UFC Fight Night 73 was another strong night of fights for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. While the event may not have featured many of the biggest names within the organization, there were a number of exciting and interesting fights. Now that the event is over, here are some compelling fights that can be put together for the winners in the near future:
Glover Teixeira vs. Mauricio Rua
In the main event, Glover Teixeira halted the surge of Ovince St. Preux by dominating the former football player for three rounds. Teixeira may be far off from getting a second title shot, but he’s still a fighter that can help sort out the middle section of the division. Mauricio Rua is in the same position, and matching them against each other would keep them both active but away from any up and coming contenders.
It wouldn’t shake up the rankings, but this would be a brawling style fight that would please fans and increase the energy of the card. Both fighters are violent on the feet and versed on the mat when needed.
Still, this fight has intense striking exchanges written all over it, and would be a great way to open up a PPV main card in Brazil.
Beneil Dariush had a puzzled look on his face when he was announced the winner of his fight against Michael Johnson. While many people feel that he did not do enough to get the victory, his resume will still show a “W” over Johnson, which is an important win at this time. To see if Dariush is really a fighter that fans should get behind, the UFC matchmakers should slot him against Myles Jury.
Jury pulled out of his last scheduled bout due to injury, and his schedule is open for another bout before the end of the year. He was pushing to be a top-level fighter at lightweight until he ran into Donald Cerrone at UFC 182. He recently announced that he intends to move to featherweight, but if that drop does not come to pass, Jury and Dariush would be an interesting matchup of grapplers who are both well-versed on the mat. Jury’s wrestling and striking skills have garnered more attention up to this point, so it would be compelling to see if Dariush can improve in this respect, as this was his glaring weakness against Johnson.
Dariush vs. Jury would make a strong main card bout for a UFC Fight Night event.
Jared Rosholt vs. Stefan Struve
Jared Rosholt was once a hot prospect in the heavyweight division. Unfortunately, his performances and fighting style have not lived up to the hype. Even though he earned a victory on Saturday night, he didn’t look like a fighter that can be an eventual title challenger. Given that reality, the UFC should bring him along slowly in the hopes that he can develop into a contender worth watching.
Stefan Struve is another fighter who was once pegged as a fighter to watch in the division. He’s had some setbacks both in the cage and health-wise, but fans know he’s going to put on a show. It would be interesting to see if Struve can deal with Rosholt’s wrestling and if Rosholt would struggle with Struve’s length, striking, and grappling.
Amanda Nunes may have stolen the show at UFC Fight Night 73. She walked into the cage against Olympic silver medalist Sara McMann and dispatched the former title challenger in the first round. The right hand that stunned McMann was impressive, but her ability to stay on her feet once McMann had her body lock in place was much more interesting.
Some are pegging Nunes as a potential contender to Ronda Rousey. However, with Rousey booked through December, the UFC should slot her against Holly Holm to keep both women active.
Nunes vs. Holm would make an excellent co-main event for a card televised on Fox or Fox Sports 1, or a main card bout on pay-per-view.
Ray Borg is an emerging name in the still-developing flyweight division. His performance at UFC Fight Night 73 opened some eyes as to his potential as an eventual contender at 125 pounds. Putting him against Zach Makovsky will help him either leapfrog into the Top Ten or show that Makovsky is truly a part of the upper echelon of the division.
Borg would have the advantage in speed, but Makovsky has the experience edge in this potential matchup. That would be the key factor when looking at these two in the cage. Either way it turns out, this would be an interesting fight for the growth of the flyweight division.
UFC Fight Night 73 was not a letdown in any sense or fashion.
With the event over, these fights can help push the winners towards bigger matchups in the future. The UFC is always looking for new competitors to push to the fans, and creating these fights will give the winners opportunities to become athletes worth watching in the months ahead.
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UFC Fight Night 73: Saint Preux vs. Teixeira took place on August 8, 2015 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.
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