UFC Fight Night 28 was the third event in eight days in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s action-packed week. At the end of the event, three individuals firmly placed themselves on the short list for title contention within their respected weight classes. On the other hand, each of their opponents was left with another defeat on his ledger. These suggestions for matchmakers will help them develop ideas for what to do with those fighters next.
Ryan Bader was looking to build a winning streak going into his contest in the main event of UFC Fight Night 28. He clipped Glover Teixeira just enough to stun the Brazilian, but was clocked as he rushed in for the finish. In order to regroup, he should be matched against James Te Huna, in a contest to see which of them can continue trying to crack the top ten.
Te Huna was stopped by Teixeira back in May at UFC 160, which brought his four-fight winning streak to a close. He has looked very good since joining the UFC in February 2010, with his two losses coming to current title challenger Alexander Gustafsson and future challenger Teixeira. Placing him into a matchup with Bader will give him the opportunity to show that he has the potential to be a top ten fighter at 205 if he makes the correct adjustments to his game.
Ryan Bader vs. James Te Huna should be featured on the Fox Sports 1 platform.
Yushin Okami vs. the loser of Tim Boetsch vs. Luke Rockhold
Yushin Okami has not looked himself since his bout with Anderson Silva at UFC 134 back in 2011. The Japanese standout still has a very solid record, but when matched against opponents that can find his chin, he seems to go down in a heap. His next opponent should be one of these two dangerous strikers, as both would be an interesting matchup for him.
A rematch of his UFC 144 bout with Tim Boetsch would give Okami the opportunity to revisit the way he should have finished their first bout. He was solidly in control until getting rocked by those uppercuts that left him crumpled on the floor. There is little doubt that he would want this victory back, and this would be the opportunity for him to do so.
However, Luke Rockhold would pose more of a challenge, as his diverse striking attack would force Okami to use a different strategy than the submissive standup that he currently uses. The question in that bout would be whether the former Strikeforce middleweight champion can stifle Okami’s grinding wrestling and keep this bout on the feet long enough to land blows for the finish.
Yushin Okami against either Tim Boestch or Luke Rockhold could be used to open up the main card of either a pay-per-view or Fox Sports 1 event.
Jussier da Silva vs. John Moraga
Jussier was once considered one of the top flyweights outside of the UFC. However, since being brought in, he has gone 1-2 and doesn’t seem to be able to hang with the upper echelon of fighters in the division. Before he should be written off as a “gatekeeper,” however, he should be matched against John Moraga, and given another chance to remain relevant within the weight class.
John Moraga was outclassed by Demetrious Johnson this past July at UFC on Fox 8. He struggled to keep up with the champion’s speed and diversity of attacks, which led to him being finished late in the bout.
Both competitors in this bout would have the opportunity to showcase their strengths in hopes of remaining within the top ten of the UFC’s still-developing flyweight division. John Moraga vs. Jussier da Silva should be slated for Fox Sports 1, and could either be a preliminary bout or open up the main card.
UFC Fight Night 28 didn’t feature the greatest possible action for MMA fans to consume, particularly on the heels of the action-packed week of events that preceded it. However, the top of the card featured three big victories for fighters who are surging. As for their victims, these bout suggestions would help place them on the course to right their respective careers.
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UFC Fight Night 28: Teixeira vs. Bader took place on September 4, 2013 at the Estadio Jornalista Felipe Drumond in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
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