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.
Junior dos Santos
In the main event of UFC on FOX 13, Junior dos Santos earned a close unanimous decision win over Stipe Miocic in a five-round war. These two heavyweight sluggers went at it for 25 minutes and left everything and anything in the cage, but JDS did just enough to earn the nod, and so he retains his spot as one of the top-ranked heavyweights in the UFC.
JDS doesn’t deserve another title shot just yet, but he should fight another top contender, and I’d like for that to be Alistair Overeem, who defeated Stefan Struve in a main card bout via first-round knockout. These two were supposed to fight back at UFC 146 before Overeem failed a random drug test, and now, nearly three years later, the timing makes sense to finally do this big fight between two elite heavyweight fighters.
Fight to make: Junior dos Santos vs. Alistair Overeem
Rafael dos Anjos
In the card’s co-main event, Rafael dos Anjos mauled Nate Diaz for 15 minutes, taking home a clear-cut unanimous decision. It was one of RDA’s best performances in the UFC yet, and with three victories in a row, including a knockout of Benson Henderson in his previous outing, RDA is now solidified as one of the top lightweight contenders in the UFC.
RDA shouldn’t get a title shot before Khabib Nurmagomedov, but the Russian is injured and the UFC matchmakers seem like they want to book RDA vs. UFC Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis. If Nurmagomedov can’t go, then RDA is the next best option for the next title shot, and I’m all for a fight with Pettis, one that I think would be absolute fireworks.
Fight to make: Anthony Pettis vs. Rafael dos Anjos
Matt Mitrione
In a heavyweight matchup, Matt Mitrione improved to a three-fight win streak with a first-round knockout win over Gabriel Gonzaga, the biggest victory of his career to date. With his heavy hands and superb athleticism, Mitrione, even though he’s 36, is quietly emerging as a dark horse in the heavyweight division, and deserves a big name in his next fight.
I think a good next opponent for Mitrione would be Ben Rothwell, who is coming off of back-to-back wins over Alistair Overeem and Brandon Vera. I think Rothwell makes for a great test for Mitrione to see just where he stacks up with a top-10 heavyweight, and for Rothwell, a win over Mitrione would help him emerge as a legitimate contender at 265.
Fight to make: Matt Mitrione vs. Ben Rothwell
Joanna Jedrzejczyk
In a strawweight bout, Joanna Jedrzejczyk earned a close, if not controversial, split decision nod over Claudia Gadelha to become the #1 contender in the UFC’s newest division. It was a competitive fight that could have gone either way, but the judges felt the Pole deserved it, and so she moves to the top spot in the division just behind newly-crowned champion Carla Esparza.
For me, the next fight for Jedrzejczyk is a no brainer, as I would like to see her fight Esparza, and UFC president Dana White hinted at this following the event. It’s the best fight the promotion could make right now, and it will be a fantastic title fight between two very talented strawweights when it goes down.
Fight to make: Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Carla Esparza
John Moraga
In a flyweight fight, John Moraga overcame an early knockdown scare to come back and beat Willie Gates in the third round with a rear-naked choke. There was some controversy regarding the knockdown, as it came following a low blow, but thankfully there was no controversy on the scorecards, because Moraga was able to finish the fight before the final bell. Moraga has now won five fights in the UFC flyweight division, and showed with the win that he is still an elite flyweight fighter.
For his next bout, Moraga should fight another top-five opponent, and I’d like for that to be Joseph Benavidez. With both men having already lost to UFC Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson, it makes sense for these two to fight each other, because it won’t pick off another contender. And if the winner does look impressive, who knows, maybe with a few more wins he could get another shot.
Fight to make: John Moraga vs. Joseph Benavidez
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UFC on FOX 13: Dos Santos vs. Miocic took place on December 13, 2014 at the U.S. Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
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