Although it wasn’t exactly cram-packed with exciting finishes, UFC Macao provided us with plenty to talk about nonetheless. Let’s not act like Bruce Leroy’s Haiduken punch just didn’t happen, because it did and it was either awesome or the dumbest f*cking thing we have ever seen. We can’t tell yet.
Elsewhere on the card, some people beat some other people by decision, so join us as we decipher the judge’s scorecards and try to determine who the night’s biggest winners should face next.
Cung Le: Despite being a healthy underdog with a significant size and slight age disadvantage, Cung Le was able to deliver a spectacular knockout in arguably the most high profile fight of his career. That being said, we’re not going to fool ourselves into thinking the 40 year old is truly in the title mix just yet. At this point, Le appears to be more invested in his film career than in that of his mixed martial arts one (and rightfully so), but the man is still a draw who can both deliver exciting finishes and hang with more than most, so it only makes sense to give him another high profile, low risk fight.
The problem is, there simply aren’t that many of those kind of fights available for Cung in the UFC’s current middleweight pool. Most of the division in currently tied up and Cung has stated that he would like to take some time away to spend with his family, so we think it would be best to give Cung some time off and have him face the winner of the Hector Lombard/Rousimar Palhares battle at UFC on FX 6, or maybe Chris Leben if he is able to get by Karlos Vemola at UFC 155. Who would you prefer, Taters?
Although it wasn’t exactly cram-packed with exciting finishes, UFC Macao provided us with plenty to talk about nonetheless. Let’s not act like Bruce Leroy’s Haiduken punch just didn’t happen, because it did and it was either awesome or the dumbest f*cking thing we have ever seen. We can’t tell yet.
Elsewhere on the card, some people beat some other people by decision, so join us as we decipher the judge’s scorecards and try to determine who the night’s biggest winners should face next.
Cung Le: Despite being a healthy underdog with a significant size and slight age disadvantage, Cung Le was able to deliver a spectacular knockout in arguably the most high profile fight of his career. That being said, we’re not going to fool ourselves into thinking the 40 year old is truly in the title mix just yet. At this point, Le appears to be more invested in his film career than in that of his mixed martial arts one (and rightfully so), but the man is still a draw who can both deliver exciting finishes and hang with more than most, so it only makes sense to give him another high profile, low risk fight.
The problem is, there simply aren’t that many of those kind of fights available for Cung in the UFC’s current middleweight pool. Most of the division in currently tied up and Cung has stated that he would like to take some time away to spend with his family, so we think it would be best to give Cung some time off and have him face the winner of the Hector Lombard/Rousimar Palhares battle at UFC on FX 6, or maybe Chris Leben if he is able to get by Karlos Vemola at UFC 155. Who would you prefer, Taters?
Thiago Silva: We’re not really sure what to take away from Thiago Silva’s victory over Stanislav Nedkov, who was so gassed by the time the fight came to an end that it appeared as if a well-placed yawn could have knocked him over. Silva looked quicker than he had in quite some time in the early going, yet looked frustratingly slow and linear when it came to avoiding the Bulgarian’s lumbering takedown attempts. Sure, he’s a BJJ black belt who finally showcased his submission skills, but we know that we’ll get the best Thiago Silva — win or lose — when he’s matched up against another hard-hitting striker. Enter James Te Huna, an Australian slugger with bricks for hands and a chin that’s just as solid. Not only is it one of those “fun” fights we love so much, but it actually makes sense. Everybody wins!
Takanori Gomi: Speaking of fighters that are best left to swing for the fences against guys who will do the same, we come to “The Fireball Kid.” He’s managed to save his UFC career with two straight wins, but we’re not exactly ready to throw Gomi another contender so we can watch him get submitted again. It just hurts too much. Personally, I’d like to see Gomi face the winner of either the Melvin Guillard/Jamie Varner or the Sam Stout/John Makdessi fight. We’d be guaranteed another slugfest in either case, and if Gomi stands a chance of winning anything, it’s a slugfest. Because we’re not trying to convince ourselves that Gomi will be fighting for the title anytime soon, we’d just like to see an old friend end his career with the kind of fights that defined it.
Dong Hyun Kim: Although he’s already called out Demian Maia for a rematch of their UFC 148 contest that ended with an unfortunate rib injury, we’d like to see Kim take his grappling talents elsewhere. Specifically, against a certain Icelandic grappling phenom with a demeanor that can only be described as…stoic. We’ve all been riding the Gunnar Nelson hype train for some time know, so why not see how he fares against a seasoned veteran like Kim? The grappling exchanges between these two could become the things of legend, and when you’re dealing with a fighter as stifling, dominant, and often tiresome as Kim, that’s the best you can hope for.
And because we feel we must address this, let’s move on to the night’s biggest loser…
Rich Franklin: Well, Rich, we surely didn’t expect to see you go down like that. It’s beyond an understatement to declare that “Ace’s” best days (and chin) are behind him, but there’s no denying the brilliant and captivating career he’s had. The UFC’s go-to guy also seems smart enough to realize that he should get out of the game before he suffers any more losses as brutal as the one he suffered Saturday, because they are only more likely to happen the longer he sticks around. But if Rich really feels the need to give the fight game one last shot, I dunno, maybe match him up against Vladimir Matyushenko in a special rules match where they both sit at a table, get drunk, and compare scars?
(Having recently established himself as the alpha male, the Bigfoot eagerly races off into the jungles of Brazil to copulate with the herd’s last remaining female.)
We may be a few days removed from UFC on FX 5, but that doesn’t mean that the future has already been determined for the night’s biggest winners. Joe Silva and Sean Shelby may be the best in the biz, but even they could probably use a bit of matchmaking advice — or at least a backup plan– considering that half of the fights they book in the aftermath of this event will be cancelled due to injury, arrest, or a classic case of bitch wife. This is where the Armchair Matchmaker comes in, for what are sports without over analysis, needless speculation, and a headscratching appearance from Liam Neeson? By the end of this article, you will have witnessed at least one of these.
Here we go.
Antonio Silva: You might chalk this up to laziness, but pairing the rebounding “Bigfoot” against Stefan Struve seems like an awesome idea to us. We know Stefan called out Fabricio Werdum following his big win over Stipe Miocic at UFC on FUEL 5, but we think this matchup makes just as much sense, if not more. Both men have recently reestablished themselves at legitimate threats and Werdum 2.0 (you know, the one that can do this to people on the feet) seems like he would put on a clinic against either man. It would be a stretch to declare that either Struve or Silva are exactly title-worthy material yet, so let these two big men slug it out and give the winner a top contender. It’s a classic battle of Chin vs. Lankiness — Jay Leno vs. Conan O’Brien in an MMA ring, if you will — and would surely deliver an exciting finish inside the distance.
(Having recently established himself as the alpha male, the Bigfoot eagerly races off into the jungles of Brazil to copulate with the herd’s last remaining female.)
We may be a few days removed from UFC on FX 5, but that doesn’t mean that the future has already been determined for the night’s biggest winners. Joe Silva and Sean Shelby may be the best in the biz, but even they could probably use a bit of matchmaking advice — or at least a backup plan– considering that half of the fights they book in the aftermath of this event will be cancelled due to injury, arrest, or a classic case of bitch wife. This is where the Armchair Matchmaker comes in, for what are sports without over analysis, needless speculation, and a headscratching appearance from Liam Neeson? By the end of this article, you will have witnessed at least one of these.
Here we go.
Antonio Silva: You might chalk this up to laziness, but pairing the rebounding “Bigfoot” against Stefan Struve seems like an awesome idea to us. We know Stefan called out Fabricio Werdum following his big win over Stipe Miocic at UFC on FUEL 5, but we think this matchup makes just as much sense, if not more. Both men have recently reestablished themselves at legitimate threats and Werdum 2.0 (you know, the one that can do this to people on the feet) seems like he would put on a clinic against either man. It would be a stretch to declare that either Struve or Silva are exactly title-worthy material yet, so let these two big men slug it out and give the winner a top contender. It’s a classic battle of Chin vs. Lankiness – Jay Leno vs. Conan O’Brien in an MMA ring, if you will — and would surely deliver an exciting finish inside the distance.
Jake Ellenberger: He may have come away with a victory over a legit fighter in Jay Hieron on Friday, but Ellenberger’s performance was easily one of the most disappointing in recent memory, which is saying something considering he was just TKO’d in his last fight. Ellenberger seemed far too content to throw haymakers with the hope of a flash KO and never really went out of his way to try and obtain a finish, so there’d be no better way to light a fire under him for his next fight than to pair him with perennial trash-talking contender Josh Koscheck. Kos is coming off a close loss to Johnny Hendricks, who he ranked just above “Ingleburger” in a previous interview and would love the opportunity to prove all of us retarded, fighter-ranking assholes wrong anyway.
John Dodson: Although Dodson earned the right to fight newly-crowned flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson with his impressive second round knockout of Jussier Formiga, we’d rather see Dodson take on the drunken asshole that couldn’t keep quiet on Friday in a no holds-barred street fight to the death. If Dodson wins, we can never complain about another flyweight fight again. If he loses, we pack him and as many flyweights as humanely possible into an undersized car and let the hijinks ensue.
Justin Edwards: Edwards is four fights into his UFC career, yet we still don’t really know what to make of the guy. His 45-second victory over Neer was both impressive and unexpected, but again, it didn’t tell us much about him other than the fact that he has a nasty arm-in guillotine. Simply put, we need to see more of Edwards, and a fight that would show us a lot about the guy would be against a Dan Miller type fighter. Not only does Miller also possess one of the nastiest guillotines in the division — which he used to score his last victory — but he is a well rounded, middle-of-the-pack guy who would be the perfect litmus test for Edwards. Miller was expected to face Sean Pierson at UFC 152, but pulled out when he received word that his son Danny Jr. would be undergoing a much needed kidney transplant. Now that Danny Jr. appears to be in the clear for the time being, we imagine Dan could use some more help paying the bills, and a win over Edwards would be a solid step in the right direction.
Michael Johnson: The TUF 12 product was able to overcome some early difficulty against Danny Castillo (thanks in part to a slight mental error by “Last Call”) in the first round and scored the most vicious knockout of his career in the second. Now finding himself on a three fight win streak, Johnson could use a slight step up in competition to see if he can overcome adversity again. A clash against the ever-improving Matt Wiman would make sense. Wiman recently scored a huge upset over Paul Sass at UFC on FUEL 5, and like Johnson, could use another big victory to keep his name in circulation.
Mike Pierce: It was almost eerie how similar Pierce’s and Johnson’s performances were last Friday. Both men were rocked in the first round, only to release the Kraken (I TOLD YOU!) and deliver a spine-shattering knockout early in the second. Considering how terrible Pierce looked in his victory over Carlos Eduardo Rocha his last trip out, he has to be feeling like a boss right now and rightfully so. Pierce is now 7-3 in his UFC career, with all of his losses coming to title challengers, so why not toss him another former title challenger? After falling to a third round come from behind submission at the hands of Martin Kampmann, Thiago Alves was supposed to fight Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 149, but blah blah blah injury curse, so pairing him against Pierce seems like a pretty smart move to effectively destroy any hope one of these men has at a title shot (or another in Alves’ case).
Are there any matchups that you’d rather see, Potato Nation?
(Matt Hamill plays airplane with his freakishly large, Progeria-ridden child after defeating Roger Hollett earlier in the evening.)
It may be a futile effort to draft up these Armchair Matchmakers given the chaos that injuries are creating at every turn these days, but God damn it, a comedic MMA website has to have its principles! So with that in mind, we decided to scour through the wreckage left behind by UFC 152 and provide some potential opponents for the UFC to consider when booking the night’s biggest winners down the line. Join us and voice your opinions in the comments section, won’t you?
Jon Jones: Despite his best trolling efforts, it appears as if the UFC will actually show some common sense and wait to see if Chael Sonnen can at least defeat one “contender” at 205 (you know, the one he’s supposed to face) before expediting him right to a title shot because the fans apparently control the matchups all of a sudden. We were all for Sonnen/Jones on 8 days notice, but it’s clear that Jones only has two opponents truly worthy of getting ground into dog meat by him next. The first is Dan Henderson, who Jones blamed for the whole UFC 151 fiasco in the first place. He’s clearly next in line in a division that is suddenly absent of marketable contenders (sorry, Alex) and will hopefully be back to his normal H-bombing self before osteoporosis sets in and we have to go through this all over again. The second option…well, let’s just say that he would give Jones an offer that he could neither refuse nor defend. Specifically, “Five of these across the sneeze.”
(Matt Hamill plays airplane with his freakishly large, Progeria-ridden child after defeating Roger Hollett earlier in the evening.)
It may be a futile effort to draft up these Armchair Matchmakers given the chaos that injuries are creating at every turn these days, but God damn it, a comedic MMA website has to have its principles! So with that in mind, we decided to scour through the wreckage left behind by UFC 152 and provide some potential opponents for the UFC to consider when booking the night’s biggest winners down the line. Join us and voice your opinions in the comments section, won’t you?
Jon Jones: Despite his best trolling efforts, it appears as if the UFC will actually show some common sense and wait to see if Chael Sonnen can at least defeat one “contender” at 205 (you know, the one he’s supposed to face) before expediting him right to a title shot because the fans apparently control the matchups all of a sudden. We were all for Sonnen/Jones on 8 days notice, but it’s clear that Jones only has two opponents truly worthy of getting ground into dog meat by him next. The first is Dan Henderson, who Jones blamed for the whole UFC 151 fiasco in the first place. He’s clearly next in line in a division that is suddenly absent of marketable contenders (sorry, Alex) and will hopefully be back to his normal H-bombing self before osteoporosis sets in and we have to go through this all over again. The second option…well, let’s just say that he would give Jones an offer that he could neither refuse nor defend. Specifically, “Five of these across the sneeze.”
Demetrious Johnson: Dana White announced at the UFC 152 post-fight press conference that the winner of John “Clown Baby” Dodson vs. Jussier “Formiga” da Silva will more than likely be next in line for a flyweight title shot, a match that Johnson stated he will be watching with vested interest as well. So that’s that.
Michael Bisping: We know, we know; we previously stated that if Bisping wanted to get slaughtered by Anderson Silva next then we should let him do it and in fact cheer him on. But let’s be real here, Taters, Anderson doesn’t reallygive two shits about the middleweight division right meow, and IFhe gets past Stephan Bonnar at UFC 153, he will spend the remainder of his time shooting movies and waiting for the GSP superfight that may never come. And besides those facts, does anyone honestly think Bisping has earned a shot at Silva? He’s currently on a 1-0 (decision) win streak and just beat his first top 10 opponent in…ever. We say give him the winner of Chris Weidman vs. Tim Boetsch while Anderson is off doing his thing.
Matt Hamill: Even though he turned in a pretty poor performance against Roger Hollett last Saturday, one of you were quick to point out that “The Hammer” set the UFC record for significant strikes landed in a LHW fight with 124. That’s great and all, but the fact that 90% of those strikes were landed to the head of a downed and fetal Hollett without at least TKO’ing him doesn’t exactly speak volumes of Hamill’s power. Granted, it was Hamill’s first fight in over a year, so maybe we shouldn’t be so harsh on him. The fact still remains, however, that the TUF 3 alum still has a lot of kinks to work out, and we think the perfect matchup for him would be none other than former CP blogger Ryan Jimmo, who is coming off a 7-second destruction of Anthony Perosh in his UFC debut and has a wide open dance card. A win for either man would be a big step in the right direction.
Cub Swanson: Tweaked knee or no tweaked knee, Charles Oliveira got straight up embarrassed by Swanson last weekend, and it’s time to give Cub the step up in competition he has feared since Jose Aldo stole his eyebrow and took it home to Brazil. Working with Greg Jackson has improved his game in leaps and bounds, so why not match him up against a former “title contender” in Eric Koch? Injuries have kept Koch out of action for over a year now and he could use a win over a streaking fighter like Swanson to prove that he was title-worthy in the first place. Again, it’s a good fit for all involved and screams fireworks, so start Twitter-bombing DW with requests and make it happen!
Vinny Magalhaes: The TUF 8 finalist looked great in his grand return to Zuffa, taking advantage of a huge mental error by Igor Pokrajac (apparently he has a lot of those) to secure a brilliant armbar finish. He’s been seeking UFC redemption ever since he was released by the promotion, so a fight with Ryan Bader a.k.a the man who dashed his TUF dreams seems like a pretty smart move. Bader was just knocked out of contendership by Lyoto Machida at UFC on FOX 4 and will be looking for some redemption of his own. However, if you’re not a big fan of rematches, pairing Magalhaes against James Te Huna would be a great litmus test for both men. Te Huna needs to prove that he can hang with the best on the ground if he is ever to be considered a legit contender and Vinny could use another win over a solid standup fighter to erase the memories of the “tuck-n-roll” loss that dominates Bader’s highlight reel.
T.J. Grant: It might surprise you to learn that Grant has been fighting int he UFC for over three years now, but has gone overlooked by almost every fight fan for his somewhat lackluster fighting style and lack of finishes. Even though he did not finish Evan Dunham in their FOTN-earning war on Saturday, it’s safe to say that Grant is finally a name that UFC fans can get excited about. Now 3-0 at 155 lbs., Grant’s striking, cardio, and chin looked phenomenal against Dunham, and he should look to keep the momentum rolling against another exciting lightweight. The first name that comes to mind is Jamie Varner, who followed a gigantic win over Edson Barboza with a hard fought third round triangle loss to Joe Lauzon, also at UFC on FOX 4. A former WEC champion, Varner is just the kind of name that Grant could build his name off. On the other side of the coin, a win over a fellow vet like Grant could give Varner’s confidence an additional boost while keeping him relevant in his new home.
Marcus Brimage: He’s knocked two hype trains off the rails in as many matches; let’s see him try and do it again. Although Dustin Poirier‘s train suffered a significant setback in his loss to Chan Sung Jung at UFC on FUEL 3, he is still easily top 5 material. If Brimage can manage to upset Poirier, or even give an impressive showing against him, there will be no denying his future in the division.
Any matchups you think we missed? Let us know in the comments section.
(Mike Swick and DaMarques Johnson combine their efforts to create not only the greatest punchface of 2012, but perhaps the greatest punchface of all time.)
Aside from the disappointing and sudden end that came during the Phil Davis/Wagner Prado fight (which is tentatively being rescheduled for UFC on FX 5), last Saturday’s UFC on FOX event delivered in spades, featuring a main card that not only provided four highlight reel finishes for the night’s big winners, but a quartet of great fights that mainstream audiences had yet to witness on a FOX card. It more than likely came as a surprise to most of us that the card was as successful as it truly was, so with that in mind, we decided to dust off our beloved Armchair Matchmaker and pre-determine the fates of the aforementioned winners and losers from last weekend’s action. Enjoy, and let us know of any other possible matchups you’d like to see in the comments section.
Mauricio Rua: Despite smashing Brandon Vera’s title aspirations in rather brutal fashion, there is no denying that Shogun had some rather dicey moments leading up to the fourth round finish (that guillotine, for instance). After controlling Vera on the ground for the majority of the first, Shogun looked like he was fighting underwater by the end of the second. But as was the case in his previous loss to Dan Henderson, Shogun proved that what he lacks in cardio he more than makes up for in heart.
Still, it will take at least another “impressive” finish over an upper-echelon opponent before we are convinced that Shogun deserves another title shot. His total unwillingness to fight Glover Teixeira causes some pause for concern, and since it appears that Rashad Evans might be headed for 185 in the near future, we are left with only one suitable fit: Alexander Gustafsson. Last weekend basically cleared out the list of potential contenders at 205, and although we’d rather see Shogun and Lyoto Machida complete their trilogy for the right to take on the Bones/Hendo winner, we can’t hate on Dana White for following through on his promise. So if Rua/Gustafsson is all we’re left with, we’d be more than willing to watch these two throw down for a #1 contender spot. Let’s just hope Shogun packs his oxygen tank this time.
(Mike Swick and DaMarques Johnson combine their efforts to create not only the greatest punchface of 2012, but perhaps the greatest punchface of all time.)
Aside from the disappointing and sudden end that came during the Phil Davis/Wagner Prado fight (which is tentatively being rescheduled for UFC on FX 5), last Saturday’s UFC on FOX event delivered in spades, featuring a main card that not only provided four highlight reel finishes for the night’s big winners, but a quartet of great fights that mainstream audiences had yet to witness on a FOX card. It more than likely came as a surprise to most of us that the card was as successful as it truly was, so with that in mind, we decided to dust off our beloved Armchair Matchmaker and pre-determine the fates of the aforementioned winners and losers from last weekend’s action. Enjoy, and let us know of any other possible matchups you’d like to see in the comments section.
Mauricio Rua: Despite smashing Brandon Vera’s title aspirations in rather brutal fashion, there is no denying that Shogun had some rather dicey moments leading up to the fourth round finish (that guillotine, for instance). After controlling Vera on the ground for the majority of the first, Shogun looked like he was fighting underwater by the end of the second. But as was the case in his previous loss to Dan Henderson, Shogun proved that what he lacks in cardio he more than makes up for in heart.
Still, it will take at least another “impressive” finish over an upper-echelon opponent before we are convinced that Shogun deserves another title shot. His total unwillingness to fight Glover Teixeira causes some pause for concern, and since it appears that Rashad Evans might be headed for 185 in the near future, we are left with only one suitable fit: Alexander Gustafsson. Last weekend basically cleared out the list of potential contenders at 205, and although we’d rather see Shogun and Lyoto Machida complete their trilogy for the right to take on the Bones/Hendo winner, we can’t hate on Dana White for following through on his promise. So if Rua/Gustafsson is all we’re left with, we’d be more than willing to watch these two throw down for a #1 contender spot. Let’s just hope Shogun packs his oxygen tank this time.
Brandon Vera: Although we don’t need to reiterate that “The Truth” completely blew our expectations out of the water, we’re going to anyway. Anyone who predicted that Vera would put up as great a fight as he did against a beast like Shogun was either Negrodamus or a shut-in UFC fan who hadn’t seen Vera fight since UFC 65. If the Brandon Vera that showed up Saturday night continues to show up in the future, we are going to be in for some fantastic fights to put it simply. We’re sure he’d love a chance for revenge against noted “juice monkey” Thiago Silva, who was originally scheduled to face Rua at UFC 149, but Silva’s neverending back problems don’t give us much hope that he’ll be ready for action anytime soon. Given Vera’s stellar performance last weekend, we’d like to see him take a tough, but winnable matchup that will boost his confidence should he emerge victorious. Just 1-2 in his last three, Antonio Rogerio Nogueria seems like a perfect litmus test for Vera. Lil Nog packs a hell of a punch and a slick submission game to boot, yet hasn’t really convinced many fans that he is championship material in his past few octagon appearances. Sound familiar?
Ryan Bader: If Lyoto Machida is Johnny Cage (or more likely Liu Kang, but just set ethnicity aside for a moment), Ryan Bader is without a doubt the lumbering, stumbling four armed freak that Cage testicle-punched off the mountain top. Bader looked completely lost when forced to deal with Machida’s elusive style, and aside from abandoning his wrestling base, apparently became frustrated to the point that he decided bull rushing into Machida’s fist with his eyes closed would be the most dignified way out. A flawless victory for Machida it truly was. The loss puts Bader in a unique, if not scary position. On one hand, he can handily defeat 85 to 90 percent of the division’s challengers, but on the other, he has been absolutely schooled by the division’s elite…and Tito. It’s not quite gatekeeper status, but if Bader wants to launch himself back up the ranks, he will need a huge win to do so.
Although he doesn’t present as interesting a puzzle as Machida (then again, who does really?) James Te Huna would make for a great matchup. On the heels of a record setting performance against Joey Beltran, Te Huna’s UFC record now stands at 4-1, with three of those wins coming by some variation of a Falcon Punch. The New Zealander has shown some susceptibility to the takedown in the past, and a fight against Bader would tell us a lot about which direction both men are headed.
Joe Lauzon: After overcoming a few rocky moments against a former WEC champion, Lauzon delivered in the style he has become known for: exciting and decisive. Now the all time leader in performance bonuses, Lauzon has only seen the judge’s cards in defeat, which in and of itself should be commended. That being said, Lauzon’s standup game still has some significant holes (mainly, his defense and head movement) that need working on if he is to hang with some of the power punchers that reside at 155 lbs. If you’re looking for a fighter who would make for a great test of Lauzon’s all around game, look no further than Jim Miller. He came up short in his #1 contender bout with Nate Diaz, suffering the first submission loss of his career, and will be looking to rebound with a fury. Both men are upper-level lightweights that have fallen short in fights against the true contenders, and would make for a guaranteed FOTN were they to square off.
Jamie Varner: Although his comeback story hit a speedbump, there is no reason to knock Varner for his gutsy performance. He took the fight on short notice, fought until the very end, and even managed to drop Lauzon on a couple of occasions. Varner is a gamer, through and through, and once his hand recovers, he deserves a fight with a guy who brings the fight each and every appearance. The first name that pops into my mind is Sam Stout, who is fresh off a trilogy capturing victory over Spencer Fisher. Both men are excellent strikers who aren’t afraid to take a punch, and would make for a great addition to any card lacking fireworks.
Mike Swick: It may have taken him over two years to do so, but “Quick” put on a performance for the ages against Damarques Johnson, overcoming an early storm to emphatically show “Darkness” the irony of his nickname in the second round. At the risk of sounding cliche (not to mention ignoring a certain ban on the phrase), Swick looked like his old self last weekend, and we couldn’t be more happy for the guy. But given the time he has spent away from the octagon, we’d like to have him face another mid-level fighter before he is thrown to the contenders of the division. James Head is fresh off an upset victory over Brian Ebersole at UFC 149, and would definitely jump at the opportunity to knock off another big name like Swick. If that’s not quite the marquee matchup you’re looking for, a fight against Stephen Thompson, who just came up short against Matt Brown in a hell of a fight at UFC 145, would make for an interesting pairing.
Nam Phan: Here’s what we know about Nam Phan:
1. Dude throws some nasty body punches.
2. Dude makes for exciting fights in every appearance.
3. Dude cannot beat another dude convincingly inside of three rounds.
Do the judges have it out for this guy? We couldn’t be the only one’s who felt the Leonard Garcia decision creep into the back of our minds when it was announced that Phan’s victory over Cole Miller was a split decision. Although it’s a given that one out of three MMA judges is either mentally handicapped in some fashion or plain blind nowadays, Phan needs to start going for broke if he doesn’t want to find himself on the wrong end of a decision in the near future. We’d suggest that he square off against Manny Gamburyan, who also emerged victorious at the same event, to try and get a good finish under his belt. Manny is a tough, hard hitting former title challenger who just recently broke a three fight skid, so we’d like to see these two throw caution to the wind and let the fists fly.
Give us your thoughts on our matchups, as well as the ones you’d like to see for the rest of the night’s competitors, in the comments section.
(Tom Lawlor: The UFC’s undisputed Seven Up champion.)
Maybe it’s just us, but it seems like it’s getting harder and harder to drum up a potential list of future opponents for the winners of a given UFC card these days. Not only are most fighters already booked for the promotion’s ever-increasing amount of cards, but the ones selected for title shots are seemingly being drawn out of a hat. Be that as it may, we are going to try and sift through the wreckage of last night’s UFC on FUEL card and determine who the big winners should face next. Enjoy.
Chan Sung Jung: We’ll be the first to admit that we underestimated “The Korean Zombie” heading into yesterday’s fight. But aside from his excellent transitions on the ground, or that amazing takedown reversal to mount he was able to pull off, the thing that impressed us the most about Jung was his tranquility. While Poirier was throwing his best shots at him, Jung remained calm, and worked his way out of every hairy situation like a true pro. He deserves a title shot, and Dana White claims that he is next in line for one. And The Baldfather would never go back on his word. Just ask Anthony Pettis.
(Tom Lawlor: The UFC’s undisputed Seven Up champion.)
Maybe it’s just us, but it seems like it’s getting harder and harder to drum up a potential list of future opponents for the winners of a given UFC card these days. Not only are most fighters already booked for the promotion’s ever-increasing amount of cards, but the ones selected for title shots are seemingly being drawn out of a hat. Be that as it may, we are going to try and sift through the wreckage of last night’s UFC on FUEL card and determine who the big winners should face next. Enjoy.
Chan Sung Jung: We’ll be the first to admit that we underestimated “The Korean Zombie” heading into yesterday’s fight. But aside from his excellent transitions on the ground, or that amazing takedown reversal to mount he was able to pull off, the thing that impressed us the most about Jung was his tranquility. While Poirier was throwing his best shots at him, Jung remained calm, and worked his way out of every hairy situation like a true pro. He deserves a title shot, and Dana White claims that he is next in line for one. And The Baldfather would never go back on his word. Just ask Anthony Pettis.
Amir Sadollah: Despite the fact that neither Sadollah or Jorge Lopez offered much in terms of offensive output in their co-main event (Author’s note: WHO THE FUCK DECIDED THIS?!) clash, we were a little surprised to see Amir get the nod. But regardless of the outcome, one could see that there are still some noticeable holes in Sadollah’s game. Mainly, aggression and takedown defense. Sadollah needs to fight a guy that will bring out his inner beast, and the winner of the Matt Riddle/Luis Ramos bout would be a perfect test for him.
Donald Cerrone: To say that Cerrone’s performance against Jeremy Stephens was anything short of masterful would be an understatement. When facing “The Cowboy’s” multifaceted, not to mention vicious attack, Stephens could do little else but swing for all he was worth, with all but a few of his punches coming up far short of their target. Now 5-1 in the UFC, Cerrone should only be fighting the division’s brightest. A match against Anthony Pettis would not only be a great test of just how far either man will go at 155, but a potential FOTY candidate to boot. Plus, DW could promise the winner a title shot by the end of 2014 when the lightweight division finally clears up.
Yves Jabouin: After falling prey to one of the greatest submissions of 2011 in his UFC debut, the Tristar Gym standout has reeled off three straight in the octagon. Although he has yet to finish an opponent in convincing fashion in his UFC run, he came as close as humanly possible when he unleashed that spinning back kick in the first round of his bantamweight brawl with Jeff Hougland. Given his propencity to put on technical, yet exciting striking clinics, we’d like to see him square off against Mike Easton, who he was originally scheduled to face at yesterday’s event, once “The Hulk” recovers from his injury. It was a good matchup then, and it makes just as much sense now. The pace this fight would take place at would be enough to send the audience into a mass epileptic seizure, and it could make for a great addition to any lacking card.
Tom Lawlor: Currently 2-2 in his last four, with victories coming over the now released Patrick Cote and the soon to be retired Jason MacDonald, it’s kind of hard to place LOLor anywhere but the middle of the pack at this point. We will forever be indebted to “Filthy” for becoming the first man to choke C.B. Dolloway into Narnia at UFC 100, and the man’s weigh-in fashion sense is nothing short of impeccable, so he deserves a winnable matchup against an entertaining fighter to carry the momentum of his KOTN performance. The winner of the Nick Catone/Chris Camozzi scrap, scheduled for UFC on FX 4, comes to mind.
Cody McKenzie: We don’t care if McKenzie is a one-trick pony, he’s our one trick pony, dammit. Physically, McKenzie looked the best he ever has when stepping into the cage against UFC newcomer and wrestling powerhouse Marcus LeVessuer, but that could’ve simply been the result of trimming the outhouse mop that sat atop his head for so long. Sure, he still looked goofy as hell when throwing some of his kicks, which included the first upkick nutshot we’ve seen in quite some time, but if you so much as sneeze in his general direction, he will snatch that neck up and have you crying uncle before you even have time to wipe your nose. He more than likely saved his Zuffa career yesterday, and isn’t exactly ready for a huge step up in competition. Honestly, I would be satisfied if the UFC continued to serve him McKenzietine fodder for the rest of his career, but a matchup against Reza Madadi, who is coming off an impressive debut submission victory over Yoislandy Izquierdo at UFC on FUEL: Gustafsson vs. Silva would be a good test of just what he can do.
So what do you think, Potato Nation? Who should yesterday’s biggest winners (or losers) face off against in the near future?
(Thigh sleeve > Muttonchops? I don’t understand this world anymore.)
By Jack Saladino
After a six week hiatus that threatened to drive UFC fans worldwide into their nearest mental asylum, UFC 145 came back with a fury, providing us with all the sweet KO’s, slick submissions, and classic scraps that we have come to know and love. And now that the storm has passed, we must look to the future for those involved in what was a fantastic night of fights. As always, we’ll take a look at the must-make match-ups for Saturday’s biggest winners, and maybe even a couple of the losers, because they’re people too, we guess.
Let’s get right to it…
Travis Browne– If not for Chad Griggs’ incredible chin, “Hapa” could have just as easily walked away with a Knockout of the Night bonus for that beautiful double flying knee. That being said, Browne was awarded Submission of the Night for only his second career submission victory, and looked like a Jiu-Jitsu whiz while doing so. Browne has steamrolled through most of his opponents, and if the heavyweight division wasn’t so tongue tied at the moment, I would have a long list of potential opponents for the Hawaiian. But Browne has age on his side and would fight tomorrow if you asked him to, so I’m thinking he should step up and fill the vacancy “Bigfoot” Silva left against Roy Nelson. Browne has a month to keep fit and a win over a name like “Big Country” on relatively short notice would ensure his top tier status.
(Thigh sleeve > Muttonchops? I don’t understand this world anymore.)
By Jack Saladino
After a six week hiatus that threatened to drive UFC fans worldwide into their nearest mental asylum, UFC 145 came back with a fury, providing us with all the sweet KO’s, slick submissions, and classic scraps that we have come to know and love. And now that the storm has passed, we must look to the future for those involved in what was a fantastic night of fights. As always, we’ll take a look at the must-make match-ups for Saturday’s biggest winners, and maybe even a couple of the losers, because they’re people too, we guess.
Let’s get right to it…
Travis Browne– If not for Chad Griggs’ incredible chin, “Hapa” could have just as easily walked away with a Knockout of the Night bonus for that beautiful double flying knee. That being said, Browne was awarded Submission of the Night for only his second career submission victory, and looked like a Jiu-Jitsu whiz while doing so. Browne has steamrolled through most of his opponents, and if the heavyweight division wasn’t so tongue tied at the moment, I would have a long list of potential opponents for the Hawaiian. But Browne has age on his side and would fight tomorrow if you asked him to, so I’m thinking he should step up and fill the vacancy “Bigfoot” Silva left against Roy Nelson. Browne has a month to keep fit and a win over a name like “Big Country” on relatively short notice would ensure his top tier status.
Mark Bocek– The pasty Canadian BJJ specialist has had a bumpy road to hoe thus far in his Zuffa career. His only losses have come to title holders, potential contenders, and TUF winners, but his only wins have come over fighters no longer employed by the promotion. And John Alessio, who as of this moment has yet to be booted from the UFC again. For Bocek’s next fight, I’d like to see him get a nice submission in a striker/grappler mismatch against UFC 145 undercard winner Anthony Njokuani. Njokuani made a name for himself in the WEC but has struggled to thrive in the UFC’s tough lightweight division. If he could neutralize the ground game of Bocek and score a KO, it could propel him into notoriety. Potentially, this could be a huge fight for both men.
Eddie Yagin– I couldn’t imagine a better pick for Fight of the Night than Yagin’s huge upset over former number one contender Mark Hominick. With more strikes landed in three rounds than the five round title fight and a no holds barred attitude from both fighters, I was thoroughly pleased with each man’s performance. Unfortunately for Hominick, getting dropped twice, combined with his one-dimensional striking attack, cost him a close split decision for his third loss in a row. This was a big win Yagin, who utilized some powerful kicks to pepper Hominick’s legs and managed to rock “The Machine” on two separate occasions, despite telegraphing damn near every technique he threw. I’d recommend he heals his face up, improves his cardio, and gets ready to fight Armenian judoka Manvel Gamburyan, who’s also coming off three consecutive losses. Both men are relatively small even for featherweight, and would make for a hell of an addition to one of the free “Fight Night” type cards the UFC throws our way every now and again.
Michael McDonald– Be afraid, Mr. Cruz. Be very afraid. After your done trading insults (and tiny fists) with Urijah Faber, you’re going to have to deal with the ridiculous punching power of this youngster. The 21 year old McDonald is thriving off his second consecutive first round KO, and against a former WEC champ nonetheless. If he hasn’t already cemented his spot amongst the bantamweight elite, perhaps a fight against someone like Brad Pickett would. Renan Barao and Ivan Menjivar could be fighting for the #1 contender spot at UFC 148, but I think Pickett or McDonald could also present a serious challenge to the champ.
Ben Rothwell– I’m not sure how Ben Rothwell and Brendan Schaub, who were both coming off rather embarrassing losses (the former more so than the latter), got promoted to the main card over Travis Browne and Chad Griggs, who are both coming off wins. That being said, “Big Ben” survived an early onslaught and got the better of “The Hybrid” in a flurry that earned him Knockout of the Night honors, and finally gave him a UFC highlight to boot. The heavyweight division is upside down right now thanks to Alistair Overeem’s prescription-biased illiteracy, and almost every other big name is tied up at UFC 146. But one heavyweight I’d like to see back in the cage soon is Matt “Meathead” Mitrione, who would match-up perfectly with Rothwell. After suffering his first career loss to Cheick Kongo in October, Mitrione has been devoting most of his time to his family whilst opening up his own gym. He’ll be eager to erase the memory of what was one of the most boring fights this side of Ben Askren vs. anybody against a fellow slugger like Rothwell, so I say we match them up ASAP.
Rory MacDonald– When Rory MacDonald steps into the cage, the only thing he fails to do is give you a bathroom break. It is non-stop action with the GSP protégé, and his domination of Che Mills has earned him a step up in competition. His wrestling prowess is simply too much for a pure striker, so I’d like to see how he fares against a fellow wrestler. After Jon Fitchdisposes of Aaron Simpson at UFC 149, I say test “Ares” against the AKA product, who’s smothering “offense” has frustrated even the most aggressive of competitors at 170.
Jon Jones– The argument has been settled, reach is everything in fighting. Jones’ proved to be too much for Rashad Evans on Saturday night, as he was able to land over 75 strikes to the head alone, according to FightMetric. In the post-fight press conference, Dana White confirmed that Dan Henderson was next in line for the title shot, which would likely go down sometime in the late summer. Honestly, I think Jones deserves some well earned R&R, but then again, I’m not the boss, so I’m ready for sparks to fly.
Rashad Evans– The hype surrounding this fight may or may not have made the evening tougher for Rashad, but the fact of the matter is that he just couldn’t get inside frequently enough to put combos together against Jones. He had success in the first round landing a big head kick and a few flurries, but for the most part, he seemed content to eat jabs and elbows from the outside until the final bell rang. In my opinion, “Suga” should say farewell to the light heavyweight division and drop to 185. His cardio would improve enough for him to challenge most of the top tier middleweights right off the bat, and his fight with Jones would prepare him for what he could expect in a title fight against Anderson Silva. If Rashad chooses to drop, it would take him several months to do so, and by that time the middleweight division could be even more shaken up than it is now. The winner of Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva immediately comes to mind, being that they have both fought in higher weight classes before and have good power to boot. But the winner of Tim Boetsch and Michael Bisping could make for a great fight as well, especially if it meant a rematch with Bisping, who dropped to 185 following his loss to Evans at UFC 78.
