All the best, most interesting, and unashamedly coolest fights the UFC needs to book following their latest event in Denver, CO.
Sometimes a fight is so good that it redeems everything around it. Yair Rodriguez vs. Chan Sung Jung was one of those. Or more precisely, Yair Rodriguez’s KO win over the ‘Korean Zombie’ is the kind of thing that gives any and everything combat sports related a warm and happy glow. The fight was good. The knockout? That was the stuff of legends.
So what does the UFC do with Yair now? Can ‘Cowboy’ really go on a run at lightweight again? Is GDR back in the hunt at 135? Is there even a target to hunt for?
To answer all these questions – and more – I’ll be using the classic Silva/Shelby matchmaking style of years past. That means pitting winners against winners, losers against losers, and similarly tenured talent against one another. If you’d like to take your own shot at some matchmaking glory leave a comment below starting with, “Everybody take a deep breath right now. That’s the taste of freedom. Take it in.” I’ll pick one winner from the responses to join me for the next event.
This week’s winner is BE reader ‘Lucas Terry’…
YAIR RODRIGUEZ
Lucas – OH MY GOD! What a fight and finish, and a great way to return for both men. Yair was about to lose a really close fight but somehow scored that knockout. Yair looked good after the long layoff and his defensive wrestling seems to have improved. Korean Zombie is one of the top guys in the division, and Yair should now get another crack at the top 5. Most of the division is booked, but there is a clear fight to make and that is Jose Aldo. Aldo’s coming off an impressive victory over Jeremy Stephens and needs an opponent, and Yair vs. Aldo would be a crazy action fight that could possibly be a number 1 contender fight. This would be a perfect fight to headline one of the first ESPN shows next year.
Zane – Man, that Zabit fight is just right there isn’t it. They already tried to book it before, which means it has a little bit of history to it. Both men are exciting whirligigs of fistic offense and unpredictability. It’s a fight that would please all but the most anti-fun among the hardcore MMA fan crowd (I know there are a few of you). But, for the sake of argument, let’s say Yair should get a bigger fight. Zabit may be the future, but right now he’s a guy whose best win is Sheymon Moraes – which should age pretty well, frankly. To that end, what if Yair Rodriguez fought Jeremy Stephens? ‘Lil’ Heathen’ is coming of a loss, but in a competitive fight to featherweight GOAT Jose Aldo, and his walk-forward brawling style would make for another guaranteed banger for Yair. Yair just scored one of the greatest KOs in history let him keep trying to climb the ladder. Zabit will get his shot. Yair vs. Stephens for all the violence.
CHAN SUNG JUNG
Lucas – I was torn between being excited for the fight & finish and feeling sad for TKZ. He was about to win his comeback fight but instead he kept marching forward and fell on his sword. He looked really good as well, and took a lot of hard shots until the knockout. The Edgar fight could be re-booked, but I’d prefer a more favourable match up. A fight with Calvin Kattar could be fun, and you could do the Zabit fight, but ultimately I’ll go with Josh Emmett. Emmett should be about ready to come back, and he also suffered a brutal knockout in his last fight. Both guys are at the top of the division and put on entertaining fights and it would give both guys a chance to come back strong.
Zane – What a crushing defeat for KZ. He had the fight won on two judges cards and likely would have taken it unanimously had they gone to the final bell. It was his fight to lose… and he lost it. But featherweight is full of meaningful, top drawer action bouts. He could take on Cub Swanson, Jeremy Stephens, Frankie Edgar (as planned), or Josh Emmett. Of all those, the Cub Swanson fight feels most like one that should have happened 7 years ago, but would still be fun as hell today. It’d be a rough next step for Swanson to go from Ortega to Edgar to Moicano to Chan Sung, but something tells me it’s a fight he wouldn’t turn down. Swanson vs. Korean Zombie, WEC Never Die!
DONALD CERRONE
Lucas – Cowboy’s back, albeit after winning against someone who is not at the top of the division. Still, Cerrone’s ground game has always been lethal and he was less hittable than in recent fights. He said he wants to go back to lightweight, but I don’t like that idea. He’s only getting older and his body doesn’t need more damage than necessary. Especially when there is such an obvious fight to make at welterweight in Demian Maia. Maia vs Cerrone makes so much sense, two legends who have had a hard time recently against elite competition but who would still likely blowout everyone else. The striking vs grappling match up is also fun.
Zane – So I guess Cerrone is headed back to lightweight? I don’t really see the need, but if he’s going to make a run at Khabib Nurmagomedov that’s where he has to be to do it. If by chance, he stayed at 170, a fight against Zaleski or the Magny/Ponzinibbio winner wouldn’t be bad. But, assuming he is headed back down, then Justin Gaethje is just sitting there, not booked to fight anyone at all. Gaethje turned his own struggles around with a dominating quick KO of James Vick, why not follow it up with another all-action war against a UFC legend. Cerrone vs. Gaethje is absolutely the only fight worth booking for both men.
MIKE PERRY
Lucas – Perry is a fun action fighter, but I don’t think he’s anything more than that. His striking wasn’t effective against Cerrone, but he did look more composed. That might be a good thing. However, I think Perry is probably better off going forward and throwing power shots as that’s his best chance to win. A fight with Lyman Good would be entertaining, but I think the UFC should re-book the Yancy Medeiros fight from UFC 226. It makes even more sense now that they’re two Cerrone victims and they both come to brawl.
Zane – Losing to Donald Cerrone isn’t such a big deal, but this definitely felt like a loss that asked more questions of Perry than his previous ones. In the past, fighters had solved him by more or less staying away from him. Hit the low kicks, jab him, circle out, and he’ll walk after his foe eating shots. Cerrone didn’t even have to do that. Perry just didn’t seem to be bringing the heat, and threw himself into the grappling scramble that eventually set up his submission loss. Time for a real step back, more toward someone with his own level of experience. Even for as many fights as Perry has racked up, he’s only been at this MMA thing for 4 years. So how about a fight with Randy Brown. Another touted prospect who has struggled hard with consistency. Perry vs. Brown would be a good way to get one man a little momentum.
GERMAINE DE RANDAMIE
Lucas – Germaine has a lot of potential; she’s really good but she is equally frustrating as she seems to be happy to coast in fights when she could push for a finish. This happened in the Holm fight and even more clearly in the Pennington fight, where I feel if she wanted to she could have easily finished Raquel. Still, the women’s bantamweight division is currently without a doubt the worst division in the UFC. It is a wasteland, and GDR is perhaps the best fighter in the division apart from Nunes. There’s only one fight to make and that is a number one contender fight between GDR and Ketlen Vieira. They’re both on four fight UFC win streaks and it would be interesting to see who can impose their style. These two and Nunes are the only signs of life in the division apart from up and comer Aspen Ladd. You could do the Ladd fight, but I think Vieira makes more sense.
Zane – Not a lot to see out of GDR in that win. Pennington had a lot of control and willingness to grind, but not enough actual offense. And GDR had her typical lack of urgency, but just enough to edge out ‘Rocky’ in every round. Not the kind of thing that will have anyone talking ‘title shot.’ A fight with Julianna Pena would be a good one, if Pena is interested in coming back to the cage any time soon. But, since that’s no guarantee, a bout with Ketlen Vieira is about the only other option on the table. Vieira really should be next in line for the title shot already, but I can’t imagine many fans minding the extra fight. If Vieira’s injury woes are too long term? Then GDR is stuck with the winner of Kunitskaya vs. Reneau. But, De Randamie vs. Vieira should probably be priority one.
BENEIL DARIUSH
Lucas – Dariush delivered the performance he needed and won a dominant decision to end his skid. Unfortunately for Dariush, he does not have a lot of upside. He’s a solid fighter, but his lack of athleticism stops him from being able to compete with the elite. I think his next fight should be to test a prospect. If Leonardo Santos is back, that could be interesting, but I think fights with Mairbek Taisumov or Gregor Gillespie are better. I’ll go with Gillespie, as I’m intrigued by the grappling exchanges that could take place.
Zane – As a well-skilled, well-rounded fighter just outside the elite Dariush could provide a consistent good test for the division’s many prospects. The likes of David Teymur or Gregor Gillespie would make for very meaningful tests for both man. But, I also feel like there’s not a lot to be gained out of a Dariush win there. He kills off another prospect and he’s still facing the same need to prove himself up at the top. Instead, I say book him against one of the other long-standing hard-nosed vets that populate the upper echelon of 155, just outside the top 15. The best candidate among them? Rustam Khabilov. Dariush vs. Khabilov is a strong fight for two consistent winners that have struggled to find a seat at the rankings table. A win for either man could get them there.
MAYCEE BARBER
Lucas – Barber’s fun but I struggle to see the championship potential everyone else does. She had a dominant performance against a tough opponent in Cifers and although I don’t see her as a champion, I do think she has potential to be a star. I think the UFC should build her slowly and let her gain experience in the cage. That’s why I think potential fights with Livinha Souza, Weili Zhang and JJ Aldrich should be avoided. A fight with Alexandra Albu is a possibility and would be entertaining and manageable. I prefer a fight with Nadia Kassem, who poses different challenges to Cifers, with a tricky grappling game. It’s also a battle of two undefeated prospects, so I’ll go with a manageable step up in Kassem.
Zane – Barber is the latest strawweight to garner a fair bit of hype in her UFC debut, following in the footsteps of Mackenzie Dern, Tatiana Suarez, and Cynthia Calvillo. And she had a pretty good call-out all lined up: a fight with the aforementioned BJJ ace, Dern. Dern doesn’t have any of Barber’s comfort striking at range, but she hits hard and is just a beast once the fight is on the mat. Could make a real challenge for Barber if Dern can push through kicking range consistently. However, I could easily see the UFC wanting her to get another bout under her belt before they toss her with another top prospect. Fights with the likes of Nadia Kassem or Emily Whitmire wouldn’t be out of the question, just to get her cage time. Or, if the UFC really wants to see what her ceiling is instantly, there’s Livia Renata Souza. If Kassem weren’t injured I’d say book that, but since she is, I’ll say go with Whitmire. Let Barber build a little more steam, then make the Dern fight. Barber vs. Whitmire is a good ‘cage time’ bout.
DAVI RAMOS
Lucas – Another quick submission victory for Ramos. The guy needs a step up; he’s fought two of the lowest level UFC fighters probably ever in Gunther and Gruetzemacher. There are a number of appropriate fights you could make including Abel Trujillo, Joe Duffy, Drakkar Klose and Bobby Green. I’ll go with Drew Dober, who’s improved as a fighter everywhere and is a challenge for most. Dober probably has the better striking but it would be interesting to see if he could keep the fight standing as Ramos also has improved striking and wrestling.
Zane – Ramos has ‘taken care of the Gunther problem’ in the style of an evil henchman ordered to take out a rogue cop who plays by his own rules. Neat, quick, efficient, and potentially leaving behind an alpaca hell bent on revenge. Until Nibbles gets a few fights in on the regionals, however, Ramos is going to need a new opponent. Rising phenoms David Teymur and Gregor Gillespie both need fights and would make for fascinating challenges, as would an action fighter like Scott Holtzman. I think I’m inclined to really like the Gillespie idea. Gillespie’s relentless wrestling attack would likely put him into the teeth of what Ramos does best, but his tirelessness could be a huge challenge to Ramos’ tendency to fight a slow pace standing. NCAA D1 champion meets ADCC champion: Gillespie vs. Ramos, make it happen UFC.
DEVONTE SMITH
Lucas – It’s hard to know how good Smith is as he has not fought anyone of a real high caliber yet. Erosa has terrible defense and seemed like the perfect match up for an explosive and powerful Smith. Smith has a loss to John Gunther where he gassed out and folded to Gunther’s pressure. That could be a problem in the future. Fights with Jared Gordon and Don Madge both sound fun but putting fun prospects against each other this early seems unnecessary. A fight with ‘Maestro’ Dong Hyun Kim would likely deliver tremendous action and would test how he deals with someone who hits hard and can take a shot.
Zane – Unfortunately for Smith, get an exciting win at lightweight and the waters only get deeper. He could take on another recent thriller in Don Madge, or Matt Frevola – off his exciting draw to Lando Vannata – or even Mike Trizano from this same card. He’s so green though that pushing him much faster than that risks putting him into the same struggles that Perry and Brown are dealing with, despite all their potential. Best of all would probably be the winner of Devin Powell vs. Jesus Pinedo. If Smith wants to fight again quick, however, I’ll say let him give Madge a try and see which electric new talent can get off to the fastest start. But keeping things slow would probably be the smarter move. Smith vs. the Pinedo/Powell winner would be my choice.
OTHER BOUTS: Pennington vs. Evinger, Moises vs. Mustafaev, Cifers vs. Chan-Mi, Trizano vs. ‘Maestro’ Kim, Pena vs. Edwards, Yoder vs. Esquibel, Moffett vs. Henry, Skelly vs. Peterson, Gunther vs. Herrera, Erosa vs. Giagos, Shelton vs. S. Nurmagomedov, Morales vs. Inoue, de la Rosa vs. Schnell