Aug
13
2012
0

Fights To Make After UFC 150

By Raphael Garcia

Live from Denver, Colorado, UFC 150 ended with fans and media alike screaming foul. We watched a close duel between two of the premier lightweights in the world, as Benson Henderson and Frankie Edgar fought over the top spot at 155 pounds. While the outcome may not be liked by many people in the MMA community, the fact remains that Henderson is still the champion and now will face Nate Diaz, who was deemed the number one contender before the bout. Going forward, here are some other fights to make with winners from the event.

Donald Cerrone vs. Anthony Pettis

This bout has been brought up multiple times in the past and now it makes more sense than ever. Pettis and Cerrone have been going back and forth at each other over the last few weeks, and the volume of activity in their war of words is second only to the action that they would present in the Octagon. Not only would this fight make sense in that light; these two individuals are right at the top of the lightweight ladder, and the winner could come out of this bout as the next contender to the title. Cerrone has faced Henderson twice, but was unable to defeat the champion, and he recently lost to Diaz as well. Pettis is the last man to defeat “Smooth,” back in 2010.

This is the type of bout that would shine as a main event for the Fox card at the end of the year. As Cerrone recovers from this weekend’s bout and Pettis deals with shoulder surgery, the UFC needs to not hesitate and get these two individuals signed to a contract, as both the fans and the division as a whole would welcome it.

Yushin Okami vs. Chris Weidman 

Okami was in a tough position heading into his UFC 150 bout. Originally scheduled to face the always dangerous Rousimar Palhares, the Japanese standout was coming off of two losses for the first time in his career. He had gone from a perennial middleweight contender to an individual whose position in the division was in question. While he wasn’t facing the toughest opponent in Buddy Roberts, he still did exactly what he needed to do, and got his opponent out of the cage. While Okami is still a long way off from title contention, he remains a tough test for anyone attempting to make a run at the belt…which is exactly where Chris Weidman is headed.

The “All American” has been on a tear in the UFC. This year he’s stopped Mark Munoz in impressive fashion and defeated Demian Maia on short notice. While many individuals are calling for him to be named as the number one contender to Anderson Silva’s UFC Middleweight Title, there are quite a few names in the division who could stake claims to that position first. With fighters such as Alan Belcher, Vitor Belfort, Michael Bisping and Brian Stann already tied up in fights, matching Okami against Weidman would constitute an appropriate test of whether the New York native is ready to face the world champion.

Jake Shields vs. Rousimar Palhares

Returning to the division where he has had some of his best wins, Jake Shields didn’t look to be at his best against Ed Herman. The Cesar Gracie standout is in a perplexing situation with his career, as he is attempting to make another title push at middleweight. While Shields has always been acclaimed for his grappling prowess, he hasn’t been able to submit an opponent since 2009. Placing him in a fight against another dangerous grappler in Palhares would create a fight that would satisfy fans looking for a standout submission contest.

Shields has a keen ability to drag opponents to the ground and work his top control. It would be interesting to see how he would fare against Palhares, who is known for diving to the ground at a moment’s notice to look for an ankle or knee submission. Both fighters are on the outside of the top ten middleweight rankings, and this fight would be a great way to place either of them there.

Nik Lentz vs. winner of Charles Oliveira vs. Cub Swanson

Nik Lentz looked fantastic out the gate in his debut at 145. He beat Eiji Mitsuoka from pillar to post for the entirety of their fight. Lentz stated that this weight class is where he will stay, and positioning him for a fight against either Oliveira or Swanson after they fight in September would create a captivating contest in the featherweight division.

Oliveira and Lentz have business to finish after their 2011 fight was ruled a no-contest when the outcome of the original fight was overturned because of an illegal knee. Before then, those two fighters were putting on a “Fight of the Night” performance, and a rematch between the two would provide the continuation that fight needed.

Swanson has been a mainstay as a gatekeeper at 145. If Lentz is the fighter that he claims to be, with the potential of being a champion, he would have to be able to overcome a well-rounded opponent such as Swanson to begin the run towards the title.

Max Holloway vs. Steven Siler 

Max Holloway is another one of the new young fighters that have been coming into the UFC and taking the sport by storm. Siler and Holloway have given the UFC a prime opportunity to build them both into household names. Placing them in a fight against one another on a free event would allow some of the attention to be pointed in their direction, while creating an exciting fight that would continue the buzz around both of their careers.

UFC 150 was another strong event for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Joe Silva and his team of matchmakers have more than a few captivating moves to make with some of the winners from the event.

What Do You Think of This Fight/Event?