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.
Vitor Belfort
In the main event of UFC Fight Night 32, Vitor Belfort became the first fighter in mixed martial arts to knock out Dan Henderson, as “The Phenom” picked up his third-straight victory in 2013 via head kick KO, which by the way is a UFC record.
Even though his win streak is somewhat tainted due to his TRT use, technically he isn’t doing anything illegal, and so, with three straight highlight-reel wins, Belfort deserves the next middleweight title shot against the winner of UFC 168’s main event between champ Chris Weidman and former champ Anderson Silva.
A fight between Weidman and Belfort is already giving me goosebumps, while a rematch against Silva – especially if it takes place in Brazil – is awesome to think about as well, so hopefully we get to see one of these fights in 2014.
Fight to make: Belfort vs. winner of Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman
Cezar Ferreira
In the co-main event of the card, Cezar Ferreira took out Daniel Sarafian via split decision. With that win, he improved his UFC record to 3-0, making a statement that he is the most talented fighter to come out of TUF Brazil 1.
For his next fight, I’d like to see the UFC match Ferreira up with CB Dollaway, who is coming off a controversial split decision loss to Tim Boetsch. Dollaway is a vet, and he would provide a very good test for Ferreira, to see just where the Brazilian is at., And for Dollaway, it’d be an opportunity to get back into the win column against a fighter on a hot streak.
Fight to make: Ferreira vs. CB Dollaway
Rafael Cavalcante
In a light heavyweight fight, Rafael Cavalcante showed the meanness many expected him to bring to the UFC with a devastating stoppage over Igor Pokrajac that was ruled a submission because Pokrajac was hurt so badly he had to tap out.
For his next assignment, the UFC should match Cavalcante up with the winner of the upcoming bout between Ryan Bader and Anthony Perosh at UFC Fight Night 33. All three of these guys are in about the same spot in the division, so matching the winner up with Cavalcante would sort things out more.
Fight to make: Cavalcante vs. winner of Ryan Bader vs. Anthony Perosh
Brandon Thatch
In a welterweight matchup, Brandon Thatch beat up Paulo Thiago so badly that poor Thiago had to tap to strikes, as Thatch improved to 2-0 in the UFC. He looked more and more like a title contender with each passing moment.
Now, let’s throw Thatch into the fire.
For this next fight, the UFC should book him against Martin Kampmann, who is currently ranked in the top 10. It’s an intriguing matchup because Thatch has awesome striking and Kampmann’s chin is questionable, but at the same time Kampmann has a ton of experience in the Octagon. He could very well come up with a gameplan to stifle Thatch’s attack and pick up a win over a top prospect, in order to get his career back on track after suffering back-to-back knockout losses to Johny Hendricks and Carlos Condit.
Fight to make: Thatch vs. Martin Kampmann
Ryan LaFlare
In a welterweight bout, Ryan LaFlare grinded out Santiago Ponzinibbio over the course of three rounds to improve to 2-0 since making his UFC debut earlier this year.
For his next fight I’d like to see LaFlare take on Sean Pierson, who is a quiet 4-2 in the Octagon, and currently riding a three-fight win streak. I think it’s a good test of where LaFlare is at, and for Pierson, it’s an opportunity to knock off an up-and-comer and keep moving up the 170-pound ladder.
Fight to make: LaFlare vs. Sean Pierson
Jeremy Stephens
In a featherweight fight that kicked off the evening with a bang (literally), Jeremy Stephens knocked out Rony Jason with a brutal head kick to improve to 2-0 since dropping to 145 pounds.
For his next fight, I’d like to see Stephens take on Dennis Bermudez, who is currently riding a five-fight win streak. I think it’s a very fair matchup, and the winner would be deserving of a top-10 fight his next time out, so I hope this is what UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby is thinking.
Fight to make: Stephens vs. Dennis Bermudez
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UFC Fight Night 32: Belfort vs. Henderson 2 took place on November 9, 2013 at Goiania Arena in Goiania, Goias, Brazil.
Click the stars to rate how good you think UFC Fight Night 32 was.
