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.
Stipe Miocic
In the main event of the TUF Brazil 3 Finale, Stipe Miocic defeated Fabio Maldonado with a first-round knockout. It was a great knockout win for Miocic, but beating a guy like Maldonado — who was fighting out of his weight class and who is now 4-4 in the UFC — doesn’t really do anything for Miocic in terms of where he stands in the division.
The fight that Miocic was originally supposed to have been against former UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior dos Santos, who unfortunately broke his hand. Once he heals from his injury though, the UFC should re-book this matchup ,because it’s the only way we’ll know for sure if Miocic is ready for a title shot against the winner of Cain Velasquez vs. Fabricio Werdum.
Fight to make: Stipe Miocic vs. Junior dos Santos
Gegard Mousasi
In the main event of UFC Fight Night 41, Gegard Mousasi defeated Mark Munoz with a first-round submission to improve to 2-1 in the UFC and finally earn a spot in the top 10. It was a great win for Mousasi and it moves him back into prime position for a big fight against another one of the division’s rising contenders.
I believe that Mousasi is a top-five talent in the division, and the loss to Lyoto Machida shouldn’t hurt his stock at all. Another fighter who is 2-1 in the Octagon and who has only one major loss in the UFC is Luke Rockhold, who lost to Vitor Belfort. I believe a fight between Mousasi and Rockhold would be an excellent mixed martial arts match, and the winner of this fight would certainly be in line for a top-five ranking as well as a potential title shot.
Fight to make: Gegard Mousasi vs. Luke Rockhold
Demian Maia
In a welterweight bout that took place at the TUF Brazil 3 Finale, Demian Maia dominated Alexander Yakovlev en route to a clear-cut decision win. It was a solid performance by Maia overall, but the fact that he couldn’t get the submission on a clearly inferior opponent was perhaps a bit disappointing, all things considered.
I don’t think Maia is a true contender anymore, and I think he’d be better used as a gatekeeper to the top 10 at 36 years of age. One fighter who is close to breaking through is Gunnar Nelson, the 25-year-old Icelander who takes on Zak Cummings this July in Dublin at UFC Fight Night 46. If Nelson wins that fight, which would move him to 4-0 in the UFC, I’d like for him to face Maia. It would be an amazing grappling matchup between two high-level BJJ artists, and it would help determine just what Nelson’s ceiling truly is.
Fight to make: Demian Maia vs. Gunnar Nelson (assuming he beats Zak Cummings)
CB Dollaway
In a middleweight bout, CB Dollaway earned his place in the top 15 with a breakthrough win over Francis Carmont. It was a great performance by Dollaway, who has now won four of his last five fights overall, and who looks like he could be a dark horse contender at 185 pounds.
For his next fight, Dollaway certainly deserves an opponent in the top 15, and I believe a good one is Yoel Romero, who is 4-0 in the UFC. This would be an excellent match between two middleweights with great wrestling and improving striking ,and would help determine which of these fighters is ready for the top 10.
Fight to make: CB Dollaway vs. Yoel Romero
Robbie Peralta
In a featherweight contest, Robbie Peralta outstruck Rony Jason en route to securing a close split decision win in Brazil. Based on the numbers, Peralta landed more shots, but considering the fight was in Brazil, it was somewhat surprising he got the judges’ nod in a very competitive fight. Regardless, it’s another win for Peralta, and he continues to move up the ladder.
Jason is a good notch on the belt, and I believe Peralta deserves a top 15 opponent in his next time out; I’d like for that to be fellow striker Diego Brandao. I believe this would be a very violent and exciting matchup between two fighters with great striking skills, and it would help sort out the bottom end of the top 15 or so of the UFC featherweight division.
Fight to make: Robbie Peralta vs. Diego Brandao
Sean Strickland
In a middleweight bout, Sean Strickland barely outpointed Luke Barnatt in a stinker of a split decision victory. Most media members scored the fight for Barnatt, but somehow the judges thought Strickland did enough, and he officially moved to 2-0 inside the UFC Octagon.
Another middleweight who picked up a win at UFC Fight Night 41 was Magnus Cedenbald, who scored his second-straight submission win on the preliminary card. A fight between these two well-rounded middleweights makes sense to me, and it would help sort out the middle of the division.
Fight to make: Sean Strickland vs. Magnus Cedenblad
Niklas Backstrom
And in a featherweight bout that ended in an upset, Niklas Backstrom had a tremendous UFC debut ,as he submitted veteran Tom Niinimaki with a rear-naked choke. What a win for Backstrom, who trains with Alexander Gustafsson in Sweden and who looks like he could be a serious featherweight contender.
He’s only 24, so Backstrom doesn’t need to be rushed into the top 10 yet. Instead, I’d like to see him fight Felipe Arantes, an underrated featherweight who sports a 3-2-1 record in the Octagon. Based on styles, this would likely be a fun grappling match, and I’m definitely down to see it take place.
Fight to make: Niklas Backstrom vs. Felipe Arantes
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UFC Fight Night 41: Munoz vs. Mousasi took place on May 31, 2014 at the O2 World Berlin in Berlin, Germany.
Click the stars to rate how good you think UFC Fight Night 41 was.
UFC Fight Night: Miocic vs. Maldonado (formerly The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 3 Finale: Miocic vs. Maldonado, The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 3 Finale: Dos Santos vs. Miocic, UFC Fight Night: Sonnen vs. Silva) is due to take place on May 31, 2014 at Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Click the stars to rate how good you think TUF Brazil 3 Finale was.
