Fight Fixin’: Post-UFC 159 Winners 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.

Jon Jones

Jon Jones once again defended the UFC light heavyweight championship, this time with a brutal TKO victory over Chael Sonnen in the main event of UFC 159. It wasn’t much of a fight at all, with Jones taking down Sonnen at will until he was able to hurt him so bad with punches and elbows that the referee was forced to intervene and stop the fight.

However, Jones injured his toe during the bout, and he could be on the shelf for a while. But when he returns I want to see him fight Alexander Gustafsson, who I believe deserves the next crack at the title. Yes, Lyoto Machida was already promised a title shot, but no one wants to see Jones vs. Machida II just yet. Gustafsson is new blood, and with Jones himself asking for the matchup, it makes all the sense in the world to finally bring it to fruition.

Fight to make: Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson

Michael Bisping

Michael Bisping picked up a solid technical unanimous decision victory over Alan Belcher in the co-main event of UFC 159. Sure, it wasn’t the most exciting fight, but Belcher is a legit opponent, and this is a solid win for Bisping’s resume, as well as a much-needed bounce-back performance after being knocked out by Vitor Belfort at UFC on FX 7 earlier this year.

For his next fight, I’d like to see Bisping take on another contender, the winner of UFC on FX 8’s Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza vs. Costa Philippou. Both Souza and Philippou are two of the best in the world at 185 pounds, but for either man to take the next step in his career, the winner needs to get past Bisping, who, according to most sites is ranked higher in the division than either of them. Bisping vs. either Souza or Philippou would be exciting, so I hope this is the direction the UFC takes.

Fight to make: Michael Bisping vs. the winner of Ronaldo Souza vs. Costa Philippou

Roy Nelson

Roy Nelson won his sixth fight in the UFC via knockout with a one-punch KO on Cheick Kongo on the main card of UFC 159. The win was Nelson’s third in a row, and it puts him firmly in the top 10 of the UFC heavyweight division.

UFC president Dana White announced at the post-fight presser than Nelson will fight either Daniel Cormier or Mark Hunt next. Immediately after White made those remarks, Cormier took to Twitter to accept the fight, so at this point it looks like it’s just a formality. And when it does finally go down, it should be a hell of a fight between two of the world’s top heavyweight mixed martial artists.

Fight to make: Roy Nelson vs. Daniel Cormier

Phil Davis

Phil Davis picked up a workmanlike, three-round unanimous decision victory over Vinny Magalhaes in one of the most boring fights of UFC 159. Although Davis’ standup looked sharp in the bout, he never went in for the kill on Magalhaes, even when he had him rocked, and the two never engaged in any sort of grappling, leading to an uninteresting stand-up affair.

Still, it was a good win on paper for Davis and he’s now undefeated in the three fights since his lone career loss to Rashad Evans at UFC on FOX 2. One of the top 10 light heavyweights in the world, Davis needs a step up in competition, and the winner of UFC 160’s Glover Teixeira vs. James Te Huna would be just that guy. Both those fighters are, like Davis, on a roll in the 205-pound division, and the fight makes sense as a sort of title eliminator while Jon Jones heals up from his toe injury.

Fight to make: Phil Davis vs. the winner of Glover Teixeira vs. James Te Huna

Pat Healy

In the opening bout of UFC 159, Pat Healy made a hell of a return to the UFC, with a third-round submission victory over top-five-ranked Jim Miller. It was Healy’s seventh win in a row, and it puts him on the fast track to a title shot.

For his next fight, I’d like to see Healy fight Gilbert Melendez, who dropped a razor-thin split decision to champion Benson Henderson last weekend at UFC on FOX 7. Healy and Melendez were supposed to meet in the main event of the Strikeforce finale, but the fight got scratched due to an injury to Melendez and thus never came to fruition. But it still makes sense because it’s an exciting fight between two of the top 155-pounders in the world, and I would like to see it happen next.

Fight to make: Pat Healy vs. Gilbert Melendez

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UFC 159: Jones vs. Sonnen took place on April 27, 2013 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

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