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.
Andrei Arlovski
In the main event of the UFC Fight Night 51, Andrei Arlovski knocked out Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva to add another scalp to his impressive resume. Most thought Arlovski was shot, but he knocked Bigfoot out cold in mere minutes, and he emerged as a contender in a shallow UFC heavyweight division.
For his next fight, the UFC could really pair up Arlovski with any heavyweight in the top 10, but I think the winner of Mark Hunt vs. Roy Nelson makes sense. Arlovski actually already holds a win over Nelson, by KO no less, and a rematch between the two all these years later would be intriguing. Likewise, a bout against Hunt would make sense rankings-wise, and would be a lot of fun too. Either way, the UFC can’t really lose with whoever they book Arlovski against, because, dare I say it, he’s a heavyweight title contender once again.
Fight to make: Arlovski vs. winner of Mark Hunt vs. Roy Nelson
Gleison Tibau
In the co-main event, Gleison Tibau did enough in the first two rounds against Piotr Hallmann to edge out a competitive split decision. Like in all of his fights, Tibau started early, only to fade late, but he ended up getting the win once again, his 15th in his underrated Octagon career.
A fighter who is the opposite of Tibau is Al Iaquinta, and I believe he makes for a fine next opponent for him. Unlike Tibau, Iaquinta starts slow, only to pick up the heat late, and I think that he makes for an exciting fight against Tibau, both stylistically and with respect to the division’s hierarchy.
Fight to make: Tibau vs. Al Iaquinta
Leonardo Santos
In a lightweight fight, Leonardo Santos edged out Efrain Escudero to take home a unanimous decision win. It wasn’t pretty, but Santos did what he had to do to get the win, and he officially improves to 2-0-1 in the Octagon with the victory.
Another lightweight ranked similarly to Santos and who has two wins in the Octagon is Vinc Pichel. I believe Santos vs. Pichel makes a lot of sense as a main card bout on an upcoming Fight Night card, as it could end up being pretty exciting and it would help filter out the middle-tier of the lightweight division.
Fight to make: Santos vs. Vinc Pichel
Santiago Ponzinibbio
In a welterweight contest, Santiago Ponzinibbio picked up his first official UFC win with a blistering first-round knockout of Wendell Oliveira. Ponzinibbio, a TUF Brazil 2 veteran, looked
fantastic in the fight, and since he’s on the right side of 30, he could soon be a player in the division if he continues to improve his all-around MMA game.
On the undercard, George Sullivan improved to 2-0 in the Octagon with a brutal KO from ground and pound on Igor Araujo, and I think he makes for a solid next opponent for Ponzinibbio. This would be an exciting fight between two 170-pounders on the rise in the division, and it makes sense to be placed on the main card of the next UFC Fight Night card in Brazil.
Fight to make: Ponzinibbio vs. George Sullivan
Iuri Alcantara
In a bantamweight bout, Iuri Alcantara barely edged out Russell Doane with his grappling and striking to take home a razor-thin, perhaps controversial decision. Alcantara struggled badly with his takedown defence in the fight, and it’s surprising the judges gave him the nod considering how much time he spent on his back. But at the end of the day, he won and will continue to move up the 135-pound ladder.
For his next fight, I’d like Alcantara to fight Yves Jabouin, who is coming off an impressive win over Mike Easton. If Alcantara wants a title shot, he will have to keep taking out fighters on the lower end of the top 15 in order to get back into title eliminator position, and a win over Jabouin would certainly help his prospects of getting his chance to fight for UFC gold.
Fight to make: Alcantara vs. Yves Jabouin
Jessica Andrade
In the opening main card bout, Jessica Andrade picked up her third-straight win in the UFC with a slick first-round submission of the previously-undefeated prospect Larissa Pacheco. Sure, Pacheco is still raw in the fight game, but a win over her is impressive any way you look at it, especially with the way Andrade took care of business.
Andrade is one of the top 10 female bantamweights in the UFC and deserves to fight someone else ranked around the same spot. One fighter who would make for a good opponent is Bethe Correia, who recently improved to 3-0 inside the UFC. Both Andrade and Correia could potentially make a run for the title, but with the division clogged up at the moment due to Ronda Rousey, both these women need to stay active. So put them together, and let the winner face a top-five opponent her next time out with a title shot on the line.
Fight to make: Andrade vs. Bethe Correia
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UFC Fight Night 51: Bigfoot vs. Arlovski took place on September 13, 2014 at the Nilson Nelson Gymnasium in Brasilia, Brazil.
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