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.
Glover Teixeira
Despite losing a clear-cut unanimous decision to Jon Jones in the main event of UFC 172, Glover Teixeira proved to all of his doubters that he is one of the top light heavyweights in the world and can hang with anyone in the division, including the champ, for five full rounds. Teixeira clearly lost, but he made Jones work more than perhaps any other fighter beside Alexander Gustafsson, and deserves credit for making it 25 minutes despite suffering numerous injuries in the bout.
I think Teixeira’s stock remains about the same with the loss, and that he’s still in the top five. One fighter who was in the top five but who isn’t anymore is Phil Davis, who lost a clean-sweep decision to Anthony Johnson in the co-main event. At the post-fight presser, UFC president Dana White talked about a potential Teixeira vs. Johnson matchup, one that I think makes a whole lot of sense, and one that I hope is booked as the main event of a future Fight Night card in Brazil.
Fight to make: Teixeira vs. Anthony Johnson
Phil Davis
As stated in the paragraph above, Phil Davis blew his top-five ranking with a clear-cut decision defeat at the hands of Anthony Johnson. Davis couldn’t get the takedown and he couldn’t strike with Johnson, and his stock will drop huge with the loss.
Another fighter who had his stock drop recently is Jimi Manuwa, and I think it makes sense for him to fight Davis next. Both guys are borderline top 10 fighters at this point, and a fight between these two would help determine who is still a possible contender, and who is just a pretender at 205 pounds.
Fight to make: Davis vs. Jimi Manuwa
Tim Boetsch
In a middleweight bout, Tim Boetsch was absolutely destroyed by Luke Rockhold, getting submitted with a rare inverted triangle-kimura just a few minutes into their match. It was Boetsch’s third loss in his last four fights, and he could be at risk of being cut.
I think the 33-year-old Boetsch deserves one more shot, though, and I’d like to see him face another fighter in his thirties in Dylan Andrews. I think this would be a fun fight between two guys with talent, but who just can’t put it all together for whatever reason, and I’d like to see this fight on the New Zealand card this June.
Fight to make: Boetsch vs. Dylan Andrews
Yancy Medeiros
He took the fight on short notice and must be commended for stepping up when no one else would, but clearly Yancy Medeiros isn’t an elite lightweight by any means, as he lost via first-round submission to perennial contender Jim Miller. It’s a loss that will set Medeiros back for the near future, but at only 26 he still has time to contend for the belt if he can improve his grappling.
Another fighter who was on a roll before losing when he stepped up in competition was Adriano Martins, who was knocked out by Donald Cerrone a few months ago at UFC on FOX 10. I think Medeiros vs. Martins makes sense from a rankings perspective and also from a styles perspective, because both men have excellent striking and would likely put on a show for the fans. The UFC should book it for a future preliminary card in Brazil.
Fight to make: Medeiros vs. Adriano Martins
Andre Fili
In the opening main card bout, Andre Fili didn’t have a great showing, as he lost via third-round submission to young veteran Max Holloway. The fight was extremely close, and it’s possible Fili could have won it on the judges’ scorecards had it made it there, but he was forced to tap to a guillotine with just over a minute left in the match, snapping his long win streak in the process.
Another fighter who was on a win streak before a recent loss is Alan Omer, who showed some nice striking skills in his UFC debut loss to Jim Alers. I think a fight between Fili and Omer would be a fantastic brawl between two guys with great standup, and I hope the UFC puts this on a preliminary card this summer.
Fight to make: Fili vs. Alan Omer
**********
UFC 172: Jones vs. Teixeira took place on April 26, 2014 at Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, Maryland.
Click the stars to rate how good you think UFC 172 was.
