The UFC’s second fight card on Fox went the distance and provided fans with interesting fights throughout the evening. After the show was over we had two title fights set, and potentially a number of other big matchups down the line. Here are some suggestions for bouts that should be made going forward.
Rashad Evans vs. Jon Jones
Needless to say this bout has been on the docket for quite some time. Now, both fighters are healthy and poised to face each other for the UFC light heavyweight title. Former teammates, Rashad Evans and Jon Jones are two people know a lot about each other, but enough time has passed that said information may have become irrelevant.
Jones has been a talent to watch since he burst onto the UFC scene. He’s going to enter this bout as a clear favorite, and he should be. With an 84-inch reach, he will be able to pick apart Evans from a distance in an even worse manner than he did Quinton Jackson back at UFC 135, attacking Evans from different angles before “Suga” can get in close to use his powerful strikes or quick takedowns.
When fighting Phil Davis, Evans displayed the one option he may have to get Jones to the ground when he was able to catch Davis’s kicks and use sweeps or takedowns from that point. If he can catch one of Jones’s long legs he will be able to get this bout to the ground, where he will have a better opportunity to score points. However, this is going to be much harder than it sounds, because as we have seen, Jones can attack from so many different angles.
I believe that Jones will be able to finish Evans after scoring a takedown in the third or fourth round and battering him with his patented elbow strikes.
Chael Sonnen vs. Anderson Silva
Chael Sonnen created the blueprint on how to defeat Anderson Silva when they fought back in August of 2010. Questions over Silva’s health and Sonnen’s drug test aside, he proved that he has the ability to defeat the champion before he was caught and submitted.
However, that was not the Sonnen we saw when he faced off with Michael Bisping. Bisping was aggressive throughout the bout, and was able to push Sonnen around the cage multiple times. He was also able to land crisp strikes at will, defend takedowns, and get back to his feet after successful takedowns. As Sonnen prepares for Silva, he will have to improve upon the way he blocks punches with his face. I understand that he bull rushes his opponent to score takedowns in that manner, but the best striker in MMA will be able to cut him up if he does the same this time around. Sonnen is going to have to take him down and rack up points the exact same way he did the first time these two individuals fought.
I believe that Silva will be able to attack Sonnen with damaging shots from multiple angles, leading to a third round finish. Sonnen may have the ability to become the middleweight champion of the world, but not if he fights the same way he did against Bisping.
Chris Weidman vs. Alan Belcher
Chris Weidman went a long way towards raising his stock with UFC matchmakers. Not only did he win a second bout on short notice, he also defeated one of the top-ranked middleweights in the world. For three rounds he was able to impose his will against Demian Maia, defeating the former middleweight title contender on 11 days notice. Even though the fans in attendance booed the fight, Weidman was still able to accomplish something that many people, including myself, believed he would not be able to. From here, the UFC should do all they can to “protect” their prospect and develop him into a viable contender. Matching him against Alan Belcher would be a strong step towards achieving that goal.
Belcher was once in the position that Weidman is in today: a young, new face who was becoming a fan favorite while putting on exciting bouts. A serious injury derailed that train, and Belcher has recently returned to the sport after a yearlong layoff. Before he went away, he was a rising fringe contender to the middleweight title, but right now he would be a very suitable test for Weidman, who could be the next face of the division.
Belcher versus Weidman would be a contrast of styles. Belcher is a powerful striker whose body kicks have left fighters’ midsections red with bruising. I believe he would be able to aggressively attack Weidman from multiple angles, and outpoint him on the feet. What he would have to worry about, however, is Weidman’s ability to use that aggression against him and score quick takedowns, because on the mat, Belcher would be in bad position.
While Belcher is a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, he has never demonstrated the grappling abilities that Weidman has shown in the cage. From his multiple submission victories, to being able to control Maia on the mat, he’s proven to be very well-versed on the ground. Coupled with his controlling wrestling, that grappling acumen would enable him to maintain a dominant position throughout the bout.
I see Belcher scoring early and often on the feet at the start of every round, but Weidman will score consistent takedowns and control position, earning a unanimous decision victory over “the Talent.”
Evan Dunham vs. John Cholish
Evan Dunham went from potential contender to worrying about having a job at this point last year. Since then he has been able to work his way back to being a name in lightweight division by giving us dominating wins over Shamar Bailey and Nik Lentz. While Dunham is not ready to once again enter the deeper waters of the weight class, he is still a tough competitor, and I would like to see him matched against John Cholish in a future contest.
Dunham has range in his striking and knows how to land accurate strikes; he used those abilities against Lentz to damage his eye. However, he and Cholish are nearly the same size, so he would be unable to rely on his length, as he has done in the past. But where this bout would really get interesting is on the mat. Dunham has stout grappling abilities that he has displayed over his career, which includes 6 submission victories. But Cholish, who trains at the Renzo Gracie Academy in New York City, is a well-versed grappler as well, and his rolling knee bar submission win over Marc Stevens is still highlight reel quality.
Although Dunham would be the favorite going into this bout, I believe that Cholish would be able to win based on his ability to score takedowns and work his Jiu Jitsu towards a decision victory.
Mike Russow vs. Lavar Johnson
Mike Russow and Lavar Johnson are needed in the UFC’s heavyweight division, the weakest division of the lot. The largest men in the Octagon are far from the most skilled, and the division lacks depth because the sport has a dearth of quality big men to choose from. However, pitting these two big men against each other would provide an exciting contest — maybe not the most technical, but a fight to get the fans out of their seats.
Many remember the beating that Russow took at the hands of Todd Duffee before he scored a shocking comeback knockout victory. Johnson debuted in the organization Saturday night by blasting Joey Beltran in the first round. In placing these two heavyweights together,we will either get Johnson stopping Russow quickly, or Russow grinding out a victory the way he did against John Olav Einemo.
While the UFC may not have put on the crowd-pleasing bouts they would have wanted, UFC on Fox 2 was still an interesting card that would appease any fight fan, especially since it was on free TV. Going forward, the winners have some career-developing fights to look forward to.
Click here to rate all the fights from UFC on Fox 2.
I'd like to see Weidman fight someone a little higher up on the totem pole like Munoz.
Why isn't Dunham ready for the deeper waters of the division? He lost a controversial decision to Sherk and got knocked out by Guillard. What about someone like Tibau?
I'm disappointed that you didn't mention Bisping vs. Maia. I was disappointed Sonnen wasn't forced to rematch Maia, but Bisping has certainly proved himself to be up to the challenge.
1. I've gotta say, Evans-Jones and Silva-Sonnen are pretty low-hanging fruit, since the UFC pretty much announced the fights last night.
2. I think it's unlikely that Sonnen would prepare for a fight with Silva the same way he prepared for a fight against Munoz, his original opponent. And even the subtle differences between Bisping's more decision-oriented style and Silva's lethal striking would warrant differences in preparation and strategy. So it stands to reason that Sonnen won't fight the way he fought Bisping.
3. I'm confused. You say that the UFC should try to protect Weidman, but you suggest an opponent that you believe he'll only be able to defeat if he grinds the fight out. Worse still, you expect him to use his existing skillset, rather than develop his striking, and use that to win. To me, a better opponent would be Dan Miller, if you're keen on keeping him on a slow road, or Mark Munoz, if you do want to give him a stiffer test. Both fighters are competent wrestlers, but both men offer challenges on the feet that are not insurmountable, while presenting unique hazards on the ground — Munoz with his ground and pound, and Miller with his submissions. Again, Munoz is obviously the stiffer test, but he is beatable. Of course, if you weren't interested in protecting Weidman at all, you could just put him in the cage with Rousimar Palhares.
4. I think that Dunham is too much of a step up for Cholish. A better opponent for him would be someone like Dennis Hallman. As for Dunham, why not a fight with Edson Barboza or Gleison Tibau?
5. Again I'm confused. If the intent behind making Johnson-Russow is to make an exciting fight, why do you think that the fight will either end early or turn into a three-round grind? Wouldn't a matchup between Pat Barry and Lavar Johnson be much more likely to deliver the fireworks you covet, while Russow is perhaps better matched against a fighter like Gabriel Gonzaga, who has legit striking, strong takedown defense, and the ground game to challenge him if he does get the fight to the ground? I'd say that's not only a potentially more entertaining fight, but more relevant to the division as well.
1st 2 are obvious. Like Weidman/Belcher. Dunham's too big of a leap for Cholish right now. Dunham vs. Barboza, Volkmann, or Tibau would be better. Russow would sub Big in the 1st and is also 4-0 in the UFC so needs a big test: either Cain, Kongo, or Travis Browne. The Cain fight would be perfect because most people still underrate him so he wouldn't lose any "stock" by losing to the former champ, it's probably an easy win for Cain but an upset puts Russow on the contender's list. Big vs. the Kongo/Hunt winner would be my pick but Barry is available now and that works.
I'm going to go on record and say that I STRONGLY DISAPPROVE of a Mike Russow vs. Cain Velasquez bout. It would be nice to see him fight his way through the UFC's Top 15 a bit instead of shooting right to the top. That means Velasquez, Mir, Carwin, Werdum, and Nelson are off limits. People like Gonzaga, Browne, Struve, and Kongo are fine, and depending on what they want to do with Mitrione and Schaub next, they'd also be solid choices.
So here we go comments galore. So let's cover some of the basics.
I didn't cover Bisping v. Maia because I never cover any of the losers from the event. My "Fights to Make" pieces feature some of the bigger name winners from the evening.
As for Evans v. Jones and Sonnen v. Silva — yes they are low hanging fruits, but again, the point is to cover the next big fights for the bigger names on the card and obviously the poin of both contests was to set up the title bouts that are in place. I used it as a forum to talk a bit about both fights.
As for Dunham, I'll be honest with you, I'm not too sold on him. And for him to get to a title shot, I feel like he's going to have to create the type of record that Jim Miller had before his lost to Henderson where he won 7 straight fights. Cholish is a good lightweight and I expect a lot from him, from what I've seen in his fights and during his training. I don't think Dunham would be able to walk through him at all.
Tibau is a viable option, but I would like to see him rematch against Guillard and that controversial decision from 2009. But again..that's just my opinion.
As for the way Sonnen fought Bisping, it wasn't just a strategy issue. When I watched the contest I feel like we were watching a different Sonnen than the one who imposed his will against Silva in 2010. I believe everyone expected that Sonnen to show up and is why he was such a favorite going into this bout. Instead he seemed very sluggish and worn down in the contest. If this was a five round fight…I don't think he would have been able to keep up with Bisping in the 4th and 5th. If he gets that tired against Silva will he be able to push him around as much as he did duing their first contest?
For Weidman I look at the track record that the UFC took with Jones. Who went in to fight against Bonnar and O'Brien — then fought Hammill (who was considered a very tough test) before taking on Matyshenko, who can be considered a step back. Personally, I'm a big Belcher fan and had he not got hurt he may have been the guy standing across form Sonnen this past weekend. Maybe I used the wrong words with "protect" but I would love to see these two matched up.
Palhares scares me in m sleep — nuff said.
I also like the suggestsion of Pat Barry v. Johnson and Russow v. Gonzaga — great suggestions.