The penultimate month of the UFC’s first year with CBS/Paramount has commenced in earnest. On November, the world’s foremost MMA promotion ended a two-week stint at the Apex with a 14-fight card headlined by heavyweights Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Johnny Walker.
The card also boasted three women’s fights, two of them on the main card. Here are three lesson learned from each of them.
UFC Vegas 124: Karine Silva Deserves To Fight Her Way Back To W125 Top 10
Karine Silva was once considered one of the hottest prospects at women’s flyweight. After all, “Killer” began her UFC tenure with three straight submissions – the first such streak by a female fighter. By the time she took on Viaiane Araujo in 2022, she was on a four-win streak overall.
Alas, Silva fell short on the scorecards, starting a miserable 1-3 stretch over her next four fights. It fortunately ended on Saturday, when she took a competitive decision against compatriot Gabriella Fernandes. With that fight now firmly behind her, Silva needs to be allowed back in.
One name that makes sense for Silva is Miranda Maverick. “Fear The” has not been seen since tearing her ACL during a loss to Rose Namajunas in June 2025. During Maverick’s layoff, she became pregnant for the first time in her life, eventually welcoming a son. Now, she is set to end her hiatus at a Real American Freestyle wrestling event later this month. Silva vs. Maverick will be a compelling addition to a Fight Night card, even if only in the prelims.
UFC Vegas 124: Nina Milosevic Could Be A Centerpiece At W135 – If The Division Survives Into 2027
In a rare instance of a UFC women’s bantamweight bout that was on the main card, Nina Milosevic proved her dominance against Priscila Cachoeira, securing a second-round TKO. The performance should garner her a number beside her name when the rankings are updated shortly, but it also raises a significant question: Will Milosevic have enough time to mount a title run?
Much has been said about what will become of women’s 135 after Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes’ fight. A leading theory is that it will be ended if both retire, but the emergence of new names belies that notion. One need only look at Alice Pereira, who has found her stride with two straight KOs since losing her debut.
Should Dana White decide to press on with the division, Milosevic figures to be a very important piece. After all, she is a wear-down type of fighter who, once she gets the takedown, is relentless with her ground-and-pound. The UFC needs to invest in her, however, if she is to be taken as a serious threat.
UFC Vegas 124: Tatiana Suarez’s Second Title Shot May Be One Of UFC’s Most Maligned – If It Happens
Tatiana Suarez has cemented herself as Mackenzie Dern’s next challenger – or has she? The former TUF winner has had quite a decline in perception since losing to Weili Zhang last year. Formerly touted as “the female Khabib”, Suarez found herself buried in the prelims of Noche UFC seven months later. She then did not help her case by having a lackluster victory against Amanda Lemos.
Suarez seemed to recover some goodwill with a submission of Loopy Godinez at UFC 327 this April, only for her listlessness to reemerge against Virna Jandiroba. Now the question is not whether she deserves a title show – she does – but whether fans will care if she gets it.
The keyword here is “if”, because there is a chance, even if scant, that Zhang will just return and leapfrog everyone. In that scenario, Suarez will have to fight once more, probably against Fatima Kline, and she better win, preferably impressively. Otherwise, a loss may spell the end of her relevance.
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End Of My UFC Vegas 124 Rant
The UFC’s next event is this month’s big one – UFC 334. There are two women’s fight, and they take place at bantamweight. Harrison’s title defense against Nunes co-headlines the card, while BJJ wizard Bia Mesquita has her biggest fight of her career against another TUF winner in Macy Chiasson.
The outcomes of the UFC 334 fights could very well decide the direction of the division. If Mesquita wins, it is not far-fetched that she could leapfrog everyone and get a title shot regardless of who the champion is. Otherwise, the UFC might have to settle for an Ailin Perez-Joselyne Edwards rematch for a vacant belt – which could draw much vitriol à la Natalia Siva vs. Cong Wang.
