The opportunistic Brazilian floored Blachowicz with a left hook, trailed him to the canvas and assaulted him with rapid-fire hammerfists to prompt the stoppage.

In the aftermath of UFC Fight Night “Blachowicz vs. Santos,” here are five fights that ought to be made:

Thiago Santos vs. Jon Jones-Anthony Smith winner: Santos announced his arrival as a legitimate light heavyweight title contender and did so in decisive fashion, upping his UFC record to 13-5 in the process. A move to 205 pounds seems to have rejuvenated the Tata Fight Team export, as he has finished Blachowicz, Jimi Manuwa and Eryk Anders since he put his relocation plan in motion and left life as a middleweight behind. Whether or not that nets Santos a title shot remains to be seen, but he has earned the right to run with the division’s big dogs. Jones will defend the undisputed light heavyweight crown against Smith in the UFC 235 main event on March 2.

Stefan Struve vs. Blagoy Ivanov-Ben Rothwell winner: Though he admitted he was pondering retirement after submitting Marcos Rogerio de Lima with an arm-triangle choke 2:21 into the second round of their co-headliner, Struve could certainly reconsider in the days ahead. If this was his last performance, it was a memorable one. Struve withstood a knockdown inside the first minute of the fight and rebounded in Round 2, where he executed a takedown, achieved full mount and put away Rogerio de Lima with the choke. The victory snapped a career-long three-fight losing streak for the Dutchman. Ivanov will lock horns with the returning Rothwell at UFC Fight Night 146 on March 9 in Wichita, Kansas.

Petr Yan vs. John Lineker-Cory Sandhagen winner: Stock in Yan continues to soar, as the former Absolute Championship Berkut titleholder extended his winning streak to seven fights with a lopsided unanimous decision over “The Ultimate Fighter 14” winner John Dodson in a three-round bantamweight showcase. All three cageside judges scored it 30-27 for the fast-rising Russian prospect. Yan hammered “The Magician” with basic but effective two-punch combinations and pressed him backward into a perpetual state of retreat. According to FightMetric, he outlanded Dodson 80-30 in significant strikes and 102-35 in total strikes. Lineker and Sandhagen will square off on April 27 at UFC on ESPN 3.

Michal Oleksiejczuk vs. Jim Crute: Oleksiejczuk barely had time to break a sweat before he shortcircuited former Ring of Combat champion Gian Villante with a brutal left hook to the liver 94 seconds into the first round of their light heavyweight feature. The 24-year-old exploited a speed advantage with herky-jerky side-to-side movement before burying his fist into the right side of Villante’s body. Oleksiejczuk has compiled a 10-0 record with one no-contest across his last 11 appearances. Crute, 22, remained unbeaten with a first-round technical knockout of Sam Alvey at UFC 234 on Feb. 9. The Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series alum has finished seven of his 10 opponents.

Liz Carmouche vs. Joanne Calderwood: Carmouche breathed new life into her career when she made the decision to downshift to the women’s flyweight division, where she has recorded back-to-back victories over Jennifer Maia and Lucie Pudilova since her contentious decision loss to Alexis Davis in December 2017. The Team Hurricane Awesome standout spoiled Pudilova’s homecoming with her latest effort, grinding out a unanimous decision in their 15-minute encounter on the main card. Calderwood took care of business at UFC Fight Night 143, where she laid claim to a unanimous decision over former KSW champion Ariane Lipski on Jan. 19.