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.
In the UFC 177 main event, TJ Dillashaw defended his UFC bantamweight title for the first time with a fifth-round knockout over Joe Soto. Dillashaw once again looked fantastic in the Octagon, and at this point it’s a huge question as to whether anyone at 135 pounds can beat him in a five-round fight, because his combination of striking and grappling is nothing short of impeccable.
With UFC president Dana White saying Renan Barão will not get the next title shot, it leaves things a bit wide open at 135 pounds. Realistically, the UFC has four options for Dillashaw’s next opponent: Dominick Cruz, Takeya Mizugaki, Raphael Assuncao, and Bryan Caraway. Cruz and Mizugaki fight one another at UFC 178, while Caraway takes on Assuncao at UFC Fight Night 54. If the UFC gives Assuncao — who beat Dillashaw last year — the title fight with a win over Caraway, I would understand it. But I think the fight with Cruz, should he beat Mizugaki, is the biggest fight the promotion could make right now in the division, and I think that’s the route they should ultimately choose, even if it’s not exactly fair to Assuncao.
Fight to make: Dillashaw vs. Cruz (if he beats Mizugaki).
Tony Ferguson vs. Danny Castillo
In the co-main event, Tony Ferguson edged out Danny Castillo on the scorecards en route to a split decision win. It was a really hard fight to judge, as Ferguson was attacking off the bottom while Castillo held top position, but the judges felt Ferguson’s workrate was a bit higher and awarded him the W.
Although Ferguson is on a three-fight win streak, the fact that he barely edged out Castillo shows me he isn’t ready for a top 10 opponent yet. However, he is most certainly ready for a top 15 opponent, and the winner of next week’s fight between Joe Lauzon and Michael Chiesa definitely qualifies. I believe Ferguson vs. either Chiesa or Lauzon would make for a very exciting grappling match, and I’d love to see either bout.
Fight to make: Ferguson vs. the winner of Michael Chiesa vs. Joe Lauzon
Bethe Correia vs. Shayna Baszler
In a women’s bantamweight bout, Bethe Correia overcame a slow start against Shayna Baszler to storm back in the second round and win her third fight in the UFC with a brutal standing TKO. It was Correia’s best win by far so far in her MMA career, and at 9-0 now, she’s a darkhorse contender in the 135-pound women’s division.
Correia is closing in on a title shot, but if she wants one she will have to fight a top fighter in the division. One of the division’s best, Miesha Tate, meets Rin Nakai at UFC Fight Night 52. The winner of that fight should face Correia next, especially if it’s Tate, and if Correia wins that fight, she is probably deserving of a title shot in a very thin division.
Fight to make: Correia vs. the winner of Miesha Tate vs. Rin Nakai
Carlos Diego Ferreira vs. Ramsey Nijem
In the Fight of the Night award winner, Carlos Diego Ferreira showed he is not just a grappler but a complete mixed martial artist, as he knocked out Ramsey Nijem in brutal fashion in the second round. Ferreira, the former Legacy FC lightweight champ, improved to 2-0 in the UFC, and he is still undefeated at 11-0 in his MMA career, so he deserves a step up in competition for his next fight.
For Ferreira’s next outing, he should fight someone in the top 20 ,and that someone should be Adriano Martins, who is one of the most underrated fighters in the division. Except for a loss to the highly-ranked Donald Cerrone, Martins has been absolutely sensational in the Octagon, and a fight against Ferreira would determine who’s ready for the top 15, and who still needs to work on his game.
Fight to make: Ferreira vs. Adriano Martins
Yancy Medeiros vs. Damon Jackson
In the opening bout of the main card, Yancy Medeiros finally picked up his first official UFC win with a second-round guillotine choke on newcomer Damon Jackson. Although Medeiros struggled in his losses to top-tier fighters Rustam Khabilov and Jim Miller, he showed with the win over Jackson that he definitely has the tools to beat the mid-tier fighters in the UFC lightweight division.
For his next outing, Medeiros should fight someone in the middle of the division, and a good opponent would be James Vick, the TUF 15 alum who is 2-0 in the Octagon and who recently picked up a win over Walmir Lazaro. Both Medeiros and Vick are long and rangy strikers with great submissions, and a fight between them would be absolutely bananas, a perfect UFC Fight Night main card opening bout.
Fight to make: Medeiros vs. James Vick
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UFC 177: Dillashaw vs. Soto (formerly UFC 177: Dillashaw vs. Barao II) took place on August 30, 2014 at the Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento, California.
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I like all of these ideas. Good, appropriate matchups.