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.
Rashad Evans defeated Dan Henderson via split decision in the main event of UFC 161, and it’s a big win for Evans, as it gets him back in the win column and keeps him relevant at 205 pounds. Although Evans is not likely to rematch UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones anytime soon, taking out a tough guy like Henderson isn’t easy, and it’s proof that Evans still has something left in the tank and is still capable of hanging with the best in the world.
If Evans really is dead-set on earning that rematch with Jones, he will have to take on the top contenders to get back there, and ones of the top contenders right now is Glover Teixeira, who has won all four of his fights in the UFC and his last 19-straight overall. Teixeira might just be Jones’ stiffest challenge, but we need to see him tested against a top fighter, and Evans, a former champion, is definitely the right guy. This would be an exceptional matchup, and could headline a FOX card or co-main event a pay-per-view.
Fight to make: Rashad Evans vs. Glover Teixeira
Stipe Miocic picked up the biggest win of his young career as he beat the brains out of the always-tough Roy Nelson in the co-main event of UFC 161. Although Miocic wasn’t able to get the finish, that’s nearly impossible to do against Nelson, and just the fact that he was able to come in as a huge underdog and make the fight look easy was super impressive to me, and I’m sure everyone watching felt the same way.
Another guy that had a super impressive performance at UFC 161 was Shawn Jordan, and I’d like to see him take on Miocic next in a clash of heavy-handed heavyweights. This sounds like it would be an unbelievable fight that definitely wouldn’t go the distance and the winner would definitely take one step closer to the top of the heap at 265 pounds.
Fight to make: Stipe Miocic vs. Shawn Jordan
Ryan Jimmo took care of Igor Pokrajac in winning a clear-cut unanimous decision on the UFC 161 main card, but the crowd booed him throughout the affair and UFC president Dana White afterwards said it was one of the worst fights of UFC 161 – and for good reason. The fight was absolutely horrendous, one of the worst fights of the year in the UFC for sure, and it’s the kind of performance that won’t help Jimmo gain the support of White or UFC matchmaker Joe Silva, as the Canadian admitted to fighting conservatively in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan.
After that stinker of a fight, expect the UFC to match up Jimmo with someone who can knock some sense into him because I think Jimmo is exactly the kind of fighter the UFC doesn’t want on its roster. So I say match him up against Fabio Maldonado and make them fight in Brazil. Although Jimmo is the better technical striker, Maldonado is tough as nails, and if Jimmo thinks he can just lay on top of him for three rounds and throw baby strikes like he did against Pokrajac, he’ll be in for a big wake-up call.
Fight to make: Ryan Jimmo vs. Fabio Maldonado
Alexis Davis was supposed to be the biggest threat to Ronda Rousey, but after barely scraping by Rosi Sexton on the UFC 161 main card, it’s clear that Davis still has a ton of work to do before anyone sees her as a true threat to the champ. Sure, she has some slick sub skills and is relatively big for the division, but she was put in some very bad spots in the fight with Sexton, and if those same opportunities were presented to Rousey if these two fought, you know Davis would be walking around in a cast for a broken arm for quite a long time afterwards.
For Davis’ next fight, she should take on the winner of the upcoming UFC on FOX 8 matchup between Liz Carmouche and Jessica Andrade. Carmouche just fought for the title, and if she can pick up a bounce-back win over Andrade, it makes a lot of sense to pit Davis against her to see just how good Davis really is, because Carmouche is one of the toughest outs in the division. And if Andrade beats Carmouche that’s even better, because it means the winner of a fight with her and Davis will automatically produce a fresh title contender.
Fight to make: Alexis Davis vs. the winner of Liz Carmouche vs. Jessica Andrade
Jake Shields and Tyron Woodley combined to produce one of the worst fights of the year in the main event of the UFC 161 FX prelims, and it’s a split decision victory for Shields that likely does him more harm than good, as Dana White was very vocal about his disdain for the bout, and even said he thought Woodley deserved the win.
Regardless, Shields gets the win and he takes a step back up the welterweight ladder. For his next bout I’d prefer to see Shields go up against the winner of UFC 162’s Mike Pierce vs. David Mitchell, particularly if it’s Pierce, as it’s likely to be a very boring fight, and the UFC will be able to cut the loser, and I know that would make a lot of fans very happy to hear, as these are considered two of the most uninteresting fighters in the UFC, and very few people enjoy watching either fight.
Fight to make: Jake Shields vs. winner of Mike Pierce vs. David Mitchell
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UFC 161: Evans vs. Henderson took place on June 15, 2013 at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Click the stars to rate how good you think UFC 161 was.
