All the best, most interesting, and unashamedly coolest fights the UFC needs to book following their latest event in Fortaleza, Brazil.
The UFC’s recent fight card in Fortaleza, Brazil was a rare return to form. A Fight Night that felt more like something from the pre-FOX era at a point when it didn’t seem like that’s a product that the UFC was capable of delivering anymore. In part that was down to some notable old-guard getting big wins in front of a partisan crowd — seeing Jose Aldo, Demian Maia, and Thiago Alves get their hand raised was time-warp effect enough. But, it was also all about pacing and violence and a feeling of importance. If ESPN+ is willing to keep events short, it’ll do a lot to make the modern UFC feel like less of a churn of Fighter A vs. Fighter B.
That said, what does the promotion do with Marlon Moraes’ title aspirations? Who does Jose Aldo fight while Holloway is still king? And what makes sense for Demian Maia and Thiago Alves on their farewell tours?
To answer all these questions – and a few more – I’ll be taking the classic Silva/Shelby approach to fight-booking. That means pitting winners against winners, losers against losers, and similarly tenured talent up against one another. If you’d like to take your own shot at some match-making glory, leave a comment below starting with, “I’m not the best, I’m just number one.” I’ll pick one response to join me next time.
This week’s winner is returning BE reader “Kyle J.”:
Hi, everyone! I’m Kyle Johnson – a four-time vet of this lovely column and 13-year fan of our ungodly sport. Follow me on Twitter @VonPreux for top-notch GIFs, vids, and commentary. On to the fights!
MARLON MORAES
Kyle – Four minutes and 57 seconds. In this time, Moraes eliminated Aljamain Sterling, Jimmie Rivera and Assunção. He snapped a 20-fight tear, an 11-1 run and one hi-top fade. This is T.J. Dillashaw’s mandatory challenger – the Luigi-voiced, diarrhea-afflicted man of action. So curb talk of Dillashaw-Cejudo II, at least until the champs cement divisional supremacy. Whilst the flyweight king avenges his loss to Benavidez, T.J. must save face against bantamweight’s chief speed runner, eager to reenact the top dog’s fresh nightmare.
Zane – Marlon Moraes has unquestionably earned his shot at the bantamweight belt, and even gone so far as to say that his next contract must include a title shot as his first bout. That’s all great and fine and makes perfect sense, but – for the sake of argument – let’s say that’s not what he gets. The UFC likely has the fight they want in front of them, between TJ Dillashaw and Henry Cejudo. If that can’t get booked for some reason, absolutely plug Moraes in there. But, if it is booked, I don’t want to wait until next fall to see ‘Magic’ fight again. And he may not want to wait either. So in the meantime, if John Lineker just happens to get healthy, go ahead and throw that fight together. If not? Sure, I guess I can wait.
RAPHAEL ASSUNCAO
Kyle – Tragedy, thy name is Raphael. A prospective title challenger for the last five years, Assunção amassed a gaudy 11-2 tenure, yet was obstructed by nagging injuries, promotional politics and the odd “super fight.” Now back to the drawing board, there’s reason not to drop him too far down the ladder. Namely, the winner between Cody Garbrandt and Pedro Munhoz likely requires another top-five triumph. Whether it’s a fresh, exciting scrap with Cody or a rematch with the dramatically improved “Young Punisher,” Assunção has accomplished enough to merit confidence.
Zane – If it weren’t for the fact that Dominic Cruz is perpetually broken, he would be my first pick to fight Assuncao. A bout the long-suffering Brazilian absolutely deserves. Otherwise, coming off a loss the way he is, there are two fights that feel like they’d make sense as next steps: Cody Garbrandt & Jimmie Rivera. Garbrandt especially will need a whole string of strong performances to get back into title contention. If ‘No Love’ wins his upcoming fight with Pedro Munhoz, a crack at Assuncao makes sense. If he loses, he probably needs a bigger step back. However, no matter the result of Rivera vs. Sterling, I think Rivera stays as a pretty strong booking here. To that end, I’ll say book Rivera vs. Assuncao, win or lose to Sterling for the Tiger Schulmann talent. But, if Cody grabs a win in March, that’s the more exciting bout.
JOSE ALDO
Kyle – For one poetic night, Aldo’s farewell was nostalgic dynamite. Joe Martinez introduced the WEC don, José roasted Moicano in championship form and surfed the crowd à la 2012. It commenced a three-step exit, part two set for May’s Curitiba PPV. Many clamor for a lightweight cameo, though scheduling dictates a featherweight send-off. Leave that to Brian Ortega, an elite opponent outside of the title race and all-terrain threat to Aldo’s durability. As “T-City” tweeted yesterday, “let’s start negotiating” and see if Aldo can’t thwart a next-gen star.
Zane – Part of me would love to see Aldo get his Conor McGregor rematch. No belt on the line, do it at 155, just give Aldo a last chance at revenge before riding off into the sunset. But, that McGregor fight with Cerrone seems far more likely. And, at a point where Aldo is now fairly free to chase a lightweight run if he wanted to, he doesn’t seem to be showing any real interest. The fact that Brian Ortega called Aldo out could easily mean that’s a done deal. I’d imagine it’s a fight Aldo would be happy with, and while I think it’s an especially rough bounce-back for ‘T-City,’ he’s the one asking for it. If that can’t happen, bouts with Swanson or TKZ don’t make a ton of sense at the moment and Volkanovski’s gotta be next for the belt, right? That’d probably leave Jose Aldo vs. Yair Rodriguez. In that field, Aldo vs. Ortega is probably as good as you’re gonna get.
RENATO MOICANO
Kyle – It was a good night for Volkanovski and Edgar, as Moicano burned out of the immediate title picture. However, potential rebounds are ample in a loaded top-15 featherweight class. Yair Rodríguez fits the bill as an excitable, available dance partner for Renato looking to break into the division’s upper echelon.
Zane – For Moicano, the options are much greater. Chan Sung Jung is just coming off his own brutal loss, or there’s always Frankie Edgar if he wants to try his luck against another prospect derailer. But, I think the best option would be a fight against Josh Emmett. It looks like the Team Alpha Male fighter is about ready to return to the Octagon and it seems like his combination of power and pace would make for a hell of a war. If Emmett already has a fight in the making – or if he’s looking to return more quickly than Moicano – then book Moicano against Chan Sung Jung. Otherwise, Moicano vs. Emmett is the fight I’d like to see.
DEMIAN MAIA
Kyle – Little has been made of Maia’s impending finale and it’s fitting. The paragon of peace remains humble to a fault, chivalrous and applying chokes with minimal bloodletting. But rather than loose the BJJ saint on a Michael Chiesa, how about the loser of Lawler vs. Askren? Robbie’s murderous mentality provides a startling (and compelling) contrast to Maia’s Zen, while Askren’s wrestling “funk” opens the door to a tantalizing grappling dynamic unattainable with the likes of Woodley or Usman.
Zane – After his win against Lyman Good, Maia teased out that he’s only got a two fights left on his contract — and after that he may be done with MMA. So these two fights have to count. A bout against the winner of Lawler/Askren would definitely fit the bill (since Askren won’t fight ‘T-Wood anyway). But, I’d also be happy to see Maia take on either Stephen Thompson or Anthony Pettis. If Pettis wins that fight, and wants to make a run at 170, then he’s gotta go through guys like Maia. And Maia/Thompson is one of the few fights the Brazilian hasn’t had against the division’s best. Demian Maia vs. the Thompson/Pettis winner is my choice for Maia’s penultimate fight.
CHARLES OLIVEIRA
Kyle – Oliveira’s UFC tenure resembles a nerd’s protracted revenge – the gangly, bespectacled and one-dimensional grappler bucking the “glass cannon” mold over eight years later. His superlative submissions now stem from a wildly variegated stand-up kit, the kind that laces David Teymur with a reverse elbow. This makes him a great test for Gregor Gillespie, an oppressive wrestler who has never had to stray from his strengths. Would Gregor’s striking suffice or is more needed to protect his ranking?
Zane – It’s hard for me not to feel that Oliveira deserves bigger fights. I realize his featherweight run was riddled with weight problems and inconsistent performances, but since returning to lightweight he seems to have revolutionized himself into a much more steady and elite talent. Guida, Giagos, Miller, & Teymur may not be the best of the best at 155, but they’re all solid, tough action fighters and Oliveira made them look average. He’s fighting at his highest level right now and that means he should be fighting the best opposition. He called out Kevin Lee, and that sounds perfect. Lee’s coming off the kind of bad performance he needs to rebound from, and Oliveira is just the kind of opponent he likely feels like he can beat to get back to the title hunt. If Lee is headed to 170, then Gillespie is a fine consolation. But, Oliveira vs. Kevin Lee is the fight to book.
JOHNNY WALKER
Kyle – In a cataclysmic whirlpool of light heavyweight talent, Walker is the inebriated kraken. He’s OSP 7800, the supercharged colossus wielding no strategy and a dubious arsenal of low-percentage devastators. Alas, this passes for a future contender, the chosen abyss destined to swallow a Dom Reyes, Raki? or Stoši?. Enter Moldova’s Ion Cutelaba, a fellow eccentric and early knockout artist straddling the line between legitimacy and lunacy. Who drops first?
Zane – When Cutelaba returns from injury, he and Walker would likely have a war. Cutelaba may not be super well rounded, but he’s been extremely tough in his UFC tenure. If Cutelaba won’t be available soon, then fights with Abdul-Kerim Edilov, Mike Rodriguez, and Aleksandar Rakic would all be solid. Eventually, however, I’m gonna say that Sean Shelby should go winner/loser here and pit Walker against Nikita Krylov. Like Cutelaba, Krylov has made his name as a too-tough wild-man, but he’s turned in some controlled recent performances. If Walker can beat him, he can jump right into the fray of top-ranked light heavyweight fights. Johnny Walker vs. Nikki Thrillz is the fight the fans need, if not deserve.
THIAGO ALVES
Kyle – He’s not the machete-legged surgeon of yore but Alves persists as a well-rounded warden, refined in all areas and rugged enough to weather violent cascades of offense. No amount of moronic judging can change that and the aging “Pitbull” has earned a break from gatekeeping. So why not entertain a dream bout with Matt Brown? As plainly named and revered as his peer, Brown’s straightforward brand of Muay Thai carnage would surely bring the old dog out of Alves. It’s a guaranteed summer smash.
Zane – Much like Demian Maia and Jose Aldo, Alves hasn’t so much announced his retirement as he has his ‘retirement plan.’ He’s got a couple of years and a few fights left before he’s 37. At that point, he wants to be done. Along the way, it’s time to feed him more veteran action fighters. If I had a better idea of what Matt Brown was up to right now, he’d be a strong suggestion. But the ‘Immortal’ has been talking about retirement, and suffering from injuries. So, who knows? A bout with Dong Hyun Kim wouldn’t be bad, or James Krause. There’s a fight out there that would be a surefire war though, and one I think both men would be interested in. Thiago Alves vs. Siyar Bahadurzada. Siyar just lost a great fight with Curtis Millender, but there’s a solid argument Alves didn’t win here against Griffin. Either way, it’s likely to be exactly the kind of battle that both men thrive in. Siyar ‘The Great’ vs. ‘Pitbull’ Alves for all the late-career violence.
SAID NURMAGOMEDOV
Kyle – As if we needed another example of cutting less weight to success, refer to Khabib’s not-quite cousin Said. Back in a more comfortable bantamweight frame, the Dagestani froze and folded Ricardo Ramos, a spinning back kick as the finishing blow. It’s a reaffirmation of prior hype and one that portends a swift turnaround. Tom Duquesnoy lost out on Nathaniel Wood, but Saint Petersburg in April is the perfect setting for him and another Euro wunderkind in Nurmagomedov.
Zane – With that win, Said officially enters the way-too-deep young talent field at 135 lbs. Should he fight Pingyuan Liu, Sean O’Malley, Brad Katona, Raoni Barcelos, Corey Sandhagen… wait… Corey Sandhagen? Yeah, alright. Sandhagen has been stomping some pretty decent fighters lately, and was targeted to get run up against some really elite competition. That all seems like the perfect recipe to match him up against another young talented fighter who has picked up his second strong win in the UFC, this one in devastating fashion. Said Nurmagomedov vs. Cory Sandhagen would be a hell of a fight.
OTHER BOUTS: Good vs. Mina, Teymur vs. Ayari, Ledet vs. Clark, Souza vs. Aguilar, Frota vs. Botelho, Perez vs. Holland, Hernandez vs. Lewis, Borella vs. Clark, Santos vs. Mueller, Griffin vs. Muhammad, Rozenstruick vs. Greene, Albini vs. Asker, Freitas vs. Gutierrez, Colares vs. J. Griffin, Ramos vs. Ewell, Bontorin vs. Shelton