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.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk
In the main event of UFC Fight Night 69, Joanna Jedrzejczyk stopped Jessica Penne in the third round with strikes for her first successful title defence of the women’s 115-pound belt. Jedrzejczyk’s grappling looked improved and her striking was as deadly as ever as she absolutely battered Penne all over the Octagon before the referee finally decided to step in and stop the fight for Penne’s own good.
Jedrzejczyk looked amazing against Penne and proved to be the best 115-pounder in the world at the moment. For her next fight, it makes sense for Jedrzejczyk to fight the winner of the UFC 190 fight between Claudia Gadelha and Jessica Aguilar. These two women are likely the best 115-pounders outside of the champ, and the winner of that important fight at UFC 190 will be very deserving of the opportunity to fight “Joanna Champion” for the belt before the year is up.
Fight to make: Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. winner of Claudia Gadelha vs. Jessica Aguilar
Tatsuya Kawajiri
In a featherweight contest, long-time veteran Tatsuya Kawajiri improved to 2-1 in the UFC with a close decision win over Dennis Siver. This was a really close fight, but Kawajiri’s wrestling and forward pressure proved to be the keys to victory, as he pulled off the upset win over Siver to cement his place in the top 15.
A fighter looking to jump into the top 15 soon is Mirsad Bektic, who I believe has earned a chance to fight a vet like Kawajiri. I think Bektic is excellent, but I want to see him tested against a true veteran of the sport, and no one is a better fit for the job than Kawajiri. This would be the chance for Bektic to prove just how good he is, because a win over Kawajiri would be huge for him at this point of his career, while for Kawajiri it would give him the chance to defend his ranking and show the world he still has gas left in his tank.
Fight to make: Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Mirsad Bektic
Peter Sobotta
In a welterweight fight, Peter Sobotta moved to 2-0 in his second stint in the UFC with an easy submission win over an overmatched Steven Kennedy, who was not prepared at all, having taken the fight on just one week’s notice. Regardless of how poorly Kennedy performed though, Sobotta showed up and looked good, and deserves a step up for his next fight.
For his next fight, let’s have Sobotta take on Omari Akhmedov, who recently TKO’d Brian Ebersole. Both of these guys are solid European prospects looking to take the next step at 170 lbs, so I feel like this is an appropriate fight to make, one that could be placed on the next Fight Night card in Europe.
Fight to make: Peter Sobotta vs. Omari Akhmedov
Nick Hein
In the lightweight bout that kicked off the main card, Nick Hein clearly won a lame decision over Lukasz Sajewski, who essentially refused to fight. Hein didn’t have to do much to win, as his opponent just didn’t engage with him at all, and for his easy night at the office he improved to 2-1 overall in the UFC with the win.
For his next fight, I’d like to see Hein fight someone aggressive like Joe Proctor. With both guys in similar spots in the lightweight division, I believe a fight like this would bring out the best in Hein, and I think it’d bring out the best in Proctor as well. To me this fight has Fight of the Night written all over it, and I feel like the UFC would be crazy not to try and book it.
Fight to make: Nick Hein vs. Joe Proctor
Makwan Amirkhani
In the last prelim on Fight Pass, Makwan Amirkhani improved to 2-0 in the UFC with a first-round submission win over Masio Fullen. Amirkhani has now won both of his fights in the UFC in a combined time of less than two minutes, so this guy is not to be taken lightly at 145 lbs. At just 26 years of age, Amirkhani already has an exciting fighting style and a good personality, and he could soon be a contender in the featherweight division.
For his next fight, Amirkhani needs to fight an opponent in a similar situation as he, and I believe Gabriel Benitez is the right man for the job. A Mexican standout on TUF Latin America, Benitez is 2-0 in the UFC and is coming off of an impressive upset win over Clay Collard. He has the same record as Amirkhani in the UFC, and both have been equally as impressive in the Octagon, so it’s a fair matchup. It would be a nice fight between two guys looking to make names for themselves in the UFC if it was booked, and considering their styles, I think it would be very exciting.
Fight to make: Makwan Amirkhani vs. Gabriel Benitez
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UFC Fight Night 69: Jedrzejczyk vs. Penne (formerly UFC Fight Night 69: Gustafsson vs. Teixeira) took place on June 20, 2015 at O2 World Berlin in Berlin, Germany.
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