All the best, most interesting, and unquestionably coolest fights the UFC should book following their latest card in Prague, Czech Republic.
UFC Prague went down more or less as advertised: a mid-day European fight card built for ESPN’s online streaming platform. Not a lot of big names, not much in the way of big fights, but a lot of bouts that helped provide some divisional clarity and gave a few fighters a real chance at landing a much bigger opportunity the next time around.
So, is Thiago Santos next in line for the winner of Jon Jones vs. Anthony Smith? Is it time to get Petr Yan in line for a top contender’s bout in the increasingly backed up bantamweight division? Is light heavyweight finally seeing a changing of the guard?
To answer all these questions – and one or two more – I’ll be using the classic Shelby/Silva fight booking methodology from 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 fantasy fight-making glory, leave a comment below starting with “Can I see that on the big screen so I can figure it out? … Yep, I got punched in the face.” I’ll pick one winner from the responses to join me next time.
This week’s winner is BE reader “OnTheButton” (aka Daniel Colella):
Hi I’m Daniel Colella. I’ve done this before for the zombie vs Bermudez card a couple of years ago and I’m thankful for the opportunity to do it again. If any of you guys live in the MELBOURNE area of Victoria in Australia come down to Laverton boxing (right near Laverton station at the scouts hall) where me and a few others train for a fun learning and friendly environment where someone is always willing to help. We lost our coach last year to illness and a few of us have banded together to keep the place running for the youth of today. Cheers guys!
THIAGO SANTOS
Daniel – Thiago Santos continues to do Thiago Santos things which always means some fun for the fans and a violent stroke of offensive brilliance. Sucked into Jan Blachowicz spider web of jabs and leg kicks for the first two rounds, when the opportunity came Thiago more took his chance to skyrocket himself up the rankings. I see a matchup with Glover Texeira being a fun style clash, whilst we let the Dominick Reyes/Volkan Oezdemir fight work itself out. From there we have ourselves an old fashioned number one contenders match with the winners of those respective fights.
Zane – At this point the only question worth asking is: do fans care if Thiago Santos gets to fight for a title or not? If the answer is ‘Yes,’ then book him against the Jones/Smith winner. That fight is going down this week, the schedules should line up perfect, and he’s the only top 5 ranked fighter that hasn’t already fought for the belt. Of course that assumes Jones beats Smith. If he doesn’t, then a rematch is likely the next fight fans will see. If, on the other hand, fans don’t care about seeing Santos fight for the belt (or in the unlikely case Smith wins), then putting him through another top contenders fight is fine. Bouts against Alexander Gustafsson, Cory Anderson, or the Oezdemir/Reyes winner would all be interesting, fun fights in their own right. But why sacrifice the ready and waiting challenger when you have him? Thiago Santos vs. the winner of Jones/Smith (provided that winner is Jones).
JAN BLACHOWICZ
Daniel – Motoring along at his own pace as he always does, controlling distance and the flow of the fight, Jan Blachowicz looked to be in autopilot picking and pecking at Thiago Santos — before he got overzealous and promptly sent to the canvas, with a flurry of hammerfists to follow for good measure. The usually cool, calm and collected Pole watched his win streak go up quickly in flames. Big setback for Jan if he ever thought of a title shot even in this shallow division. For mine, a matchup with somebody like Johnny Walker as a win gets him back on track, and a loss gives Walker a marquee win and a chance to prove he can beat a process driven fighter with the experience edge.
Zane – This is where things get tricky for a fighter like Blachowicz, because he’s already fought most of the top ranked fighters around him. Latifi, Gustafsson, Anderson, and Manuwa are all un-booked, but are those fights anyone really is dying to see twice (or three times in Manuwa’s case). Fortunately, there is one top contender level fight between two men that Blachowicz hasn’t faced — both of whom would present interesting challenges. The loser of Volkan Oezdemir vs. Dominick Reyes would be just right for Blachowicz right now, and give any of the fighters involved a meaningful bounce-back from a loss. Jan Blachowciz vs. the Oezdemir/Reyes loser is right for my money.
STEFAN STRUVE
Daniel – Struve deserves a round of applause for some of the fights he has given us over the years. Rogerio de Lima looked to have sparked him quickly, but he recovered well and took over in the second round to secure a submission. Really solid career, where he maybe didn’t quite live up to his potential, with some very valid excuses to do with health as to why. One thing he definitely did was teach me the very important words ‘distance management’ and give me a semblance of how not to use a reach. I hope he sails off into the sunset with a happy, healthy retirement and all the best in whatever he does next.
Zane – Not that I don’t think Struve may be best served by retirement, but for the sake of argument, I’m going to assume this isn’t the last time fans see the ‘Skyscraper’ inside the cage. If he happens to return to the UFC, then I guess he could fight Tai Tuivasa or Jairzinho Rozenstruik. But that honestly feels like a waste. Struve’s contract is up, he’s built a strong reputation over the years as a must-see action fighter at heavyweight, and he’s so huge that just that fact alone makes him worth showing up for. Sounds like a perfect fit for either RIZIN or KSW to me. Stick Struve in a ring against Baruto, or let him headline a KSW card against Pudzianowski or Popek Monster. Those are fights I would absolutely make sure I didn’t miss. Plus he could probably save himself the rigors of a real training camp to get ready.
MICHAL OLEKSIEJCZUK
Daniel – USADA be damned! Michal came out moving his head in funky ways and being active with his hands, targeting the body a few times early and often. Before astutely finding the liver with a lovely shot for the rarely-seen delayed-reaction body-shot KO. Everybody loves watching a good body punch, and that was picture perfect. Keep him in the cage and line him up with wild man and bloody elbow fan favourite, Nikita Krylov for a bout that’s sure to appease the masses and the just bleed guys.
Zane – Won’t lie, would be totally down for a Oleksiejczuk/Nikki Thrillz fight if they hadn’t already booked OSP/Thrillz 2. With that in the works, and Lil’ Nog somehow already set with a fight, picking the next one for Olekseijczuk is a little less clear. I’d kinda like to see both men get slightly more notable veteran fights next, but there aren’t many name 205ers coming off a win right now — so I’m left matching Oleksiejczuk with fellow 2-0 prospect Jim Crute. Crute showed some nice improvement in his counter-punching last fight against Sam Alvey, putting him on a similar level, both young fighters coming off the biggest win of their careers. Let Crute and Oleksiejczuk battle it out to see which of them can take on a ranked opponent next time out.
LIZ CARMOUCHE
Daniel – The less said about this fight the better, to be perfectly honest — other than those hilarious elbows to the butt. Her athletic prime in the rear view mirror, a devolving skill set, and some kind of name value is a weird position to be in and that’s exactly where Carmouche finds herself. Sticking Carmouche with another fighter who I can’t ever see sniffing the top of the division, but may at least create something a little more aesthetically pleasing to the eyes; that’s a fight with fellow middle of the pack flyweight and recent winner, Montana de la Rosa.
Zane – I’m all for Carmouche being used as a testing ground for potential rising contenders in the division, but it should really be against fighters who have a meaningful chance of beating her and moving on in the rankings. Pudilova is fun and scrappy, but going from a loss to Irene Aldana to a fight with Carmouche made no sense. Fights with Joanne Calderwood, Mara Romero Borella, Andrea Lee, or maybe even the Barber/Aldrich winner would all be good. Of those, Calderwood is probably the most reasonable in the moment. She’s coming off one of her most technical performances, and is right next to Carmouche in the rankings. A win would put her in among the top contenders at 125. Carmouche vs. Calderwood seems like a meaningful fight at women’s flyweight.
PETR YAN
Daniel – Yan’s rise from prospect to watch out for – before his UFC debut – to now, has been fun to watch to say the least. I love the way he’s putting together his boxing and his pressure footwork into a game where I’m sure the opponent feels he has no time to breathe, while getting fed a steady diet of punishment — using sneaky good defense too while he’s at it. I dare say he’s going to be a fan favorite for years to come. A matchup with the winner of Garbrandt and Munhoz sounds like a can’t miss fight no matter who wins that slated bout. Styles make fights, and either of those is hot fire guaranteed in the cage.
Zane – I really wish the UFC could un-book that meaningless Sandhagen/Lineker fight to put together a bout between Lineker and Yan. That’s a much more meaningful step forward for a young fighter fast entering the elite end of MMA competition. Still, I can’t complain too much about an upcoming fun action fight. Instead, Yan asked for Jimmie Rivera, and while I like that, Rivera is coming off back-to-back losses, so it doesn’t feel like a very prestigious matchup. The winner of Stamann/Perez would be a solid way to tread water, if that’s what he wants to do, and a fight with Aljamain Sterling would be great if Sterling could be convinced to take it. Eventually, though, I’ll agree and say book Yan against the Garbrandt/Munhoz winner. That’s a firefight, no question, and would keep Yan moving up the ladder.
JOHN DODSON
Daniel – Dodson continues being a gatekeeper to the best of the bantamweight Division. He’s still fast as hell, but his non-evolution of any other skill – other than blindingly fast left hand – is quite baffling. He also looks tiny compared to any decent sized bantamweight which doesn’t help his cause. He Did manage drop Yan in the second but unless he lands the kill shot, he doesn’t tend to have exciting fights. And at his age and standing in the division, he won’t be getting much of a step down in competition. So, let’s see how he deals with Cody Stamann should he win his upcoming bout against Alejandro Perez.
Zane – The loser of Stamann/Perez would be a fine matchup for Dodson next, as the former flyweight title contender seems to be slowly sliding toward firm gatekeeper status. As would the winner of Vera/Saenz. He could also fight Rob Font (although I’d like to see Kyung Ho Kang get that). Or, if he wants to keep being the man on deck for every exciting newcomer, Ricky Simon just got a big win. Eventually, the matchup I really want to see is against Thomas Almeida, but Almeida recently underwent eye surgery, so who knows what his return ETA will be. Given all those options, I’ll say book Dodson against the Stamann/Perez loser. He’s coming off back-to-back losses, so pitting him against a fighter on a win just doesn’t feel like a solid booking right now.
DIEGO FERREIRA
Daniel – Good solid win from Carlos Diego Ferreira who has transformed himself into a sneaky good fighter in an absolutely stacked lightweight division. That striking of his has come on in leaps and bounds, but – at his advanced age – it’s now-or-never if he wants to be a top contender, or someone more than ‘another middling lightweight’. As the top of the divison is in a bit of a logjam at the moment, why not pit Ferreira against fellow submission savant Charles Oliveira, and see who’s ground game is better — or more likely watch as the two engage in a kickboxing bout for 15 minutes.
Zane – Ferreira has been racking up some strong wins since returning from his USADA suspension in 2018. And this one over Khabilov should definitely push him back up toward big fights. I wouldn’t at all mind seeing him fight ‘do Bronx’, but I also feel like Oliveira has earned bigger than that. How about a fight against Nik Lentz? Lentz isn’t ranked, but he’s a similarly tenured and similarly successful fighter to Oliveira. Maybe a step sideways from Khabilov, but if Ferreira can get another strong win, then fights against Oliveira or Felder would look a lot more interesting. If the UFC really wants to take a chance on getting a rising contender picked off, on the other hand, they could book Ferreira against Gregor Gillespie. Two aggressive, wild strikers; one an elite wrestler, one an elite grappler? I’d be down for it. For now, though, put Diego Ferreira in there against Nik Lentz and lets see if he can get another solid veteran win.
OTHER BOUTS: Rogerio de Lima vs. Albini, Villante vs. Clark, Pudilova vs. Faria, Ankalaev vs. Safarov/Saki winner, Abreu vs. Ledet, Grant vs. Kenan, Pedersoli vs. Zawada, Fishgold vs. Dawodu, Teymur vs. Bandenay, Robertson vs. Carolina/Yanan winner, Macedo vs. Frota, Hadzovic vs. Vannata, Reyes vs. Holtzman, Naurdiev vs. Mein, Prazeres vs. Good, Khabilov vs. Patrick, Ismagulov vs. Roberts, J. Alvarez vs. K. Nelson