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.
Nate Marquardt
In the main event of UFC Fight Night 43, Nate Marquardt submitted James Te Huna in the first round with an armbar. The win snapped a nasty three-fight losing streak by Marquardt, and now, back at 185 pounds, he has the opportunity to once again move up the ladder and do some damage at middleweight.
For his next bout, I’d like to see Marquardt take on the winner of Michael Bisping vs. Cung Le, which takes places this August in China at UFC Fight Night 48. I think Marquardt against either one of those studs would make for an awesome matchup for the fans, and it also makes sense based on the rankings and name values. I think Marquardt vs. Bisping would make sense as a Fight Night main event in England, and I think Marquardt vs. Le makes sense as a Fight Night main event in China.
Fight to make: Marquardt vs. winner of Michael Bisping vs. Cung Le
Jared Rosholt
In the co-main event, Jared Rosholt outwrestled Soa Palelei en route to a unanimous decision win. Rosholt is now 3-0 in the UFC, with wins over Palelei, Daniel Omielanczuk, and Walt Harris, and he deserves a step up in competition at this point.
For his next fight, I’d like to see Rosholt take on Andrei Arlovski. Rosholt’s wrestling is superb, but Arlovski has solid takedown defence, and he has a huge edge on the feet. If Rosholt can’t take him down, he would have a very hard time winning, but if he can take Arlovski down, we’ll know that Rosholt is for real and that his wrestling really could give some of the top strikers in the division problems.
Fight to make: Rosholt vs. Andrei Arlovski
Charles Oliveira
In a featherweight bout, Charles Oliveira pulled off possibly the Submission of the Year, as he finished Hatsu Hioki via sub for the first time with a guillotine choke in the second round. It was an amazing performance by Oliveira, and he has to be ranked in the top 15 at this point.
After the fight Oliveira called out Nik Lentz, who he fought to a No Contest back in 2011. I liked how Oliveira called out Lentz, who is actually a very difficult matchup for anyone at 145 lbs, and I believe that after the win over Hioki the UFC should grant Oliveira’s request and book this fight.
Fight to make: Charles Oliveira vs. Nik Lentz
Robert Whittaker
In the opening main card bout, Robert Whittaker of TUF Smashes fame defeated Mike Rhodes via unanimous decision. Whittaker’s striking looked great in the match, and he now improves to a solid 3-2 in the UFC. At only 23 years of age, he still has the potential to be a contender.
On the undercard, Neil Magny of TUF 16 improved to 4-2 in the UFC with a knockout win, and I think a fight between him and Whittaker makes sense. Both are long-range strikers with mediocre ground games, and I think this would be a very entertaining scrap for the Australia card later this year.
Fight to make: Robert Whittaker vs. Neil Magny
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UFC Fight Night 43: Te Huna vs. Marquardt took place on June 28, 2014 at the Vector Arena in Auckland, New Zealand.
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