The Ultimate Fighting Championship closed out its year in Brazil at UFC Fight Night 58, which featured a main event where Lyoto Machida returned to his deadly form. At the end of the night, the winners generated momentum to take them to bigger and better things, but there were also some interesting questions as to where to take the careers of those who were unable to get their hands raised. These options represent possible next fights for some of the losing fighters:
C.B. Dollaway vs. Michael Bisping
C.B. Dollaway was slowly becoming a man on interest within the UFC’s middleweight division. While he had not put together a lengthy run of wins, he was showing great improvement, which previously had seemed outside of his reach. Getting stopped by Lyoto Machida doesn’t mean that Dollaway is an afterthought in the weight class, but needs to continue retooling his game before facing the best the weight class has to offer.
Michael Bisping may have called out Phil “CM Punk” Brooks, but instead of waiting around for that fight, giving him Dollaway would create a captivating matchup. Bisping has long struggled against guys who can consistently take him down and C.B. does not shy away from boxing exchanges. It would be interesting to see which man would be able to implement a winning strategy.
Plus, Dollaway likes to play the “evil” visiting fighter and defeat opponents in their home territories. Putting Bisping vs. Dollaway into a main event for a UFC Fight Night card in England would take advantage of both of them having name value in the promotion.
Mitch Gagnon was quietly putting together a run in the bantamweight division. He pulled off four wins in a row before running into the former champion in Renan Barao. However, Gagnon is ranked 14 by the UFC, and this defeat should not push him too far down their rankings. Matching him against Brian Bowles would give him the opportunity to take a valuable fight against another former champion.
Bowles has been out of action since UFC 160, where he was defeated by George Roop and then was suspended due to elevated testosterone levels. Bowles has been a question mark at 135 pounds since suffering multiple injuries to his hands, and pitting him against Gagnon will determine whether those troubles are behind him or if he should be released from his UFC contract.
Mitch Gagnon vs. Brian Bowles would work as a preliminary fight for any upcoming UFC event on any platform.
Darren Elkins is in a tough place within the featherweight division. After winning five straight bouts, he has since alternated wins and losses in his last five. He took a tough decision defeat to Hacran Dias but he still has value in the featherweight division.
Clay Guida is another man that is in a similar position. He was once a highly touted lightweight, and his move down a weight class was supposed to give his career a shot in the arm. That hasn’t been the case, as his struggles to defeat the top portion of the weight class has continued. Matching him against Elkins would give the UFC an opportunity to gauge which man deserves a roster spot, while cutting the other to free up some space in the division for developing fighters.
Darren Elkins vs. Clay Guida would work as a main card bout for a UFC Fight Night card on Fight Pass.
Yuta Sasaki vs. Anthony Birchak
Yuta Sasaki was a highly touted prospect coming into his second Octagon appearance. Riding an undefeated streak that spanned 12 fights, Sasaki looked very promising for the UFC at a time when the promotion is working to develop Japanese fighters. Losing to Leandro Issa will not destroy Sasaki’s upside, but the UFC should take a step back and start over with this fighter.
Anthony Birchak is another fairly young competitor that was recently introduced to the UFC fanbase. His first bout against Ian Entwistle did not go well, as he lost via heel hook, but he still has growth to make within the sport. Birchak vs. Sasaki would give both fighters the opportunity to put on an exciting bout while staying well outside of the dangers of top-tier competitors at 135 pounds.
Sasaki vs. Birchak should be used as a preliminary fight or main card opener for a UFC Fight Night event based in Japan.
UFC Fight Night 58 was a solid card from top to bottom. Although each of these men took another notch in the defeat category, these fight suggestions would help keep them relevant and create matches to help fill up the solid start to UFC’s 2015.
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UFC Fight Night 58: Machida vs. Dollaway took place on December 20, 2014 at the Jose Correa Arena in Barueri, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
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