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.
Chad Mendes
In the main event of UFC 179, Chad Mendes fought Jose Aldo tooth-and-nail for five full rounds, ultimately coming up short on the judges’ scorecards and losing a unanimous decision. While Mendes did not get the nod, he can take solace in the fact that he gave Aldo a tougher fight than anyone else in the UFC, and even with the loss he remains a top contender in the featherweight division.
Mendes is now 0-2 against the champ, so until Aldo moves up to 155 pounds or loses his belt at 145 pounds, Mendes isn’t getting a title shot anytime soon. Instead, he’ll have to fight other fighters in the same circumstance he’s in, and that would include the loser of Cub Swanson vs. Frankie Edgar. Mendes against either of those guys makes for a great fight, and it seems like a no-brainer for the UFC to go that route for Mendes’ next fight.
Fight to make: Chad Mendes vs. loser of Cub Swanson vs. Frankie Edgar
Glover Teixeira
In the co-main event, Glover Teixeira looked terrible in being outworked by Phil Davis for 15 minutes and losing a unanimous decision. Teixeira has now lost two in a row after winning 20 in a row prior to his recent slide, and at 34 years of age, one has to wonder if his time as an elite light heavyweight fighter is up.
I like Teixeira, but this was a bad loss and it sets him back quite far in the division. Another fighter who is talented but who has fallen back in the division is Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante. I know these two are Brazilian and the UFC typically won’t match two Brazilians up, but there aren’t many other options for both guys. So put these two together and give them a co-main event slot on a Fight Night card in Brazil.
Fight to make: Glover Teixeira vs. Rafael Feijao
Hans Stringer
In a light heavyweight scrap, Hans Stringer started out strong against Fabio Maldonado but then began to fade badly, and he was eventually finished in the second round by way of ground-and-pound TKO. Stringer’s wrestling looked strong in round one and in the first part of round two, but his cardio proved to be his downfall as he dropped to 1-1 overall in the UFC.
Stringer looked really bad in this fight and I didn’t think he looked good in his UFC debut either. I think he’s bottom of the barrel at 205 lbs in the UFC and should fight someone else ranked in the bottom of the division. Sean O’Connell, I think, would be a good fight for him. Stringer is 1-1 in the UFC and O’Connell is 0-2, so put these two in the cage with one another and see who is good enough to stick around in the big show and who should be cut.
Fight to make: Hans Stringer vs. Sean O’Connell
Lucas Martins
In a featherweight matchup, Lucas Martins had Darren Elkins grind him out for three rounds, and ended up losing a split decision on the judges’ scorecards. Elkins clearly won every round of the fight, and the judge who scored the fight 30-27 for Elkins should be fired. Regardless, Martins didn’t look good at all, as his lack of clinch strength was exposed and his three-fight win streak was snapped, so now he’ll have to start all over again.
For his next fight, I’d like to see Martins matched up with a striker, not a wrestler, so we can really see his skills at work. Another featherweight coming off of a loss is Robbie Peralta, a fellow striker like Martins. I think these two 145-pounders would put on a great fight for the fans, and I think it makes sense as a preliminary fight on an upcoming card in Brazil.
Fight to make: Lucas Martins vs. Robbie Peralta
Carlos Diego Ferreira
In a lightweight bout, Carlos Diego Ferreira was outwrestled and outstruck by Beneil Dariush en route to losing a clear-cut unanimous decision in the opening main card bout. Ferreira, who took the fight on short notice, looked worse than he ever has inside the cage and is no longer undefeated in his career. He was being hyped up as the next big thing at lightweight, but after losing to an unranked fighter like Dariush, it’s clear he has a ton of work to do.
I was high on Ferreira going into this card, but after seeing him get outworked by Dariush and, perhaps surprisingly, completely outgrappled for 15 minutes, I think he needs to take a step back. Another fighter who I was high on but who lost his last fight is Jason Saggo. I think Ferreira and Saggo match up pretty well with one another and I think it makes sense for them to fight each other on an upcoming undercard, considering their styles and the fact that Ferreira is 2-1 in the UFC and Saggo is 1-1.
Fight to make: Carlos Diego Ferreira vs. Jason Saggo
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UFC 179: Aldo vs. Mendes II took place on October 25, 2014 at Maracanazinho Gymnasium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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