00:00And speaking of fireworks in the UFC, Kevin Veshejos shocked Josh Emmett in the Fight Night 269 main event.
00:07It was a big upset that could have big consequences in the featherweight division.
00:13Veshejos detonated a right hand in a wild exchange before pouring it on.
00:18Emmett battled back to his feet, but the punishment was relentless and a final surge forced the ref to wave
00:23it off and launch Veshejos up the ladder.
00:30Obviously, with Alexander Volkanovski being the champion, I think a fight against Yair Rodriguez or Brian Ortega would be great.
00:36I think those would be great fights.
00:40With the champ out of reach, facing the number 4, Yair Rodriguez could be more realistic.
00:46The returning contender may want to test his injury-plagued body against a surging opponent.
00:52But Brian Ortega could be the pick.
00:54The perennial contender might welcome the challenge, particularly because the win just saw Veshejos leapfrog him in the rankings.
01:04Veshejos banked a 100k Performance of the Night bonus at Fight Night 269, along with Manuel Salsa for his UFC
01:10debut.
01:12Fight of the Night went to Marwan Rahiki and Harry Hardwick, despite their slobberknocker ending early due to Hardwick's broken
01:18jaw.
01:22Staying with the featherweights, Aljamain Sterling is lobbying hard for another shot at a belt.
01:28After watching Volkanovski's last two clinical victories, both against Diego Lopez in title fights, Sterling believes he's the man who
01:35presents the most compelling challenge for the champion.
01:40We would put on a masterclass of MMA. I really do believe that, said Sterling.
01:45I've done everything these guys have wanted. I don't know what else they want from me. Just please give me
01:51a shot. Give me a fight to earn my shot again and we go from there.
01:55The division's depth could be the deciding factor. Since dropping the bantamweight title to Sean O'Malley in August of 2023,
02:02Sterling has gone 2-1 at featherweight.
02:04It's definitely not the strongest record in the division and there are several contenders still ahead of him.
02:12And finally, Alex Pereira has inked a new UFC deal and the Brazilian sounds more than happy with how things
02:19went.
02:20The former middleweight champion and now former light heavyweight champion said that relinquishing a belt isn't an issue,
02:27not in light of the offer he just received ahead of his June 14 bout with Cyril Garn at the
02:31White House.
02:36I'm actually really, really happy with my new contract, Pereira said through an interpreter.
02:41They took really good care of me. The way they gave me this last contract was so good that I
02:46let it up to them to do whatever they want. It doesn't matter.
02:48I'll get to it later.
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