UFC Vegas 49 is in the books. Islam Makhachev made his case for a lightweight title shot in the near future yet again. Another couple of lightweights, Arman Tsarukyan and Terrance McKinney made splashes with finish wins. The card had very little impact on the rankings, but a few fighters helped their stock tremendously with wins.

Through the eleven fights on the UFC Vegas 49 card, the Cage Calculus forecast favorites went a dismal 3-8, bringing the forecast’s overall record since its inception to 143-86-2. All forecast projections are based on a fighter’s CC rating. You can find out how those ratings are generated HERE. You can view the projections for last week’s fights HERE, HERE, and HERE. The CC Editor’s Picks were 6-5 and the odds-on favorites according to Vegas were 7-4.

2022 Overall Standings

• Cage Calculus Forecast: 40-31
• Cage Calculus Editor Picks: 46-25
• Las Vegas Oddsmakers: 49-22

Without further ado, here’s what we learned from UFC Vegas 49:

Islam Makhachev’s Title Shot is Overdue

Makhachev (#3 CC, #3 UFC) is just running through the competition now. Both of his two most recent bouts featured opponents coming in on short notice. He responded by finishing them both in the first round. No one has proven to be a match for him in the ground game throughout his entire career. Perhaps the only man to offer a challenge could be the champion, Charles Oliveira, the UFC’s all-time leader in submission wins. It hardly seems fair to make him fight anyone else at this point. The lightweight belt goes back on the line at UFC 274 in May. Makhachev should be the only name in discussion to face the winner.

Never Leave It to the Judges

Fight of the Night honors went to Ji Yeon Kim vs. Priscila Cachoeira. It was a bruising fight that took place exclusively on the feet. In the end, Kim outstruck Cachoeira 160-77 in terms of significant strikes. She also delivered significantly more damage when all was said and done. Yet, Cachoeira came out on top via an inexplicable unanimous decision.

Additionally, Gregory Rodrigues nearly had newcomer Armen Petrosyan finished on a number of occasions. According to Verdict MMA’s global scorecard, fight watchers seemed to think Rodrigues clearly took home rounds two and three. Yet, via split decision, two judges gave the fight to Petrosyan. This just goes to show, yet again, if you want to win fights (and move up in the eyes of the Cage Calculus forecaster), it’s best to finish.

Arman Tsarukyan is Legit

We’re not too big to admit when we’re wrong. Both the Cage Calculus forecast and the editor picked Joel Alvarez to defeat Tsarukyan (#10 CC, #12 UFC) Saturday night. Tsarukyan literally made it a blood bath en route to a TKO victory in the second round. Even more fitting is that he called out Gregor Gillespie (#9 CC, #9 UFC) as his next opponent. Gillespie is widely regarded as one of the best wrestlers in the UFC, if not the best. That would be an enticing matchup to say the least. We’ll be much more hesitant to underestimate Tsarukyan his next time out.

Josiane Nunes Doesn’t Get Enough Respect

Nunes (#10 CC, NR UFC) delivered a bruising performance en route to a commanding sweep on the judges’ scorecards. Nunes still has not cracked the UFC’s official bantamweight top 15. Despite taking this bout at featherweight, she plans to return to 135 going forward. She was at a significant size disadvantage, but was still clearly the more powerful fighter in the octagon Saturday night. It seems likely she’d be able to give a ranked fighter a run for their money. The UFC ought to consider giving her the chance to do it.

Terrance McKinney is No Joke

McKinney came in as a betting underdog in this one. A lot of people didn’t know what to make of him after he made waves with a seven second KO in his UFC debut (followed by an embarrassing celebration injury). He answered the bell again with another quick finish, maintaining his perfect 100 percent finishing rate. He is quickly becoming one of the hottest prospects in the promotion.

Photo Credit: MMA Mania