Mixed martial arts fans will always remember where they were when UFC 162 occurred. In a flash the greatest fighter of all time was left down and prone thanks to a left hand from Chris Weidman that changed the landscape of the sport. While his win was huge, there were a number of big winners that night. These suggested fights should be the next moves for each of the night’s top winners:
Chris Weidman vs. Vitor Belfort
Chris Weidman did what so many others before him were unable to do, and that is take the middleweight title away from Anderson Silva in crushing fashion. The New York native became an instant star in the sports world, and now he has created an interesting situation at the top of the 185-pound weight class. If the contractually-guaranteed rematch with Silva does not occur, Vitor Belfort is the next man he should face.
Vitor has put together four straight wins via stoppage in the middleweight division, the last two over top ten fighters. His resume is very stout when compared to any other fighter in the division. Plus, he did the UFC a major favor by stepping up to fight Jon Jones on short notice at UFC 152. If the promotion rewards fighters that do them favors, then giving Belfort the fight he is pleading for is the only way to go. It would be interesting to see whether Belfort really has improved enough to test Weidman in all areas of the game, or whether the new champion will start his legacy with a win over a former champion.
Weidman vs. Belfort would be a main event match up for any UFC card; hopefully it happens during the UFC’s next trip to New Jersey.
Cub Swanson vs. the winner of Jose Aldo vs. Chan Sung Jung
With five straight wins in less than two years, it is time to give Cub Swanson the title shot he deserves. Jose Aldo and Chan Sung Jung are due to met at UFC 163 next month, and the winner should welcome Swanson as his next title opponent, barring unforeseen circumstances.
Swanson has found a way to stop four of his last five opponents, and has never really looked in danger while doing so. With his win over Dennis Siver he showed that he can exchange strikes with a high-level striker and land pinpoint blows to close out the deal. Aldo walked through Swanson back in 2009, but he has earned the opportunity to rematch the Brazilian champion if he wins his next fight.
Swanson vs. the Aldo-Jung winner should be featured as a main event of a pay-per-view broadcast.
Tim Kennedy vs. Michael Bisping
Tim Kennedy looked solid in his win over Roger Gracie, as he was able to play Gracie’s very dangerous submission game and not get himself finished. While very few believe Kennedy will be a top contender in the UFC’s middleweight division, he is still a tough test for any fighter looking to break into the top ten. His next fight, however, should be against an actual Top 10 fighter in Michael Bisping.
Bisping vs. Kennedy was rumored back in 2011, right after the UFC began moving Strikeforce fighters into the Octagon. While it never happened, now would be a great opportunity to have these two individuals square off. It would be a tough test for Kennedy, to see how far he can go in this division, and an opportunity to Bisping to start another title campaign now that a new champion is in place.
Bisping vs. Kennedy would be a strong main or co-main event for a free fight card taking place in England.
Frankie Edgar ended a three-fight skid by taking a 15-minute decision win over Charles Oliveria. With that win he has finally had his hand raised as a 145-pounder. Due to his success at lightweight, many feel he is a top contender in the weight class, even though he has already faced Jose Aldo. But instead of putting him in a title eliminator this soon, pairing him with Nik Lentz would provide the opportunity for both fighters to gain much-needed momentum.
While Lentz is a powerful wrestler, Edgar’s faced this type of opponent in the past — Gray Maynard, Benson Henderson, and others. It would be interesting to see whether Lentz could use his size and strength to try and slow Edgar, or whether “The Answer” would be able to move in and out with strikes, as he’s done so well in the past.
Edgar vs. Lentz would be a good fight for a free televised event later this year.
Mark Munoz vs. the winner of Yushin Okami vs. Ronaldo Souza
Before UFC 162, the last time we saw Mark Munoz was when Chris Weidman left him in a pool of his own blood after a sick standing elbow to ground and pound assault. That Munoz looked starkly different than the one that walked through Tim Boetsch and cemented himself as a true top ten fighter at 185.
His next bout should be against the winner of the Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza vs. Yushin Okami bout later this year. Okami and Souza are two tough competitors that could be considered top contenders in the coming months. The winner of a fight between Munoz and either Souza or Okami would have a direct line towards a title shot with whomever has the belt come the end of this year or the start of 2014.
Munoz vs.the winner of Okami-Souza should be featured on the pay-per-view card that includes the next defense of the middleweight crown.
UFC 162 is the frontrunner for the card of the year at this point. With so many finishes and so much great action, every fighter delivered on what was expected to be a major card from its announcement. As the new champion and other winners look forward to their next fights, there is a lot of excitement for what’s to come in the UFC.
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UFC 162: Silva vs. Weidman took place on July 6, 2013 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Click the stars to rate how good you think UFC 162 was.
The problem with giving Cub the next FW title shot is that the current #1 contender (Lamas) subbed him less than 2 yrs ago.
Though it sort of begs the question of what a #1 contender is, considering the last three men named as Aldo's challenger either had no FW wins or had losses to George Roop and Leonard Garcia on their ledgers. Hardly a meritocracy.
Pettis was just such an intriguing fight that came out of nowhere plus Lamas was the only worthy contender and he was KOed by a current BW. Edgar 100% deserved it. Special case obviously. I agree about Zombie getting the nod over Lamas. Lamas clearly deserves it but I don't think he'll fare any better than Mendes even though he finished Koch & Cub while Chad decisioned them.