All the best, most interesting, and unquestionably coolest fights the UFC has to book following their latest event in Belem, Brazil.
Much like it appeared on paper, UFC Belem was a solid fight night card. Some veteran names, some newcomers, a couple one-sided butt-kickings and some hotly-contested, competitive bouts. Even the least enthralling fight of the card, Timothy Johnson’s win over Marcelo Golm, wasn’t half as bad as it could have been. But, with Lyoto Machida putting the breaks on Eryk Anders’ hype train, what’s next for the ‘Dragon’? And how quickly can the UFC get Valentina Shevchenko into a flyweight title shot?
To answer these questions, I’ll be reading the tea leaves, consulting the oracle, and performing my own rendition of the classic Silva/Shelby fight-booking methodology. That means pitting winners against winners, losers against losers, and similarly tenured talent against one another. If you’d like to do some fantasy matchmaking yourself, leave a comment below, starting with “This isn’t his first disgusting performance in the octagon.” I’ll pick one response to join me for the next event.
This week, there were no winners, so I’m flying solo.
LYOTO MACHIDA
He called out Michael Bisping. And judging by general reactions, everyone is pretty down for that fight to happen. My only question is, is Bisping actually going to fight again? Him passing on the London fight against Rashad Evans doesn’t make me especially confident that he fights anytime soon. And if not, does Machida wait? He probably should. If he doesn’t, though, a fight with Vitor Belfort makes perfect sense. If Bisping still wants one last big fight soon, that’s the priority. Otherwise Machida vs. Belfort is a fine second place.
ERYK ANDERS
Suddenly wins over a now retired Rafael Natal and Markus Perez don’t have a ton of shine on them. Anders is still a solid prospect, but he’s got plenty to prove. Machida made it clear that beyond inherent athletic gifts, Anders still needs a lot of technical polish, and likely an opponent that doesn’t expose that fact quite so badly. The UFC could put him in prospect bouts with Karl Roberson, Julian Marquez, or Trevin Giles, but I think Andrew Sanchez may be the best fight. Sanchez has some technical skill and plenty of confidence, but has shown a ton of trouble managing his gas tank. Anders’ patient power style and hulking size will force Sanchez to fight smart, or put Anders back in the win column. Eryk Anders vs. Andrew Sanchez.
VALENTINA SHEVCHENKO
There’s only one real option, and that’s Nicco Montano. The only question is whether or not the UFC books Montano vs. Eubanks first and Shevchenko waits around for the winner. If, for some reason, the UFC wanted to make their original TUF Finale fight – and if Shevchenko absolutely didn’t want to wait – then I guess she could fight Alexis Davis, but Shevchenko vs. Montano should have been penciled in the moment Cacheoira got stung by that first right hand.
MICHEL PRAZERES
I was ready to give Prazeres a free pass on missing weight this time, due to the water issue at the local fighter’s hotel. But, as Eddie pointed out on the 6th Round, Prazeres was fighting at home, based out of Belem. There’s no excuse. That being the case, bouts at both welterweight and lightweight are needed, because who knows where Prazeres fights next? If he stays at lightweight, fights with Nik Lentz, or the Vick/Trinaldo winner make sense. If the UFC forces him up to 170lbs, then the likes of Alex Garcia, Nordine Taleb, or Sergio Moraes all would work. For some reason, the idea of Lentz vs. Prazeres is appealing most to me though, so lets do that. Nik Lentz vs. Michel Prazeres.
DOUGLAS SILVA DE ANDRADE
Great win for D’Silva, as Vera looked like he was really gearing up to make a run after his close fight with John Lineker. Instead, the Brazilian asserted himself as a fighter still making technical leaps in his game, coupled with his always insane athleticism. Three clear fights out there for him, as far as I can see: Brett Johns, Kyung Ho Kang, and Alejandro Perez. I like the Perez fight the most as an immediate test. Perez rarely looks great in bouts, but his defensive counter-punching style makes him really hard to beat. A fighter like D’Silva who seems to be able to pursue with power, relentlessly should bring out the best in Perez, or just simply hand him a loss. A good next step for Andrade to prove he can be an elite talent in the UFC. Douglas Silva de Andrade vs. Alejandro Perez.
THIAGO SANTOS
Is it too soon to have Paulo Henrique Costa fight Thiago Santos? Maybe. I really don’t like the idea of handing one of the division’s hottest young prospects a potentially brutal KO loss. But a win would be a great next step for Costa. If Dave Branch still needs an opponent for UFC on FOX 28, I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing Santos step in for that. Otherwise, though, I think this great KO streak deserves richer rewards than a young prospect looking to make a name. Assuming Wediman gets Jacare and the Romero/Rockhold winner gets Whittaker, why not book Santos vs. Gastelum. There’s a chance Gastelum works his takedown game to overwhelm him, but Gastelum loves to throw hands and that should make for a thriller. Thiago Santos vs. Kelvin Gastelum.
POLYANA VIANA
Really, really strong first performance from Viana. Now it’s time for the UFC to put the brakes on her hard, before they throw her in over her head at strawweight. Viana’s game is built to dismantle bad opponents; she’ll likely struggle with more seasoned vets. Bouts with Nadia Kassem or Alexandra Albu would both be totally reasonable, however. Between the two, I think the Kassem fight would be a good test of both women’s can crushing credentials, to see which one is more prepared for prolonged success. Polyana Viana vs. Nadia Kassem.
IURI ALCANTARA
Alcantara coming through with just the right kind of win to make sure his UFC career ends only when he wants it to and not before. For a fighter that hasn’t looked good since 2016, And has seemed to be fading since 2015, Alcantara just walked through Joe Soto like he wasn’t even there. I suggested Rob Font get a crack at Marlon Moraes last time around, but Font vs. Alcantara would be fine too if Moraes is moving on to bigger things. Give the Brazilian another chance to assert himself against the rising new talent, or Font another name win on his resume. If that fight can’t get made, then the UFC should go winner/loser and pit him against Eddie Wineland, who is somehow still holding down a rankings slot. In fact, I’ll just go with the veteran fight flat out. Alcantara vs. Wineland.
DEIVESON FIGUEIREDO
Figueiredo looks prepared to make noise at 125. He may never be a threat to the champion (who is?) but he seems like he can compete athletically with the top 10 and has the diversity of skills and power to make any fight tricky. A bout with Matheus Nicoalau is a clear option. However, I’d rather see Figueiredo get a chance to make more of a statement next time out. Dustin Ortiz just put up a solid win over Alexandre Pantoja, and his only good option in the top 10 is an unlikely bout against former teammate Sergio Pettis. Why not book Figueiredo vs. Ortiz, and see if the Brazilian can muscle his way into contender fights in a hurry?
OTHER BOUTS: Cachoeira vs. Gevorgyan, Green vs. Horcher, Johnson vs. Struve/Arlovski winner, Golm vs. Crowder, Vera vs. Eduardo, Smith vs. Akhmedov, Moraes vs. Stun Gun, Means vs. Mein, Patrick vs. Pichel, Hadzovic vs. Gonzalez, Stevenson vs. Chan-Mi, Soto vs. Stasiak, Morales vs. Mokhtarian