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.
Urijah Faber
In the main event of UFC Fight Night 66, Urijah Faber put on a stinker of a performance against Frankie Edgar, losing every single round of the fight en route to a unanimous decision loss, 50-45 on all scorecards. To be fair to Faber, he did move up a weight class to take on an elite featherweight in Edgar, but still, he did absolutely nothing in this fight, and overall he was a massive disappointment considering how much hype there was behind this fight.
I honestly don’t know where Faber goes from here. If he stays at 145 lbs, he’ll probably gets eaten alive by the top contenders. If he returns to 135 lbs, he’s already fought most of the top fighters in that division and beaten them all except the champs. And even if he does get back to bantamweight title contention, he won’t fight his teammate, TJ Dillashaw. So he’s in a tough place right now. That’s why I think you give him a step down in competition against someone not in contention, someone like Kid Yamamoto. This is a fight fans have been asking for for years, and now that Yamamoto is back in the game, I say make this fight, and have it co-headline the UFC’s return to Japan in September.
Fight to make: Urijah Faber vs. Kid Yamamoto
Costas Philippou
In the co-main event, Costas Philippou was dominated en route to losing a clear-cut unanimous decision to Gegard Mousasi. Philippou just kept getting taken down to the ground in every round, and he did nothing off of his back. He’s a good fighter, but it’s clear his wrestling is far from elite, and at this point Philippou seems like a pretender in the top 15, not a contender.
For his next fight, let’s have Philippou take on CB Dollaway, who can not only test Philippou on the mat, but also on the feet. Both guys are ranked similarly at 185 lbs, and both men are coming off of losses, so it makes sense that these two be matched up to determine who remains in the top 15 rankings and who drops out.
Fight to make: Costas Philippou vs. CB Dollaway
Luke Barnatt
In a middleweight fight, Luke Barnatt was thoroughly dominated by Mark Munoz for 15 minutes as he lost his third-straight fight in the UFC by decision. Unlike Barnatt’s last two fights, where the judges arguably ripped him off, this fight wasn’t even close. Barnatt was beaten down by an old man, and at this point I don’t even think he deserves to be in the UFC anymore.
For his next fight — should the UFC keep him around — let’s have Barnatt take on Eddie Gordon, the former TUF winner who is 1-2 in the UFC. This would be a decent scrap to determine who stays in the UFC and who goes, and hopefully the threat of being cut inspires both men to have much better performances than they have as of late.
Fight to make: Luke Barnatt vs. Eddie Gordon
Hyun Gyu Lim
In a welterweight match, Hyun Gyu Lim was stopped in the second round by Neil Magny with punches on the ground. Lim is still a good fighter, but this was his worst performance in the UFC, by far. He gassed out early on, then seemed to give up, letting Magny have his way with him on the ground. I like Lim, but this was not the performance I expected from him, and overall I’m disappointed in the way he fought.
For his next fight, let’s have Lim take on Nico Musoke. Both men are 3-2 in the UFC and both guys always come to fight, win or lose, so I think this makes for a good fight for the fans. It’s a fight that can help the UFC determine which of these two young fighters has the potential to go far in the sport, and which one just simply isn’t the contender we thought he might have been.
Fight to make: Hyun Gyu Lim vs. Nico Musoke
Yui Chul Nam
In a featherweight matchup, Yui Chul Nam was robbed by the judges as he lost a split decision to Phillipe Nover. I have no idea how the judges saw this fight for Nover, but this was a complete ripoff. Nam should have won this fight, and he should be 2-0 right now. So even though he technically “lost,” I say you give him a step up in competition.
I know that Hatsu Hioki just lost his last fight by knockout, but he’s still a pretty big name at 145 lbs and can be used for purposes like this, when you can give him a fighter on the rise like Nam who is trying to have a breakthrough performance. So I say book these two against each other, and put it on the UFC’s Japan card this fall.
Fight to make: Yui Chul Nam vs. Hatsu Hioki
Mark Eddiva
In the opening bout of the main card, Mark Eddiva lost a split decision to Levan Makashvili. I don’t know how the judges found a way to make this fight appear closer than it was, but Eddiva was pretty much controlled for three full rounds by Makashvili, and overall he just didn’t look good at all as he dropped to 1-2 in the UFC.
Eddiva was originally due to fight Alex White before Makashvili was brought in on short notice, and I think this fight still makes sense. Both fighters are coming off of losses and both men have 1-2 records in the UFC, so I say re-book Eddiva vs. White and see who is good enough to compete in the UFC still and who isn’t.
Fight to make: Mark Eddiva vs. Alex White
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UFC Fight Night 66: Edgar vs. Faber takes place on May 16, 2015 at SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, Philippines.
Click the stars to rate how good you think UFC Fight Night 66 was.
