The Ultimate Fighting Championship kicked off its 2014 campaign by presenting its first card on the new Fight Pass platform. UFC Fight Night 34 was held in Singapore, and featured many foreign fighters that may not be familiar to mainstream fight fans, or even many hardcore ones. With the results complete, these are suggestions for the next fights for the individuals who lost their battles in the Octagon:
Hyun Gyu Lim vs. Siyar Bahadurzada
Hyun Gyu Lim suffered a brutal leg attack from Tarec Saffiedine that forced him to be carried from the cage. Before that fight, Lim was becoming known as a knockout artist who was on a seven-fight win streak, six of those coming by knockout. The UFC should pair him up with another violent striker in Siyar Bahadurzada.
Lim vs. Bahadurzada would be a typical fight that pits two strikers against each other in an attempt to create a highlight reel finish. These two athletes can be matched against each other on an upcoming UFC card on foreign soil, or the pairing be used as a preliminary bout for major televised event.
Sean Soriano vs. Marcus Brimage
Sean Soriano stepped in as a late replacement to face MMA veteran Tatsuya Kawajiri and was quickly overwhelmed by his opponent. After suffering his first professional loss, Soriano should be allowed to face an opponent that is more his “speed” in his next UFC bout.
The last time the UFC crowd saw Marcus Brimage, he was being defeated by Conor McGregor. At 6-2 he has a similar resume to Soriano, which would make him a good next opponent for the Blackzilian standout.
Soriano vs. Marcus Brimage should be used as a preliminary bout for an upcoming UFC card on Fox Sports 1.
Shunichi Shimizu vs. Brian Bowles
At 28 years of age, Shunichi Shimizu is more experienced than fans may know. He was riding a five-fight win streak before losing at UFC Fight Night 34, but he still has the opportunity to be a valuable part of the bantamweight division. His next bout should come against the struggling Brian Bowles as an opportunity for both fighters to better build their brands in 2014.
Bowles’ nine-month suspension will end in February of this year, which will make him available to take fights afterwards. With two straight defeats and the drug test failure, one would expect him to be close to losing his roster spot within the UFC. Shimizu would be an excellent test of whether he should remain on the roster, or if his time has truly passed in the sport of mixed martial arts.
Shimizu vs. Bowles should be booked as a preliminary fight to an upcoming UFC event on either the Fox Sports 1 or Fight Pass platforms.
Will Chope was on a 14-fight win streak before Max Holloway welcomed him to the UFC with a TKO defeat in the second round of their fight. The 23 year old has shown a lot of early potential in his fight career, so stepping into the Octagon may be the next phase of his growth in the sport.
Estevan Payan is also relatively new to the UFC, and has yet to win a bout under Zuffa employ. Pairing these two against each other will allow the UFC to determine which fighter should be kept on the roster. This bout is best suited as a preliminary card fight on the Fight Pass platform.
UFC Fight Night 34 was a strong card, despite the fact that it featured many athletes that aren’t well-known names to mainstream MMA fans. Looking forward, these fight suggestions might give them opportunities to change that.
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UFC Fight Night 34: Saffiedine vs. Lim took place on January 04, 2014 at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Singapore.
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