At UFC 188, the UFC returned to Mexico City in another attempt to capture the attention of Mexican combat sports fans. The event featured a lot of Mexican competitors, and while they were not all victorious, fans were still given a solid event from start to finish. In addition, the UFC crowned a new heavyweight champion in Fabricio Werdum. Looking forward, these are some fight suggestions to keep building momentum for the event’s winners:
Fabricio Werdum vs. Junior dos Santos 2
Fabricio Werdum shocked many in the mixed martial arts world when he submitted Cain Velasquez via guillotine choke in the third round of their main event bout. A large underdog going into this fight, Werdum used both his world-class Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and ever-improving striking to dominate the former champion. His next bout should come against another former champion in Junior dos Santos.
JDS owns a win over the new titleholder from his UFC debut back at UFC 90 in 2008. That violent finish of Werdum set dos Santos on the track that would allow him to reach the top of the division. While JDS has two recent defeats to Velasquez and looked worse for wear in his victory over Stipe Miocic at UFC on Fox 13, he is still a name in the division.
Fabricio Werdum vs. Junior dos Santos best works as a main event for a UFC pay-per-view during the late third quarter of 2015.
Eddie Alvarez vs. Benson Henderson
In the co-main event, Eddie Alvarez pulled out a split decision win over a man that has been his rival for years in Gilbert Melendez. Now that the former Bellator lightweight champion has gotten that fight behind him and earned his first UFC win, he can build momentum towards earning a shot at the UFC’s lightweight strap. One fighter that is in his way is the former champion, Benson Henderson.
The main question regarding whether or not this matchup works for Henderson is whether he plans to step into the Octagon as a lightweight or a welterweight in his next bout. Rumors had swirled about Henderson leaving for a better contract with Bellator, but those have died in recent weeks. He’s still ranked in the Top 10 of the lightweight division and is still a valuable win for anyone looking to earn a title shot at 155 pounds. Matching these two up would also give the UFC a chance to re-book a fight that was meant to take place at UFC Fight Night 59.
Eddie Alvarez vs. Benson Henderson would work as a co-main event for a UFC on Fox event.
Kelvin Gastelum vs. Dong Hyun Kim
Kelvin Gastelum may have put Nate Marquardt out of the sport of MMA with his violent beatdown at UFC 188. If Gastelum can convince the matchmakers of the UFC to give him another opportunity at welterweight, he should be matched against Dong Hyun Kim.
Kim is a very valuable and difficult 170-pounder for any competitor in the weight class. His 11-3-1 Octagon record is vastly underrated by fans and experts alike. Still, Gastelum vs. Kim would be an interesting fight stylistically. Both men are very aggressive and don’t shy away from striking exchanges. The most captivating aspect of this battle would be seeing how well Kim’s judo control would be able to stifle Gastelum on the mat.
Kelvin Gastelum vs. Dong Hyun Kim works well as a main card opener for a UFC pay-per-view event.
Yair Rodriguez vs. Mark Eddiva
The UFC may have found its Mexican star in the making. Yair Rodriguez brought everything out of the kitchen and threw it at Charles Rosa. Even though he was winded in the third round, he kept being aggressive, even after being taken down by Rosa. Going forward, the UFC should continue to slowly build Rodriguez into a fighter that people want to see.
Mark Eddiva has struggled in his UFC tenure, but he is the exact type of fighter that should be placed into a matchup with Rodriguez. The point would be to continue giving Rodriguez exposure over a long amount of time.
Rodriguez vs. Eddiva should be used as a main card fight on a UFC Fight Night event in Mexico.
Tecia Torres vs. Rose Namajunas
The UFC women’s strawweight division is slowly growing in both interest and depth. Tecia Torres solidified her place amongst the elite in the division with her dominating win over Angela Hill. While the next number one contender is expected to come from the Claudia Gadelha vs. Jessica Aguilar bout planned for UFC 190, Torres is not far down the list. To help build the division and create another contender after said fight, the UFC should create a rematch between Torres and Rose Namajunas.
Torres owns a victory over Namajunas which was earned back at Invicta FC 6 in 2013. Even though that is a short time ago, the UFC’s 115-pound weight class needs more women to leap to the top of the pack for the current champion, Joanna Jedrzejczyk. The winner of this fight would immediately be considered the next contender in line.
Torres vs. Namajunas should be used as a main card bout for a UFC on Fox show.
UFC 188 was a solid event that gave fans a lot of action and content to discuss as they walked away. Now that the show is over, these fights will keep the athletes active and moving up the ladder in each of their respective weight classes.
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UFC 188: Velasquez vs. Werdum took place on June 13, 2015 at Arena Ciudad de Mexico in Mexico City, Mexico.
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