If there were any questions about how Lyoto Machida would bounce back from his championship loss to Chris Weidman at UFC 174, “The Dragon” answered them emphatically on Saturday night in Barueri, closing out 2014 in the UFC with a 62-second technical knockout win over C.B. Dollaway.
This was as dominant a performance as we’ve seen from the former light heavyweight champion in years – superior to his divisional debut against Mark Munoz and greater than his gutsy showing against Weidman in defeat. This was what makes Machida a special talent and a legitimate threat in the 185-pound ranks and it was beyond impressive.
What makes it more interesting is that before anyone could wonder where the 36-year-old Brazilian goes following his stunning stoppage win over Dollaway in the final UFC bout of the year, fellow contender Luke Rockhold and UFC President Dana White seemed to have answered that question on Twitter.
Rockhold, who blistered Michael Bisping at the start of November in Sydney, Australia, tweeted out his praise of Machida’s performance and suggested to White that he was ready to share the cage with the recent title challenger whenever the organization wants to put the two together. White responded enthusiastically, saying he’d call the former Strikeforce champion once he returns from vacation, and at the post-fight press conference, Machida added that a bout with Rockhold would be an excellent option.
Just like that, we have a terrific fight on our hands.
Given the landscape of the division – and the bouts that are already on the books for the first eight weeks of 2015 – slotting Machida in against Rockhold in the first half of next year fits.
Despite having just fought for the title, Machida acquitted himself well against Weidman, didn’t slip too far out of the title picture with that loss and gained back a little ground by leaving Dollaway in a heap on the canvas on Saturday night inside the sweltering confines of Ginásio José Corrêa. He needs at least one more big win (depending how things shake out) before he can fight for the title again and a victory over the likes of Rockhold would ensure that Machida stays on the short-list of possible title challengers.
For Rockhold, this is a no-brainer – Machida is the top contender in the division that doesn’t have a fight booked and just had an amazing performance. Knocking off a guy like that would make it hard to deny him a title shot, regardless of what else happens around him in the division.
As far as the UFC side of things, the pairing makes for an easy-to-sell Fight Night main event, a quality option atop the spring FOX card or a great secondary or tertiary bout on a strong pay-per-view show in the opening half of 2015. Plus, regardless of the outcome, a potential title challenger emerges, so it’s wins all around.
Here’s a look at the fights I would make for the rest of Saturday’s main card winners.
Renan Barao vs. Rafael Assuncao
This is more a matter of timing than anything else.
Barao looked good picking up a third-round submission win over Canadian Mitch Gagnon in the penultimate fight of 2014 in the UFC, but it wasn’t the kind of statement-victory that should hustle him back to the head of the list of title challengers in the bantamweight division.
With the date for TJ Dillashaw’s title defense against Dominick Cruz still TBA and Assuncao having won seven straight – including a split decision victory over the champion – lining up the two Brazilian contenders to determine who will face the winner of the eventual title bout between Dillashaw and Cruz is an easy call to make.
Stick that fight atop one of the Fight Night events in Brazil and you’re all set.
Patrick Cummins vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima
No, I’m not just sticking the two victorious light heavyweights from Saturday’s card together because that’s the easy thing to do. Hear me out, m’kay?
Cummins has used his dominant wrestling skills to pick up three consecutive victories since losing to Daniel Cormier in his promotional debut at UFC 170, including cruising to victory over TUF: Brazil 3 winner (and future middleweight) Antonio Carlos Junior. But he hasn’t really been in there with someone that has legitimate knockout power as of yet and it’s about time for him to get his chin tested.
Conversely, de Lima has picked up a pair of quick first-round finishes since coming out of the heavyweight competition on Season 3 of TUF: Brazil, but he’s yet to share the cage with someone that forces him to back up and defend the shot. While his knockout power is proven, his ability to stuff the takedown and stay standing is not, and Cummins would certainly test his abilities in that area if they were to meet.
Rashid Magomedov vs. Beneil Dariush
Here’s what I love about the lightweight division: it is so deep and there are so many guys hovering just below the Top 15 (with even more waiting to join the group), that there is no need to nurse prospects along and keep them away from each other.
Magomedov picked up his third-straight UFC win on Saturday, becoming the first man to defeat Elias Silverio while pushing his record to an impressive 19-1 overall. The 25-year-old Dariush has earned consecutive victories over Tony Martin and Carlos Diego Ferreira and went 3-1 in the Octagon in 2015.
Both are a couple of wins away from breaking into the top tier of the division and would be a reasonable step up in competition for one another at this stage of their careers. Stylistically, it’s an interesting pairing with Dariush having the edge on the ground and Magomedov being the superior striker, and from a rankings standpoint, a matchup like this helps the winner take a clear step forward in an otherwise crowded division.
Daniel Sarafian vs. Antonio dos Santos Jr.
An injury halted this one 61 seconds into the second round after a close and entertaining opening frame. Given that Sarafian is no longer the rising regional prospect he was coming off the initial season of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil, waiting to run this one back again might be the most prudent decision.
