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.
Matt Brown
In the main event of UFC Fight Night 40, Matt Brown showed why he should have never been an underdog to Erick Silva, as he dismantled the Brazilian with a combination of knees, elbows, kicks, and punches to score a third-round TKO win and cement his status as a top 10 welterweight. With his seventh win in a row in the UFC welterweight division, Brown has proven himself to be one of the best in the world at 170 pounds, and he deserves a fight against someone in the top 10 of the division.
Cue Nick Diaz.
The former Strikeforce welterweight champion has been holding out for a big fight, and a matchup against the surging Brown qualifies as one. Although Diaz has lost two in a row, keep in mind that both of those losses came in title fights. Brown wants a title shot, but none of the seven men he’s defeated on his win streak were ranked in the top 10. So let him take on Diaz, and if he can get past “The Stockton Bad Boy,” then let him have the next crack at Johny Hendricks’ belt. And man, what an amazing fight this would be. Let it headline a fight night card, and let it be five rounds.
Fight to make: Matt Brown vs. Nick Diaz
Costas Philippou
In the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 40, Costas Philippou picked up a surprise victory as he knocked out Lorenz Larkin in devastating fashion. Philippou wasn’t supposed to win this fight according to the odds, but he proved everyone wrong and cemented his place as a top 15 middleweight in the UFC with the win.
Another fighter who is ranked in the top 15 is Thales Leites, who has won three in a row since returning to the UFC. In Leites’ last fight he knocked out Trevor Smith in brutal fashion, showing that he’s evolving his game past just his grappling. Now let’s see him take on a real striker in Philippou to see just how far his striking really has come.
Fight to make: Costas Philippou vs. Thales Leites
Daron Cruickshank
In a lightweight contest, Daron Cruickshank defeated Erik Koch via first-round knockout, after a scintillating head kick knocked Koch down to the mat and Cruickshank followed it up with a number of elbows and punches. It was a Cruickshank’s fifth win in the UFC and he deserves a step up in competition now.
For his next fight I’d like to see Cruickshank fight a fellow striker, and I think a bout against Jorge Masvidal makes sense. This would be a wicked standup bout between two fighters with tremendous kicks and punches, and I’d love to see it take place on a card this summer.
Fight to make: Daron Cruickshank vs. Jorge Masvidal
Neil Magny
In a welterweight bout, Neil Magny edged out Tim Means via unanimous decision in a very close fight. A lot of people thought Means deserved the nod based on his superior striking, but Magny’s wrestling proved to be the difference, as he won his second straight and improved his Octagon record to 3-2.
Another welterweight who has a similar record is Sean Pierson, who is 4-2 in the UFC and who is riding a three-fight win streak. I think a bout between Magny and Pierson makes a whole lot of sense as far as styles and ranks go, and it seems like a perfect bout to put on the UFC 178 prelims, a card that takes place in Pierson’s hometown of Toronto later this year.
Fight to make: Neil Magny vs. Sean Pierson
Soa Palelei
In a heavyweight bout, Soa Palelei extended his win streak to 11 straight – all wins coming via some form of knockout – with a brutal ground-and-pound stoppage over UFC newcomer Ruan Potts. It was Palelei’s third win in a row since rejoining the UFC last year, and he deserves a step up in competition at this point.
The UFC heavyweight division is thin, but one fighter who makes for a great opponent for Palelei is Ben Rothwell, who is returning from his PED-related suspension soon. A fight between Rothwell — who was in the top 15 before he was suspended — and Palelei makes a lot of sense as far as the rankings and styles go, and the UFC would be wise to book it to see how Palelei stacks up against a legit heavyweight.
Fight to make: Soa Palelei vs. Ben Rothwell
Chris Cariaso
In the opening bout of the UFC Fight Night 40 main card, Chris Cariaso defeated young prospect Louis Smolka via split decision. Cariaso’s striking looked awesome, and he showed that even at 32 years of age he’s still a player in the UFC’s flyweight division, as he picked up his third win in a row.
Another flyweight who picked up a win at UFC Fight Night 40 was Kyogi Horiguchi, who defeated Darrell Montague via unanimous decision. Horiguchi deserves a step up in competition, so Cariaso makes sense as his next opponent, while for “Kamikaze,” taking out another surging prospect in Horiguchi would put him back in the title mix, so I think this fight between two wicked strikers makes a lot of sense.
Fight to make: Chris Cariaso vs. Kyogi Horiguchi
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UFC Fight Night 40: Brown vs. Silva took place on May 10, 2014 at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Click the stars to rate how good you think UFC Fight Night 40 was.
