Matches to Make after UFC 119

UFC 119 was not the worst event I have ever seen. It was however the worst main event that I have seen. Two fighters that didn’t seem to have much desire to fight walked around each other until one of them got lazy enough to get KOed with a sloppy knee. Alas, no one who heard Cro Cop talk before this fight should have really expected much from him. But for all the talk Mir does, you would expect serious attempts to get the fight the ground and “earn another trophy for his wall.” Alas, the fights that we should be concerned took place earlier in the night. Chris Lytle and Matt Serra may not have had the most technical battle but they certainly weren’t boring. Matt Mitrione and CB Dollaway impressed on the spike TV portion of the card. Evan Dunham and Sean Sherk tore the house down and while Sherk came away with a win, Dunham might have actually gained more from the fight. After a full night of fights (or at least what were billed as fights) its time to look forward.

Ryan Bader vs. Rich Franklin

The word on the street is Bader vs Jon Jones is next on the docket, but I side with sherdog.com on this one in thinking the UFC might want to think twice about sacrificing one prospect to another. Nothing in Bader’s performance at 119 leads me to believe that he has a chance against Jones unless he lands that big looping right. Jones wont worry about his wrestling or his hands. That is not to say that Franklin would be a cakewalk. Franklin will be more willing to let his hands fly than Nog. Bader will get a chance to test his wrestling and his standup against another vet and see just how close he is to a title shot. Franklin on the other hand gets to fight a name opponent that is on the opposite end of the spectrum from his last and demonstrate that he can hang with the young athletes at 205.

Frank Mir vs Roy Nelson

You know who won’t let Frank Mir have a lazy fight? Roy Nelson. You know who wont be afraid to bang with Frank Mir? Roy Nelson. You know who wont be afraid to go to the ground with Frank Mir? Roy Nelson. I think everyone in the MMA universe, including Dana White has a lot of time for Roy Nelson now. He is coming off a tough lose to a future title contender and deserves a top-level fight to come back on. Mir on the other hand can’t deserve to take a huge stride up the ladder when you consider his last two fights. Both men provide solid tests for one another and should more thoroughly articulate where each belongs in the division.

Chris Lytle vs Jon Fitch

I would say Lytle vs Alvez here but Alvez has a dance partner. The UFC has never wanted to give Jon Fitch an easy fight and I think the time is now to give Lytle a chance to line himself up to take the next step. Lytle always delivers excitement and is very dangerous in all areas of the fight. Fitch is oft criticized for his “boring” style and could use a well rounded, blue-collar fighter to push the pace on him a bit. Both men want to take a step toward the title and they are both probably two fights away. Neither guy is in a protected position in the UFC so why not put them against one another and see who really wants a title fight.

Kenny Florian vs Sean Sherk II

Both fighters are very different fighters from their first meeting. Both guys are trying to make their way back to a title shot and both guys need quality wins. I don’t think anyone is ready to make this a number one contenders fight but it would certainly be a step in the right direction for both fighters. Sherk beat a prospect now he needs to fight an established fighter while Florian would love to avenge a loss and get back on the winning track, proving that he is maturing and developing. Sherk needs to prove that he is back to being The Muscle Shark and not that short stocky relatively ineffective boxer we saw before his string of injuries. Florian would make him use all his skills and that is what we need to see from Sherk.

Evan Dunham vs Takanori Gomi

Gomi is coming off a huge win and Dunham is coming off the most productive lose of anyone’s career. Many people adamantly believe he won the fight. Gomi would be a perfect fight for Dunham, a quality fighter and big name. Additionally the fight would test Dunham in a different way than Sherk did. Gomi wouldn’t exactly be taking a step down either. Dunham didn’t lose any fans at UFC 119 and everyone will be eyeing his return to the cage bringing some more attention from American fans to the Japanese fighter. Both guys would gain a great deal with a win. Both fighters get a big opportunity with this fight and a serious title contender could be born out of it. .

UFC Fighters To Watch

LW - Charles Oliveira – Casually writing about MMA and likening myself a serious fan of the sport, I have never made an easier decision in my life when it comes to kicking off a post. Charles Oliveira fought a bigger stronger man in Efrain Escudero. Plan A was nixed by Escudero’s size and wrestling so Oliveira went to Plan B - flashy, lightening fast striking that caught everyone, including the “experts,” off guard. This kid has some very serious ground skills, is demonstrating developing striking skills, and… lest we forget… he is only 20 years old. Oliveira certainly found his share of challenges dealing with Escudero but dealing with challenges is the sign of a superstar. In addition to his skills the lightweight division is one that seems to be in a period of shift, a new guard coming forward. There is not a fighter among the emerging stars that possesses the same skill set, making him unique among his peers.

WW – John Hathaway – Before his fight with Diego Sanchez at UFC 114 Hathaway had flown under the radar, due mostly to his decision wins and ultra-vanilla image. Well-rounded and not wanting for excitement, Hathaway is on a tear and the UFC seems to have his best interest in mind. Mike Pyle is a game opponent but it would have been easy to push Hathaway past his ability against someone like Thiago Alvez or Jon Fitch. Another young fighter at 23 years old, Hathaway’s brightest years are in front of him. His combination of takedowns and striking is tough to outscore on any given night but once Hathaway starts honing his skills to finish fights he will be hard for anyone at 170 pounds to contend with.

LW – George Sotiropoulos – Most MMA faithful are on to Soti at this point but he is still invisible to even the casual fan. The Sotiropoulos that we saw on TUF was impressive and likely should have won the contest, but he pales in comparison to the relentless Aussie who wore down both Kurt Peiegrino and Joe Stevenson. While one might wonder about his ability to finish, posting decisisions in his two biggest wins, Sotiropoulos’ first 4 wins ended in the first two rounds (three submissions and one TKO) and one glance at any of his fights makes clear his intentions to finish at all times. Not a brash talker, six wins has not been enough to get him the spotlight just yet but a seventh over Joe Lauzon could be enough to get him the winner of the next title fight. The scariest part about this fighter is that his stand-up might be underrated as we have witnessed noted improvement as his level of competition increases.

LHW – Phil Davis – It would be too easy to cite Jon Jones or Ryan Bader as a guy to watch in this division. I have a lot of time for both men and think they could both be future champions, but Phil Davis is another fighter proliferating the new prototype of an MMA fighter. Well rounded, strong, athletic, and improving technical prowess in all areas – Davis is tough for just about anyone to deal with. His quality of competition to this point has not been what has caught some fans’ eyes. It is the way in which he has won each fight, dominating in virtually every statistical category. Tim Boetch is slated to be Davis’ next and biggest test to date. The subject of this particular test will be Davis’ chin and power. Boech is the closest thing to a modern Viking that we have in MMA but he has shown weakness against wrestlers before. This could be a step out fight for Davis, who is about to enter a tough stretch of opponents over the next year or so.

Honorable Mentions

HW - Brendan Schaub – From Schaub to this point we have seen impressive performances against relatively impressive fighters. His only lose comes to the closest thing to a full on ringer TUF has ever had. I still have questions about Schaub’s ability to hang with fighters at the next level, but his athleticism and stand-up skills have been enough so far at least enough to raise some eyebrows.

HW - Matt Mitrione – Unimpressive in his stint on TUF 10 season, Mitrione has become the “MMA Test.” A former football player himself, he demonstrated that Marcus Jones was not ready to be in the UFC. More importantly he showcased to the world that Kimbo Slice was nowhere near ready. It makes you wonder what would have happened if Mitrione had been given the James Toney fight. Yet to prove himself at the next level (or any competitive level in the UFC), the jury is out but the eyes are very much still on Mitrione.

LHW - Ricardo Romero – Ill-prepared for his first fight physically, Romero is still a fighter with a lot of upside in a division that doesn’t have a stand-out BJJ practitioner. Presuming that he gets another shot in the UFC, he could be facing a crossroads. He needs to put forth an impressive performance We have seen plenty of fighters with all degrees of hype disappoint early and then storm back to find success.

MW - Court McGee – I am rarely that high on TUF grads until they prove they can do something against guys NOT on the show (hence my honorable mention list). However, I am really tempted to throw my full support behind McGee. Court looked good throughout the show, constantly improving and always giving 110%. We will see what he can do against Ryan Jensen before we get too carried away but with his motor and his seeming desire to improve Court McGee could have a really bright future.