First and Worst is an ongoing series for MMARatings.net, where every week Adam will make his pick for the best and worst newly-announced fight of the past week (Monday to Sunday). If you’d like to see any additions to this series, hit him up on Twitter @MMAdamMartin.
First: Alexander Gustafsson vs. Jimi Manuwa, UFC London 2014
My pick for the best new fight matchup announced this past week is the light heavyweight bout between Alexander Gustafsson and Jimi Manuwa, which will headline the UFC’s next trip to London, England, in March 2014.
When the rumor of this fight first appeared on Twitter, I really wasn’t sure what to think.
On one hand, I knew the UFC was in a tough spot, because they needed to announce a main event for this card to start selling tickets for the event, and I knew that there weren’t many light heavyweights available to choose from to fill the slot.
On the other hand, though, I thought that this was too big of a step up for Manuwa, considering he has fought three mid-level UFC fighters in his three Octagon appearances (Kyle Kingsbury, Cyrille Diabate, and Ryan Jimmo), while Gustafsson was coming off a razor-thin loss to the #1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Jon Jones.
Then I thought about it more, and the more I thought about it, the more I liked the matchup, and the more I wanted to see it.
As good as Gustafsson is, we really don’t even know Manuwa’s ceiling – it could be even higher. Yes, that’s a bold statement I know, but Manuwa is 14-0 right now in MMA, with all those wins coming by knockout or submission. The guy is a stud, and at 33 years of age, he’s not getting any younger, so the UFC has to test him.
Sure, no one expected that test to be Gustafsson, but hell, why not? The UFC needed someone to step in to fight “The Mauler,” so why not Manuwa, who himself is from London? The fight makes sense, and it’s going to be a fun one between two of the best strikers at 205. I can’t wait.
Worst: Hyun Gyu Lim vs. Kiichi Kunimoto, UFC Fight Night 34
My pick for the worst new fight matchup announced this past week is the upcoming welterweight bout at UFC Fight Night 34 between Hyun Gyu Lim and Kiichi Kunimoto.
I’m somewhat embarrassed as an MMA hardcore fan to say that I had to Google Kunimoto’s name, because I really hadn’t heard much about him, but from what I’ve seen, he is actually a pretty good fighter and it makes sense for the UFC to bring in another Asian fighter as they head to Singapore in January.
But why did the UFC match him up with Lim, who is 2-0 in the UFC with two brutal knockout wins via knee strikes?
Lim is one of the top prospects in the UFC welterweight division, and the UFC matching him up with a newcomer is something I just don’t understand. If Lim were coming off a loss, maybe then it would make sense, but he’s won two straight fights in the Octagon, and he should be fighting a veteran in his next outing, not a newcomer.
I’m really not a fan of this matchup, and very disappointed this is Lim’s next fight, but hopefully UFC matchmaker Joe Silva knows more than all of us, and this turns out to be an epic matchup.
But I’m not counting on it.
