Fights To Make After UFC 144: The Loser’s Edition

By Raphael Garcia

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s first trip to Japan in more than 10 years brought success to many individuals. Fighters such as Benson Henderson, who won the lightweight title, or Anthony Pettis and Hatsu Hioki, who cemented their claims as top contenders in their respective divisions, all left with stronger foundations to build their careers upon. However, the individuals who suffered defeat in one fashion or another must now regroup to remove the stigma of losing in the Octagon. Here are some potential fight suggestions for those who did not get their hand raised after fighting at UFC 144:

Frankie Edgar vs. Clay Guida

Even before facing Benson Henderson in defense of his lightweight title, Frankie Edgar had to deal with questions about moving to featherweight. Now that he has lost the belt many will insist that the “Answer” move down to what is considered his “natural” weight class. Edgar, on the other hand, has made it clear that he wants a rematch before he even considers leaving the weight class. With that being said, if he is not given an immediate rematch, a fight against Clay Guida would be an exciting bout to make that could still have contendership implications.

Both Guida and Edgar are very dynamic wrestlers who are able to keep a pace in the Octagon that is rarely achieved by any other competitors. There is no question that both would be very active throughout a three- or five-round bout. Edgar has shown that he is much more technical when it comes to mixing together his wrestling and striking, even as he seamlessly transitions between the two. Guida is very “unorthodox” in his style of attack, which has been used to confuse and frustrate many of his opponents in the past. Combined with the pace that he keeps from start to finish, it’s truly a task to outwork the fighter known as the “Carpenter.”

In this bout I would expect Edgar to hold the technical advantage in every area. He would be able to out strike the aggressive Guida, who has shown problems with accurate strikers such as Kenny Florian. Edgar would be able to score points on Guida while setting up his takedowns. And on the mat Edgar would be able to control Guida, because his is yet another area that he has shown a weakness in his game in past fights. The former champion would be able to outperform Guida in what would be a very fast-paced bout between two of the more exciting fighters in the lightweight division.

Quinton Jackson vs. loser of Alexander Gustafsson – Antonio Rogerio Nogueira

Questions surround the career of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Even before his bout with Ryan Bader, the former light heavyweight champion was discussing the idea of ending his career. However, after a poor performance at UFC 144 that included a reported injury and weight cut issues, Jackson has stated that he wants to continue fighting. Where he goes from here is a tough call, but I believe he should be matched against the loser of the Gustafsson–Nogueira bout that is planned for April 14th.

Jackson and Nogueira are two big names in the world of MMA that built their name competing in the Pride ring. They’ve never competed against each other, but they’ve faced many of the same opponents. A fight between these two potential Hall of Famers would bring about a feeling of nostalgia among fans, along with cementing the two fighters’ places in the legend books. Nogueira is known as a very technical boxer, while Jackson is a counter puncher who looks to catch his opponent after attacking. What would determine an advantage in this bout is what type of Jackson comes in to compete. When he faced Lyoto Machida and Jon Jones in recent bouts he looked primed for competition and in great shape. But looking back at his bouts against Bader or Rashad Evans, we can see the “less motivated” Jackson that leaves something to be desired in the Octagon. I believe that Jackson would be able to defeat the older Nogueira if he goes into the bout ready to compete at a high level. But if not, Nogueira is more than capable of landing punches and scoring takedowns at will if the opportunities are there during this fight.

Gustafsson is a different type of problem. At 25 years of age, the Swedish light heavyweight has surprised many people with his growth in the sport. He’s continued to show a developing striking and submissions game as he has racked up four straight wins since his last defeat, to Phil Davis in 2010. Now he’s poised to make a run towards a title shot, but even if he lost to Nogueira, a victory over a former titleholder would go a long way towards keeping him on that track.

Gustafsson would be a serious problem for Jackson because he has the length to keep him away, as well as the striking acumen to score points from a safe distance. He has also shown the ability to submit opponents once the fight hits the mat. These abilities in the young fighter would pose a problem for Jackson, and I would pick Gustafsson by decision in this fight.

Yushin Okami vs. Michael Bisping

Yushin Okami is considered the most successful fighter from Japan to compete in the UFC. That success has been damaged since he was wrecked by Anderson Silva in Brazil. He was handling Tim Boetsch for ten solid minutes before one punch started the downfall that led to repeated uppercuts and a TKO defeat. However, Okami is still one of the best fighters in the middleweight division and a tough out for any opponent. In his next bout I would match him against Michael Bisping, who is in need of a key victory to cement his claim as a potential contender to the 185-pound title.

Okami vs. Bisping would be an interesting bout because both fighters have the ability to dictate the positioning of the fight. Okami is a very technical striker, but I believe that Bisping’s boxing is a lot better suited for this bout. He would be able to land point-scoring combinations and move out of harm’s way with his clean footwork. Okami has been able to wrestle opponents down to the ground, but if Chael Sonnen was unable to hold Bisping down for extended periods of time, I don’t think Okami would be able to either.

In what would be an important bout for both fighters, I see Bisping scoring with his striking and maneuvering Okami around the cage much the way he did Sonnen during their fight. Bisping by decision.

Joe Lauzon vs. Donald Cerrone

Joe Lauzon and Donald Cerrone have both become fan favorites for their worth ethics and willingness to put on exciting fights for mainstream and hardcore fans alike. They have both suffered one-sided defeats at the hands of fighters who are closer to title shots in Anthony Pettis and Nate Diaz. I would love to see both of these competitors matched against each other to add some clarity to the logjam that has become the middle of the lightweight roster.

Lauzon and Cerrone would be a battle that would take place on multiple fronts. Lauzon is very technical with his boxing, but Cerrone is a more complete kick boxer who would be able to score on the feet from more angles. However, that wouldn’t stop Lauzon from moving forward with the aggressive style that has given him multiple Fight of the Night bonuses.

On the mat I believe that Lauzon would hold the advantage, although both he and Cerrone are accomplished grapplers. The longer the bout stays on the ground, the more Lauzon would be able to attack from multiple positions and keep Cerrone on the defensive. With 29 submission victories between them both, this fight would become a grappling exhibition as soon as either fighter scores a takedown.

As with any Lauzon bout, the question surrounding his cardiovascular endurance would hang over his head. Until he shows the ability to be able to fight effectively for three or more rounds, he will continue to face accusations that he burns himself out during competition. If he fell into that rut during this fight, Cerrone would make him pay for it by punishing him with a third round TKO.

Bart Palaszewski vs. Manny Gamburyan

Bart Palaszewski is an interesting fighter in the featherweight division. While he’s fallen to some of the bigger names in MMA, he has amassed a 36-15 record during an 11-year career that is nothing to hold your nose about. He hasn’t been able to get that key win to push him into number one contender’s status, but he’s still a name and force to be reckoned with within the UFC’s 145-pound group. Matching him against Manny Gamburyan would create an interesting fight to see who deserves to be considered among the elite of that group.

Palaszewski would be best suited to keep this bout on the feet, because Gamburyan’s Judo abilities are world class. Palaszewski is known as a big puncher who loads up and delivers heavy hits, but that would help Manny, who uses his striking to close the distance before taking his opponents to the ground, The question for this bout would center on who can dictate where the fight takes place. The longer these two competitors are standing and trading, the more time “Bartimus” would have to land a big shot and put Gamburyan away. However, if the “Anvil” can score repeated takedowns, this would be his bout to win.

UFC 144 is going to end up being a big event for both the winners and losers. Going forward those who were unable to gain victories will need big wins to get their careers back on the right track. These fights would be interesting to watch, and also to go towards setting up these fighters for their comeback trails.

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