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.
Demetrious Johnson
In the UFC 178 main event, Demetrious Johnson extended his title reign as the UFC flyweight champion with a second-round submission victory over an overmatched Chris Cariaso. I don’t think anyone was giving Cariaso much of a chance in this fight, and everyone was right, as Cariaso was completely run over in the wrestling department before Johnson sunk in a tight kimura in the second and torqued Cariaso’s shoulder until he was forced to tap out.
Johnson has basically cleared out the entire division with the exception of John Lineker, who fights Ian McCall in November at UFC Fight Night 56. If Lineker wins that fight (and assuming he makes weight), then he makes sense as Johnson’s next challenger. And if McCall wins the fight, then he could be a decent stopgap opponent for Johnson while #1 contender John Dodson remains out with injury. Sure, Johnson already defeated McCall in the flyweight tournament semifinals back in 2012, but remember, the two also fought to a controversial draw before that. So either way, the winner of Lineker and McCall makes sense as Johnson’s next opponent, if only because the flyweight division is so shallow.
Fight to make: Demetrious Johnson vs. winner of Ian McCall vs. John Lineker
Donald Cerrone
In the co-main event of UFC 178, Donald Cerrone showed once again that he’s an elite lightweight fighter, as he was able to brutalize Eddie Alvarez with his Muay Thai and win a clear-cut unanimous decision. It was a very good fight between two scrappy veterans, but Cerrone proved he was the better man and with the victory increased his win streak to five straight fights at 155 pounds.
Cerrone has fought nearly everyone in the division already, so it’s not easy to find a new fight for him that’s not a rematch. A fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov would make sense, but Nurmagomedov is hurt right now. Another option is TJ Grant, who was the #1 contender before missing the last year-and-a-half with a concussion. Grant says he’s ready to return soon, so if he’s ready to get back in the cage before the end of 2014, I’d like to see him fight Cerrone, and the winner of the fight would be very deserving of a crack at the lightweight title.
Fight to make: Donald Cerrone vs. TJ Grant
Conor McGregor
In a featherweight fight, Conor McGregor proved he was worthy of the hype, as he was able to lay out Dustin Poirier in the first round with strikes. This fight wasn’t even close, and the fact that McGregor was able to run through a legitimate top-10 fighter in Poirier proves he’s the real deal and deserving of all the praise he’s been getting.
The UFC may give McGregor the next title shot, but I really do think it would be wrong to skip over Cub Swanson at this point if he beats Frankie Edgar. Instead, I think McGregor — who is now 4-0 in the UFC — should square off against the winner of Dennis Bermudez vs. Ricardo Lamas, which takes place at UFC 180. Before he’s ready for UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo or Chad Mendes, McGregor needs to fight an elite wrestler, and both Bermudez and Lamas are just that. And if McGregor can beat the winner in impressive fashion, then he’ll prove he’s deserving of a title fight.
Fight to make: Conor McGregor vs. winner of Dennis Bermudez vs. Ricardo Lamas
Yoel Romero
In an exciting middleweight bout that won Fight of the Night, Yoel Romero and Tim Kennedy put on a fantastic back-and-forth war that ultimately led to Kennedy being stopped by strikes for the first time in his career. It appeared as though Kennedy had knocked Romero out standing at the end of the second round, but Romero was somehow able to survive and make it to his stool. Controversy then ensued, as Romero was allowed to sit on the stool for an additional 29 seconds as vaseline needed to be rubbed off of his face, and just seconds later he was able to smash Kennedy with strikes and finish him off.
There was no doubt some controversy, but at the end of the day Romero won by knockout and deserves to continue moving forward in the division. After all, it wasn’t his fault he was given extra time to recover, it was the referee and commission’s fault. With five wins in a row now at 185 lbs, Romero is a top contender and should fight in a title eliminator his next time out. Since the UFC middleweight title fight between champion Chris Weidman and challenger Vitor Belfort was moved to February, Jacare Souza, the next man in line for a title shot, will likely need to fight again in the meantime, and Romero makes sense as his opponent. This would be an amazing middleweight fight, and the winner would absolutely be the #1 contender in the division. I think this fight makes sense, and I hope the UFC goes this route, although a fight between Romero and the winner of Luke Rockhold vs. Michael Bisping could work as well. Either way, Romero deserves a top-five opponent his next time out.
Fight to make: Yoel Romero vs. Jacare Souza
Cat Zingano
In the opening main card bout, Cat Zingano survived a brutal beating by Amanda Nunes in the first round to storm back in the second and third rounds and finish the fight with ground and pound early in the final frame of the fight. Zingano was able to withstand some vicious ground and pound by Nunes in the first, showing her heart and character in the process, and then she found a way to win in impressive fashion once Nunes gassed.
I was impressed with Zingano in the fight and believe she is deserving of a title shot against UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey. I’m not sure if she beats Rousey, but I think she will be more competitive than a lot of the other women Rousey has fought. With her combination of wrestling, BJJ, and striking, Zingano is a tough out for anyone in the women’s bantamweight division, and the fight against Rousey is going to be a big ticket for the UFC in 2015.
Fight to make: Cat Zingano vs. Ronda Rousey
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UFC 178: Johnson vs. Cariaso (formerly UFC 178: Jones vs. Cormier, UFC 178: Jones vs. Gustafsson II) took place on September 27, 2014 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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