There is an art to matchmaking in combat sports.
While some fights come together with natural ease, most bouts come about through a hectic process of evaluation. Several aspects need to be graded on each side of the table before committing to the matchup.
Whether or not a fight makes sense in the divisional scheme, timing and making sure both fighters stand to gain similar rewards are the most pressing issues that come to mind. Then, of course, there is the most important aspect of a potential fight: Will both competitors be willing to mix it up and put on a show?
The unfortunate part of the process comes when all of these criteria are met, but the fight fails to deliver. That said, the UFC showcases far more exciting tilts than flat fights these days, which goes to show just how good the matchmakers, Joe Silva and Sean Shelby, are at their jobs.
The UFC’s 2015 is in full swing with some of the year’s biggest cards set to go down in the next few months. While there have certainly been high-profile setbacks during what the promotion touted as their biggest year ever, other aspects are firing on all cylinders in the bigger picture for the UFC. The most important of those are several heated divisional races taking place across across multiple weight classes under the divisional banner.
When things are at their best in MMA, the traffic in divisions flows nicely. While title pictures always receive the most attention, perhaps the most crucial element just beyond the spotlight are the additional tiers where fighters make their gains. Prospects making ground to hit the next level of competition and seasoned veterans breaking through to become potential title contenders are the types of scenarios that truly flesh out how a division is structured. And when all of the above-mentioned points are being hit, it produces great action and storylines for fight fans to invest interest in.
Let’s take a look at the potential scraps to be made in this month’s offering of “UFC Fantasy Matchmaker.”
Johny Hendricks vs. Tyron Woodley
For the better part of the past decade, the welterweight division has been the most competitive collection of fighters under the UFC banner. Granted, the weight class was ruled by pound-for-pound great Georges St-Pierre for the majority of that time, but even the dominance of “GSP” didn’t stop wave upon wave of legitimate contenders emerging from out of the highly competitive pack of fighters at 170.
In the time since St-Pierre has been on his self-imposed hiatus, there have been two champions in former title-holder Johny Hendricks and current king of the mountain Robbie Lawler. “Bigg Rigg” was the first fighter to snag the vacant strap by defeating Lawler in their first squabble at UFC 171 back in March 2014, but he saw the belt change hands when he was edged out by “Ruthless” via split-decision in their rematch at UFC 181 nine months later.
Nevertheless, the former two-time national champion wrestler from Oklahoma State University is determined to reclaim his status as the best 170-pound fighter in the planet and is on a mission to accomplish that task in the quickest way possible. The 31-year-old Texas transplant defeated Matt Brown at UFC 185 back in March and his win over “The Immortal” put him on the short list of potential contenders to face the winner of Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald when the welterweight title goes up for grabs at UFC 189 on July 11.
With Lawler vs. MacDonald still several months away, and the quickest either one of the them would fight again being a few more months after that, there is a high likelihood that Hendricks will need to take another fight in the interim. While Hendricks is undoubtedly up for consideration for a title opportunity as is, the 170-pound fold is constantly shifting due to its competitive nature, and he could easily be passed by another elite fighter with a strong performance that generates a buzz.
As history has proven, waiting things out in a title race rarely ever yields positive results. The Team Takedown leader should take one more bout in an attempt to secure a championship bid, and if that’s the decision he makes, then Tyron Woodley would make the most sense as his next opponent.
The two men previously met on the wrestling mats during their collegiate careers, and Woodley has been vocal about wanting to get another crack at Hendricks. “The Chosen One” has risen back into title contention on the strength of an impressive run where he’s found victory in all but one of his past five showings inside the Octagon. During this stretch he’s notched wins over notable talents the likes of Carlos Condit and Dong Hyun Kim, and he handed Kelvin Gastelum the first loss of his professional career in his most recent fight at UFC 183 back in January.
While Woodley is still healing up from a foot injury suffered in his fight with The Ultimate Fighter Season 18 winner, he’s determined to land the bout with Hendricks as his next go. The former standout wrestler from Missouri University is chasing down a shot at the welterweight strap and knows it will take at least one more high-profile victory to make that happen. With Hendricks being a recently dethroned former champion, he possesses the exact caliber of status Woodley is looking to usurp. And with the divisional title currently locked up for the next few months, time is certainly on his side in this matter.
Aljamain Sterling vs. Bryan Caraway
The road to a title shot in the bantamweight division may not be cleared up until the end of the 2015 calendar year, but there are still those fighters who can make notable gains up the 135-pound ladder in the interim. Aljamain Sterling and Bryan Caraway are both fighters who know a thing or two about the importance of momentum, and pairing them up to throw down may be a solid move for Sean Shelby to make.
While the Washington State native was dealt a setback at the hands of Raphael Assuncao in his most recent outing at Fight Night 54 last October, “Kid Lightning” put in solid work to elevate his status in the bantamweight ranks in the fights leading up to Halifax. The TUF alum won five of his six fights before having his progress halted by the Brazilian, with his only other loss coming due to a questionable split-decision against veteran Takeya Mizugaki in Japan.
Still, even though Caraway’s run in the bantamweight division hasn’t been flawless, he’s looked impressive throughout and shown a knack for finishing his opposition courtesy of a slick submission game. With injuries currently locking up the upper tier of the 135-pound collective, there is plenty of room to make moves in the level below. While it doesn’t take facing the biggest names to make progress in a division as thin as bantamweight is at the current time, it does take an interesting stylistic pairing to get fight fans excited for a fight. With that in mind, Sterling would be the perfect choice to face Caraway, and there are several reasons to support this matchup.
“The Funk Master” is currently one of the hottest rising prospects on the 135-pound roster. The undefeated Serra-Longo product has been lights-out inside the Octagon and has won all three of his showings on the sport’s biggest stage with his most recent bout against Takeya Mizugaki ending in a rarely seen submission finish from bottom position. While Sterling was in control throughout the initial two rounds of the fight, the action—or lack thereof—was panned by media and fans alike.
Those sentiments changed when the surging prospect forced the seasoned veteran to tap out due to an arm-triangle choke he applied with his back to the canvas, which is a feat not often seen at the highest level of MMA. His victory at UFC on Fox 15 kept his momentum rolling, and Sterling isn’t looking to waste any time on his run to the top of the division. Mizugaki was the first big name and top-10-ranked fighter he had faced inside the Octagon, and the New York native wants to face another notable opponent in his next outing.
With the majority of the top five ranked fighters either slated to fight in coming months or still on the sidelines with injury, a bout against Caraway would make a tremendous amount of sense. In addition to the fight being a “prospect vs. veteran” matchup, it also presents an interesting pairing style-wise as well. Both fighters have solid wrestling, jiu-jitsu and cardio for days, and that is a formula for an action-packed scrap when the cage door closes.
James Vick vs. Paul Felder
There is typically a formula when it comes to building a fighter’s popularity as they move up the divisional ladder. Said competitor normally starts off with a few favorable matchups, then once they have shown they are ready and able to hang with tougher competition, will be matched up with a seasoned veteran with solid name recognition.
That said, in some cases a division is already so stacked that pitting up-and-coming talent against one another makes sense, and this is definitely the case in the ranks of the 155-pound weight class in the UFC. There is so much talent from top to bottom on the lightweight roster that the UFC can take an anything goes approach to matchmaking, and this is the reason James Vick vs. Paul Felder makes sense.
While The Texecutioner’s run in the UFC has come with injuries that have made developing noticeable momentum difficult, his performances on fight night certainly warrant some attention. The Maryland transplant has won all four of his showings inside the Octagon, with his most recent win coming via first-round submission over highly touted Australian prospect Jake Mathews at Fight Night 65 this past weekend in Adelaide, Australia.
During his time competing under the UFC banner, Vick has shown a willingness to trade toe-to-toe, but also the resilience to battle back to claim victory when things aren’t going his way. This is a critical trait because it’s commonly known in MMA some fighters are different athletes depending on whether or not they are the hammer or the nail. Vick has proven to be dangerous regardless of what side of the beating he’s on, and this is directly tied to his confidence as a mixed martial artist. He believes he’s a special breed of fighter, well-rounded and can finish from anywhere, and his undefeated record adds support to this notion.
The same sentiment applies to Felder as well. “The Irish Dragon” is also an undefeated talent on the rise and his two appearances inside the Octagon have garnered enough acclaim to make him potentially the next big thing in the lightweight ranks. While he struggled to get the win in his official promotional debut at Fight Night 54, the dynamic striker blistered veteran Danny Castillo at UFC 182 with a spinning backfist that not only added a highlight-reel-worthy knockout to his resume, but served to boost him to another level of the divisional hierarchy as well.
He was slated to face lightweight staple Jim Miller at UFC on Fox 15 but was forced to withdraw from the fight due to injury. Felder is currently without an opponent for his next outing, and a bout against Vick would be an excellent pairing of fighters who are at similar places in their respective careers. Both men have been impressive in a tough division, just as they are each looking to take a step closer to deeper waters in their weight class.
In most cases, it wouldn’t make sense to pair up two surging prospects, but in the ultra-talented ranks of the lightweight division, those rules do not apply.
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
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