Fight Fixin’ is a fantasy matchmaking article that comes out after every major event and features possible matchups for main card winners and/or losers from the previous night.
Vitor Belfort
Vitor Belfort turned in a vintage performance with a blistering head kick knockout of Michael Bisping in the main event of UFC on FX 7. It was
an amazing KO and although many people picked Belfort to finish Bisping, I
don’t think anyone ever thought it would be by a head kick, which made it all
the more sweeter.
After the bout, Belfort called out UFC light heavyweight
champion Jon Jones, who submitted Belfort at UFC 152. I don’t want to see that
fight again, though, and Jones has enough contenders at 205 to deal with
anyway. Instead, I want Belfort to continue to fight at 185 pounds and make
another run at a rematch with UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, who
knocked out Belfort with a kick of his own at UFC 126.
But before he gets another crack at Silva, Belfort needs
another big win at 185. For his next outing, I’d like for Belfort to welcome
former Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold to the UFC. Yes, it
would be a significant step up in competition for Rockhold, but if he wants to
be a UFC champion one day, he needs to get by guys like Belfort in order to do
so. The fight, which would be very exciting and marketable, could be the
co-main event of any UFC pay-per-view card, and it’s possible it could even be
a title eliminator.
Fight to make: Vitor Belfort vs. Luke Rockhold
CB Dollaway
It wasn’t pretty, but CB Dollaway got the job done with a split decision victory over Daniel Sarafian in the co-main event to claim the slight
upset victory. Dollaway has now won two in a row, although both fights were
decisions, so while he was close to getting the axe just last year, he now
finds himself in a comfortable spot as a gatekeeper in the UFC middleweight
division.
For his next fight I’d like for Dollaway to again fight someone
down the ladder, and I think that Derek Brunson is a good fit. Neither fighter
is particularly exciting, with both preferring to take their opponents down and
hold them on the mat, so it makes sense to pair them off and eliminate one of
them from moving up the ranks. It wouldn’t be a great fight as far as
entertainment goes, but it makes sense to book. And who knows, it may even
surprise and turn out to be good old sloppy fun.
Fight to make: CB Dollaway vs. Derek Brunson
Gabriel Gonzaga
Gabriel Gonzaga made it three in a row with a submission victory over Ben Rothwell, showing once again that Gonzaga is willing to go
back to the grappling roots that made him so dangerous to begin with. We all
know that Gonzaga fell in love with striking after his surprise head kick KO of
Mirko Cro Cop many moons ago, but it’s nice to see him start trying to submit
opponents now, because that’s his best shot at winning fights, as his fading
chin doesn’t allow him to stand and bang anymore, at least not for an extended
period of time.
For his next outing, I’d like to see Gonzaga take on Roy Nelson. The two were supposed to fight back at UFC 146, but an injury to
Gonzaga nixed the bout. Now that he’s healthy, and with both men on two-fight
win streaks inside the UFC, it makes sense to pair these two up again. It would
likely be a very exciting fight whether it took place on the ground or on the
feet, and it’s a fight that could be put on a main card of a UFC pay-per-view
because the fans like both fighters, and the fight would almost assuredly
produce a finish.
Match to make: Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Roy Nelson
Khabib Nurmagomedov
Surging lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov made it three in a row
in the UFC with a vicious KO win over veteran Thiago Tavares, upping his
undefeated record to an impressive 19-0. The 24-year-old Russian has looked
awesome in all three of his UFC fights, and he deserves a step up in
competition in his next bout.
Although Nurmagomedov called out Nate Diaz after the fight, I
don’t think the UFC is going to make that matchup because Diaz is top five and
Nurmagomedov is top 15. Instead, I’d like for the UFC to give him Strikeforce
import Pat Healy in his next outing. Healy went an awesome 7-1 in Strikeforce,
and he’s 8-1 since dropping down to lightweight permanently, but has somehow
flown under the radar. I think both he and Nurmagomedov are similarly situated in
the division, and Healy, who is as tough as it gets, would be a great test to
see just how powerful Nurmagomedov is. It would be a fun fight, and could be on
the main card of any FX or FUEL event.
Fight to make: Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Pat
Healy
