Fight Fixin’: Post-UFC on FUEL TV 9 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 event.

Ilir Latifi

Ilir Latifi lost a one-sided decision to Gegard Mousasi in the main event of UFC on FUEL TV 9, but even in defeat he showed a lot of heart and guts by stepping up to take the fight on short notice against a top contender and finding a way to make it through 15 minutes without getting finished.

For his next fight Latifi needs to fight someone near the bottom of the 205-pound ladder. That somebody is Kyle Kingsbury, who has lost three straight fights. There is some talk that Kingsbury may retire, but if he does decide to take one more fight, a brawl with Latifi could prove to be quite entertaining.

Fight to make: Ilir Latifi vs. Kyle Kingsbury

Ryan Couture

Ryan Couture showed some potential in his co-main event fight against Ross Pearson, outgrappling the Brit and displaying some very nice side-to-side movement in the first round before losing via TKO in the second.

Still, this was a fight that Couture was expected to lose, and he did better than expected given the circumstances. For his next fight – if the UFC decides to keep him, that is – Couture should fight Aaron Riley, a veteran who is coming off a loss himself. It would be a good test to see where both guys are right now at this point in their respective careers.

Fight to make: Ryan Couture vs. Aaron Riley

Phil De Fries

Phil De Fries was knocked out cold by Matt Mitrione in the early goings of their heavyweight bout, and there’s a huge chance De Fries gets released from the UFC if he doesn’t outright retire from the sport, because it was a very bad knockout.

If De Fries does return, a fight with Shane Del Rosario makes sense. Both fighters are coming off two losses, and the UFC heavyweight division is very thin, so why not put the two ground experts against one another and see what happens?

Fight to make: Phil De Fries vs. Shane Del Rosario

Mike Easton

In a bantamweight bout, Mike Easton lost a split decision to Brad Pickett. It was Easton’s second-straight loss, but it was a competitive fight and he won a share of “Fight of the Night” for it, so he won’t fall down the rankings too much.

For his next bout, Easton should fight Bryan Caraway, who recently lost a close split decision to Takeya Mizugaki. This fight was actually supposed to happen back at UFC on FOX 5, but now it makes even more sense, so the UFC should re-book it.

Fight to make: Mike Easton vs. Bryan Caraway

Pablo Garza

In a featherweight bout, Pablo Garza succumbed to a quick first-round submission at the hands of Diego Brandao, which was Garza’s third loss in four fights. The fight was extremely one-sided for Brandao, and it was a disappointing performance for Garza, considering he defeated Mark Hominick in his last fight.

Although Garza is a talented fighter, he desperately needs a win to stick around in the UFC. For his next fight, matchmakers should give him Jason Young, who has lost three of four himself. This is a fair fight, and the winner stays, while the loser goes.

Fight to make: Pablo Garza vs. Jason Young

Robbie Peralta

Robbie Peralta disappointed in the opening bout of UFC on FUEL TV 9, dropping a lopsided decision to Akira Corassani. Peralta was a massive favorite to win the bout, but ultimately he couldn’t get anything going during the bout, and he lost on the scorecards.

For his next fight, Peralta should be matched up with Marcus Brimage, who disappointed on the prelims when he was knocked out by Conor McGregor in just a minute. This would be a quality fight between two quality featherweights, and would prove which one is for real and which one isn’t.

Fight to make: Robbie Peralta vs. Marcus Brimage

UFC on FUEL TV 9: Mousasi vs. Latifi took place on April 6, 2013 at the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden.

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