Fights To Make After UFC 134

By Raphael Garcia

Brazil is often considered the home of mixed martial arts, and on Saturday, August 27th the sport was welcomed home with open arms. UFC 134 was broadcast live from the HSBC Arena in Rio in front of a wild crowd that was ready to explode many times throughout the evening. It was a monumental event with exciting back and forth battles. Looking forward, a number of potential matchups await both the winners and the losers from the show. Now that the event is over, and many of the Brazilian fighters held the home court advantage, here are some suggestions that matchmakers should develop for the fans, in and outside of Brazil:



Anderson Silva vs. Georges St. Pierre

Even though enthusiasm for this fight has waned across much of MMA’s fanbase and media, the matchup between these champions is still needed. We are at a point where two of the top fighters in the sport are both in their prime and actually have the ability to face off against one another. While the Chael Sonnen “shadow” still looms over the minds of some MMA fans, the UFC would be better suited to have that fight wait until after GSP and Silva really decide who the best in the industry is.

Cultural significance aside, a Silva-St. Pierre matchup would be the best that the sport has seen when it comes to the classic striker versus wrestler matchup. The question would be simple in forming: Would Silva be able to drop St. Pierre before being effectively planted on his rear end? This fight would be the toughest matchup that Silva has ever faced, however I feel that he would come out the victor.

Mauricio Rua vs. Phil Davis

“Shogun” brought the fans to their feet when he dominated the man who defeated him in his UFC debut. Forrest Griffin wilted under the pressure that Rua is known for bringing, and was stopped in less than two minutes of the first round. With this win, Rua effectively rebounded from the drudging that he received at the hands of Jon Jones. However I would like to see Rua matched against the rising Phil Davis at an upcoming event.

Davis has been thrust into the limelight over the last few months, albeit hastily. An injury forced him to pull out of UFC 133 and a faceoff with Rashad Evans. If Davis is truly to be considered a major contender, a fight with Rua should be planned.

Davis is a powerful wrestler who has the ability to take down anyone in the division. The former NCAA champion can ground opponents at will, but is still developing in various other areas. Rua is a fighter who brings relentless pressure from bell to bell. Other than the defeat against Jones, we’ve see him push his opponents into battles that suit his style. He should be able to do the same against Davis, and walk away with a late round stoppage.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Shane Carwin

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira shocked many people, including myself, with the way he dispatched Brendan Schaub. He needed less than a round to defeat a fighter that many people believed was a fight away from title contention. The crowd waited for Schaub to land a counter punch that would stop Nogueira in his tracks, but the Brazilian continued to push forward, and eventually folded “The Hybrid” against the cage. While far from being a title contender, Nogueira deserves to face off with another highly-ranked fighter in Shane Carwin.

Carwin is in dire need of a victory after losing to Brock Lesnar and Junior dos Santos in the last two years. The hard-hitting wrestler would be a great test of whether Nogueira still has the steam to regularly defeat developing heavyweights, or if this win against Schaub was an emotion-fueled blast.

Looking at this fight, Nogueira and Carwin would likely try to stand in the middle of the cage and exchange punches. In this type of fight, Carwin’s heavy hands would pose a great danger to his opponent. At the same time, Nogueira would probably not be able to take Carwin down, which would place him in danger. Thus, this is a fight that Carwin would win by first round knockout.

Paulo Thiago vs. John Hathaway

The Brazilian crowd cheered every move that Paulo Thiago made during UFC 134. The Brazilian Special Forces officer fought through apparent fatigue to earn a unanimous decision victory over David Mitchell during the undercard of the show.

Thiago was once a rising name in the welterweight ranks. After an upset knockout over Josh Koscheck, many people thought he would be a stout contender in the 170-pound division. Since then he has been defeated by Martin Kampmann, Diego Sanchez and Jon Fitch. Both Thiago and John Hathaway are former prospects in need of a big victories that would move them back among the ranks of contenders, and whoever wins this matchup will have accomplished that.

Looking at this bout, both Hathaway and Thiago possess strong ground abilities, but this fight has a strong likelihood of being contested on the feet. In that realm, Thiago should be able to pressure Hathaway around the cage and score points. However, Thiago’s endurance is questionable, as he has shown time and time again that he fights at such a pace in the first round that in later rounds he is always breathing heavy. Outside of that, Thiago should be able to pull out this victory.

The Brazilian fans were treated to an exciting and entertaining UFC homecoming at UFC Rio, and the Brazilian fighters stepped up with big-time performances. It remains to be seen whether the victorious fighters will capitalize on the momentum of their wins, but future matchups should afford them the opportunities to win over American fans the way they’ve so obviously won over those in their home country.