The night started with an exciting string of finishes on the prelim card. While it might have ended rather anti-climactically with a No Contest in the co-main event and a relatively tame capstone, there are no shortage of takeaways from the evening’s festivities.

The Cage Calculus favorites performed admirably, going 10-1 in the 11 official bouts (minus the one No Contest). You can look back and reflect on the previews for each fight here and here. Looking back, here are some of the things we learned from UFC Vegas 38.

Thiago Santos Isn’t Back in the Title Picture (Yet)

Santos was again part of an uninspiring bout. Billed as an absolute slugfest between two fighters who will cut loose and swing from the hip, the actual bout was anything but. It was a technically sound performance from Santos and he did what he needed to do to beat the younger Walker. However, nothing fans saw in the cage would indicate Santos could step up and challenge for the light heavyweight title.

Given that Aleksandar Rakic and Anthony Smith seem to be on a collision course for a December bout, Santos’ best bet for what’s next might be a clash with Jiri Prochazka. Prochazka is coming off of highlight reel wins against Volkan Oezdemir and Dominick Reyes. Prochazka will likely fight with UFC matchmakers to get the next title shot ahead of the Rakic-Smith winner. A win over Santos would help his case mightily. If Santos can pull it out, however, it will get easier to ignore his recent stretch of mundane fights and he would no doubt re-enter the title picture.

Not Much from Kevin Holland

Kevin Holland returned to the octagon promising better takedown defense and wrestling. Unfortunately, an accidental head butt in the first round had Holland nearly out cold. He proceeded to get finished via rear naked choke, but because of the clash of heads, it was changed to a No Contest. What we did see wasn’t enough to say whether or not Holland is an improved fighter. He did avoid the takedowns (when he was conscious), but also allowed Daukaus to hold him in the clinch for extended time. Both fighters seem to want to run it back as soon as possible where we may get to learn more.

Casey O’Neill Needs a Ranked Opponent

O’Neill has had three fights in the UFC. All have come by way of finish. Her start is reminiscent of Maycee Barber’s back when she broke into the UFC. This one against Antonina Shevchenko is her most notable yet (though, her previous opponent Lara Procopio had a higher CC score coming in). O’Neill needs stiffer competition. With the flyweight division being so wide open underneath the champ, Valentina Shevhcenko, a contender like Casey O’Neill could rise to a title shot relatively soon if she’s given the chance to prove herself against top tier talent. She’s more than earned the right to do so.

Remember the Name Karol Rosa

Rosa is now 4-0 in the UFC octagon after sending Bethe Correia into retirement. After the bout, Rosa now sits as the #7 contender in the CC women’s bantamweight division. She sits at #15 in the UFC’s rankings, but should be due for a leap upwards. The women’s bantamweight belt has been shelved for two years. Julianna Pena will finally step up to challenge Amanda Nunes. After that, who knows what will happen, but the rest of the division will be circling if Nunes retains. Rosa ought to be in that conversation.

Aspen Ladd Should Consider a Move to Featherweight

Fans were deprived of the much anticipated return of CC’s #6 ranked women’s bantamweight contender (UFC’s #3 ranked contender) Aspen Ladd. However, Ladd missed weight badly, looking very shaky and unstable on the scale. This is not the first time Ladd has looked unwell trying to make 135 lbs. Prior to her bout against Germaine de Randamie, Ladd was noticeably in pain on the scale. The women’s featherweight division could use the talent. Only six fighters occupy that division at present. Ladd would immediately slot in as the #2 contender. With Holly Holm and Norma Dumont headlining UFC Vegas 40 on October 16th, Ladd moving up could bring much-needed momentum to a weight class ever in danger of being scrapped.

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