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.
Antonio Silva
In the main event of UFC Fight Night 61, Frank Mir shocked the world with a huge first-round knockout over Antonio Silva. Despite entering the bout as the clear favorite, Silva was caught early on by Mir and was finished for the fourth time in the UFC and the sixth time in his career overall – all six times via strikes to the head.
Despite the loss, Silva remains a top-15 heavyweight thanks to his previous victories over Alistair Overeem and Travis Browne. So he should fight someone who is ranked, but who’s also coming off of a loss. Josh Barnett recently said he wants to return to the cage after an extended absence. Considering both men are getting up there in age, and both are coming off of losses, I think a Silva vs. Barnett fight makes sense, with the loser potentially hanging his gloves up.
Fight to make: Antonio Silva vs. Josh Barnett
Edson Barboza
In the co-main event, Edson Barboza was punched and battered for three straight rounds by an ultra-aggressive Michael Johnson as he lost a one-sided decision on the judges’ scorecards. Barboza landed some nice strikes of his own during the contest, but this was just a bad performance by him, and he needs to bounce back in a big way if he ever wants to be labeled a contender again.
For his next fight, I’d like Barboza to fight another striker, and I think Nate Diaz would make for a fun fight. Barboza has shown susceptibility to punches while Diaz has shown susceptibility to kicks, so this fight would be a clash of styles. Plus I think this fight makes all the sense in the world, as both fighters are coming off of losses to highly-ranked opponents, and both want to get back on track and not get lost in the crowded UFC lightweight division.
Fight to make: Edson Barboza vs. Nate Diaz
Cezar Ferreira
In a middleweight bout, Cezar Ferreira was knocked out for the second time in his UFC career, this time by Sam Alvey. Ferreira is a dangerous fighter with good kicks and a good submission game, but his chin is just terrible and his ceiling as a mixed martial artist is limited because he can’t take a punch without going down.
For his next fight, let’s have Ferreira take on another talented middleweight with a questionable chin in the form of Luke Barnatt. I’m not sure if this would be that exciting of a fight, but it would help determine which of these two is actually a legitimate prospect and which one can be sent packing from the UFC.
Fight to make: Cezar Ferreira vs. Luke Barnatt
Rustam Khabilov
In a lightweight bout, Rustam Khabilov was surprisingly outwrestled by Adriano Martins. Despite making up for the takedowns with some nice strikes on the feet, he just didn’t do enough to win, and ended up losing a split decision for a big upset loss.
For his next fight, let’s have Khabilov take on Danny Castillo, who he was supposed to fight at UFC 182 before he had to pull out with visa issues. Castillo ended up losing by KO to Paul Felder that night, so with both men coming off of losses it makes sense to match them up with one another and see who the better fighter is.
Fight to make: Rustam Khabilov vs. Danny Castillo
Iuri Alcantara
In a bantamweight bout, Iuri Alcantara was taken down repeatedly and beaten up on the mat for three-straight rounds by Frankie Saenz to lose a clear-cut decision on the judges’ scorecards in a big upset. Alcantara just didn’t seem like he cared in this fight, and it’s a loss that will drop him very far down the 135-pound rankings, because losing to Saenz is just simply not good for one’s career.
For his next fight, Alcantara should fight another highly-ranked bantamweight coming off a shocking loss in the form of Eddie Wineland. Both Alcantara and Wineland lost to two guys they shouldn’t have in the form of Saenz and Johnny Eduardo, respectively, and so a fight pitting these two devastating strikers against one another makes all the sense in the world for both men next.
Fight to make: Iuri Alcantara vs. Eddie Wineland
Sean Strickland
In the welterweight bout that kicked off the main card, Sean Strickland displayed a good chin and cardio, but ultimately he was outstruck by Santiago Ponzinibbio, dropping a decision for the first loss of his career to date. He’s only 23 years old, though, so the future is still bright for Strickland, but clearly he has a lot of work to do if he ever wants to be a contender at 170 lbs.
For his next matchup, let’s have Strickland take on Zak Cummings, who hasn’t fought since suffering a submission loss to Gunnar Nelson last summer. I think Strickland and Cummings would make for a fun fight, and I think Cummings is the right kind of opponent that will test Strickland, but at the same time be a guy who Strickland could bounce back from and regain his mojo off of.
Fight to make: Sean Strickland vs. Zak Cummings
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UFC Fight Night 61: Mir vs. Bigfoot (formerly UFC Fight Night 61: Evans vs. Teixeira) took place on February 22, 2015 at Gigantinho Gymnasium in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
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