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.
Shogun Rua
In the main event of UFC Fight Night 38, Shogun Rua was knocked out by Dan Henderson in the third round of a very exciting fight. Although Rua looked good early, he started to falter in the third, and was tagged by the “H-Bomb” and knocked out cold.
I am okay with Shogun retiring from the sport, but if he wants to take one more fight I’m, ok with that too. Another fighter in the exact same situation is Rich Franklin, another living legend who is at the end of his career. I think a matchup between those two would be pretty exciting for the fans, and it would be a good way for both men to end their long and illustrious careers.
Fight to make: Shogun vs. Rich Franklin
Cezar Ferreira
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| GIF Courtesy of @ZProphet_MMA |
In the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 38, Cezar Ferreira was knocked out in brutal fashion by CB Dollaway. A poor outing by Ferreira, the former TUF Brazil winner, and he goes back to the drawing board now.
Another middleweight who is back to the drawing board is Ronny Markes, who was knocked out by Thiago Santos on the prelims. Both Ferreira and Markes have potential, but both are so flawed. So match them up, and see who actually has some potential, and who needs to find a new career.
Fight to make: Ferreira vs. Ronny Markes
Leonardo Santos
In a lightweight bout, Leonardo Santos and Norman Parke fought to a majority draw, but it would have been a loss for Santos had Parke not been deducted a point for shorts grabbing. So I will consider it a loss for the sake of this column.
Another lightweight who recently lost a competitive fight was Kazuki Tokudome, and I think he makes for a suitable opponent for Santos the next time out. Put these two on a Brazilian Fight Night card and it’s almost guaranteed to be a “Fight of the Night” candidate.
Fight to make: Santos vs. Kazuki Tokudome
Gian Villante
In a light heavyweight bout, Gian Villante was beaten up badly by Fabio Maldonado
and ended up losing a clear-cut unanimous decision. It was a poor performance by Villante, and he drops far down the light heavyweight ladder with the loss.
Another 205-er who had a bad outing recently was Nikita Krylov, who was shoulder choked by Ovince St-Preux at UFC 171. I think a fight between Krylov and Villante makes sense next to help sort out the bottom of the division.
Fight to make: Villante vs. Nikita Krylov
Maribek Taisumov
In a lightweight bout, Maribek Taisumov was thoroughly outpointed by Michel Prazeres en route to a unanimous decision loss. Taisumov lost every round and had multiple points deducted for cage grabbing in one of the worst overall performances on the entire card.
For this next fight, I’d like to see Taisumov face another striker, and I think a good matchup is Jesse Ronson, who lost to Prazeres last September at UFC 165. I think Taisumov vs. Ronson would be an exciting stand-up fight that would help determine who is a legit prospect and who isn’t UFC caliber.
Fight to make: Taisumov vs. Jesse Ronson
Steven Siler
In the first fight of the main card, Steven Siler fell by TKO to Rony Jason early in round one. The fight was definitely stopped too early by the referee, but it’s highly unlikely the UFC will do a rematch, and instead Siler will have to work his way back up the ladder.
I think a good fight for Siler to bounce back with is against Jimy Hettes, who recently lost to Dennis Bermudez at UFC 171. Both Siler and Hettes are exciting yet flawed fighters, and with similar rankings in the division, I think it makes sense to match these two featherweight fighters up next.
Fight to make: Siler vs. Jimy Hettes
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UFC Fight Night 38: Henderson vs. Rua 2 took place on March 23, 2014 at the Ginasio Nelio Dias in Natal, Brazil.
Click the stars to rate how good you think UFC Fight Night 38 was.
