Fight Fixin’: Post-UFC on Fox 6 Losers Edition

By Adam Martin

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.

John Dodson

In the main event of UFC on FOX 6, Demetrious Johnson was able
to retain the UFC flyweight championship by outpointing John Dodson over the
course of five rounds to win a judges decision by scores of 48-47, 49-46, and
48-47. But although he lost, Dodson showed a lot in the fight, knocking down
Johnson with punches at multiple points during the fight, and showing a lot of
heart in being able to go the distance with the champ despite Johnson really
taking over in the championship rounds.

Despite the loss, Dodson remains in the top five of the
division, and in his next outing he needs to fight the loser of UFC 156’s Ian McCall vs. Joseph Benavidez, which is likely to determine who gets the next
title shot. Dodson matches up very well with either guy, so it makes a lot of
sense to pair him up with the bout’s loser, and maybe the winner of that fight
can move back into a No. 1 contender’s bout and get another crack at the title
before the year 2013 is up in what is still a very shallow division.

Match to make: John Dodson vs. the loser of Ian McCall vs.
Joseph Benavidez

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson

Although many believed that Quinton “Rampage” Jackson’s UFC
swansong took place last night, when he lost a three-round decision to Glover Teixeira in the final fight on his current contract, it’s not set in stone that
it will be the last time we see Jackson in the UFC. Sure, he’s had his fair
share of problems with the organization and UFC president Dana White, but White
knows that Jackson is still a big draw, and if they can re-sign him to a lesser
contract, they will.

So, for sake of this article, we’ll assume that Jackson
re-signs a lesser deal with the UFC. And if he does, the fight to make is the
long-awaited rematch between Jackson and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. The two fought
way back in the day in PRIDE, with Rua finishing off Jackson with soccer kicks,
and Jackson has often asked for a shot at revenge. Both fighters love to keep
their fights standing and both are legends of the sport on the downside of
their careers, meaning this fight holds the potential for a ton of excitement.
I know a lot of fans want to see this fight, and the UFC even tried to book it
last year at UFC 149 before injuries nixed it, so if Jackson remains with the
organization, this is the fight to make.

Match to make: Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Mauricio “Shogun”
Rua

Donald Cerrone

Although many predicted Donald Cerrone and Anthony Pettis to have
a three-round, drag ‘em out war, Pettis took care of business in the first
round, finishing Cerrone off by strikes for the first time in his career with
one perfectly-placed kick to the body. The loss drops Cerrone well out of title
contention for the foreseeable future, and he’ll need to work his way back up
the ladder now.

For this next match, I’d like to see Cerrone vs. Josh Thomson,
who is coming over from Strikeforce. Thomson is also one of the best
lightweights in the world and, like Cerrone, he’s constantly in exciting
fights. The way these two match up, there’s no doubt in my mind it will be a “Fight
of the Night” contender on whatever card they fight on, because, unlike Pettis,
Thomson doesn’t have that one-strike knockout power that stops fights and a
Cerrone-Thomson bout would likely go the distance. It would be exciting, so I
hope the UFC considers it.

Match to make: Donald Cerrone vs. Josh Thomson

Erik Koch

Erik Koch was well on his way to defeating Ricardo Lamas and
cementing his place as the No. 1 contender in the UFC featherweight division,
but a mental mistake in the second round cost him the fight and possibly the
use of his eye for a little while. Koch now needs to start over completely, but
since he’s only 24-years-old, it’s not a bad thing for him to get more
experience and work his way back up the ladder before he gets pushed into title
contention again.

The fight to make is Koch vs. Hatsu Hioki, who dropped a close split decision to Clay Guida on the event’s undercard. Both fighters are
supremely talented and definitely top 10 in the division, and since they both
fought on the same card, the timing is perfect for them to fight again in the
spring so long as the doctors clear Koch to fight (he may have an eye injury
from the hellacious elbows Lamas threw at him to stop the fight). It would be
an exciting bout in either the standup or the ground realms, so the UFC should
really consider booking this fight.

Match to make: Erik Koch vs. Hatsu Hioki