On a weekend where there wasn’t a whole lot happening in the combat sports sphere, a UFC Apex show headlined by one of the most exciting prospects in the sport was a welcomed offering. Soon after it ended, there was online talk that UFC Vegas 114 might be the best event the promotion has put on in 2026, thus far. It was filled with impressive finishes, fun scraps and it was capped off by an eye-opening knockout from young riser Kevin Vallejos. With UFC Vegas 114 in the books, let’s look at what’s next for our winners.
Kevin Vallejos
At just 24 years of age, Kevin Vallejos is fighting with a maturity reminiscent of a young Ilia Topuria. No, Josh Emmett is not young anymore, but he’s been a staple of the featherweight top10 for years, in part due to his durability, and Vallejos dispatched of him inside a round. The Argentinian fighter refrained from calling out a name after his last one was poorly received in December. If he keeps putting on performances like these, he won’t need to have rehearsed call outs in the chamber, because his hands will do all the talking.
I do believe Jean Silva has a future as a title contender, which is why I wouldn’t book this rematch just yet as I would wait for the stakes to get even higher. I think either of Patricio Pitbull or Aljamain Sterling would make for great opponents if they win their next fights, but I’m not totally confident that they will. For now, I will choose the winner of Diego Lopes versus Steve Garcia at the White House.
Vallejos’ next fight: Lopes/Garcia winner
Gillian Robertson
It’s strange to think that Gillian Robertson is only 30 years old since her name is already in the UFC record books. She had to overcome a rough opening frame at UFC Vegas 114, where she faced Amanda Lemos, and show off her resiliency to take the next two rounds.
Robertson’s clearly hitting her stride and is now building a strong case for being the best Canadian fighter on the roster. Having won five in a row, she could be argued as the most deserving contender, but it’s hard to see this kind of performance being the one that makes her undeniable in the UFC’s eyes. With Tatiana Suarez facing Loopy Godinez and Virna Jandiroba facing Tabatha Ricci in the coming weeks, it still feels like the number one contender spot is up for grabs. And that’s not even counting Zhang Weili who could still drop back to strawweight and face Mackenzie Dern.
At the end of the day, I went with the winner of Jandiroba/Ricci as I think the winner of Suarez/Godinez is more likely to steal Robertson’s current spot as the number one contender.
Robertson’s next fight: Jandiroba/Ricci winner
Jose Delgado
After losing a decision a lot of fans thought he should’ve won in October, here is Jose Delgado winning a decision a lot of fans thought he should’ve lost. I guess it evens out. Kidding aside, barely a year into his UFC career, Delgado is quickly proving to be one of the safe bets for a good fight every time out. I think a fight with Gabriel Santos not only makes a lot of sense for where both fighters are at, but would also be a surefire bet for Fight of the Night on whichever card it’s on.
Delgado’s next fight: Gabriel Santos
Marwan Rahiki
Newcomer Marwan Rahiki had a memorable introduction to the UFC fanbase, winning Fight of the Night for his back-and-forth affair with Harry Hardwick. Though his lack of defense may be fun to watch for us fans, at just 23, there’s still time for Rahiki to work on all his skills. I think fellow rookie Javier Reyes, who was also victorious in his promotional debut two weeks ago in Mexico would be a good opponent for Rahiki.
Rahiki’s next fight: Javier Reyes
Ion Cutelaba
Ion Cutelaba is one of the names that feels like they have faced everyone they possible could have, by now. With this latest win over Oumar Sy to his name, we now have to scramble to find a sensible fight for The Hulk. I think both Iwo Baraniewski or Navajo Stirling would make for fine opponents if they win their upcoming fights. Between those two, it’s difficult not to go with Iwo Baraniewski as he would certainly bring out the “crazy” in Cutelaba.
Cutelaba’s next fight: Baraniewski/Lane winner
Charles Johnson
This was a fairly short turnaround for Charles Johnson, who got KO’d just this January. As is common with Inner G fights, he started off slow in the first round, but picked it up as the fight went and was flowing by the end of the bout. Johnson is such an active fighter, it can already feel like he’s fought most people at 125 pounds, but there are still some viable names out there for him to face. Someone like Tagir Ulanbekov, who is also looking for redemption after getting finished would make a good matchup.
Johnson’s next fight: Tagir Ulanbekov