Swanson establishes himself as top contender with sixth straight victory
Saturday’s twin bill was better than expected, yielding some impressive performances and quality finishes, leaving us with 10 main card winners to play fantasy matchmaker with today.
Given the higher than usual number of fighters to find future dance partners for, let’s get right to it.
Cub Swanson vs. Jose Aldo or Frankie Edgar/BJ Penn winner
Option A is the fight he’s earned – a rematch with Aldo, this time for the UFC featherweight title. The problem is that Aldo first has to get through a rematch with Chad Mendes, and while most believe the Brazilian will retain the title, anything can happen, so banking on Swanson getting his championship opportunity and not thinking about other potential fights would be a little overzealous.
If Option A doesn’t come together for whatever reason, the only other fight that makes sense is pairing “Killer Cub” with the winner of next weekend’s Ultimate Fighter coaches battle between Frankie Edgar and BJ Penn.
A bout between Swanson and Edgar was in the works for the end of last year, but then Penn announced his intention to return and TUF 19 got its coaches, which is part of the reason the 30-year-old Palm Springs, Calif., native ended up on the sidelines for so long.
Swanson is on fire right now and has legitimate star potential. Regardless of what happens, the UFC needs to make sure to get him back in the Octagon in the next six months to keep building on this growing wave of support.
Nate Marquardt vs. Costas Philippou
“Nate the Great” didn’t even need a full round to halt his three-fight losing streak, stepping into the cage and submitting James Te Huna with a slick armbar to close out Saturday’s debut event in New Zealand.
While one win doesn’t resolve all the former challenger’s issues, it does put him back into the conversation at the bottom of the top-heavy middleweight ranks. Philippou earned a first-round win of his own back in May and is the type of durable, experienced veteran who serves as a measuring stick for fighters in the 185-pound ranks.
Matching these two up would give everyone a much better understanding of where Marquardt fits in the middleweight division.
Kelvin Gastelum vs. Tarec Saffiedine
Now 4-0 in the UFC, Gastelum is on the brink of breaking into the top 10 in the welterweight division. While I would normally lobby for the organization to pump the breaks with a 22-year-old fighter with a world of potential, but Gastelum has been showcased his entire career, so it makes more sense to keep the pedal to the floor.
Saffiedine was the final Strikeforce welterweight champion and earned a win in his UFC debut back in January, but has been out of action since. “Sponge” needs someone with a little bit of a name as an opponent in order to get some face time with the UFC audience and Gastelum needs to keep moving up the divisional ladder one rung at a time.
Jared Rosholt vs. Stefan Struve/Matt Mitrione winner
“The Big Show” pushed his winning streak to seven (and three straight in the UFC) with a grinding win over Soa Palelei in the co-main event. Because heavyweight is so thin and Rosholt has rattled off a trio of victories in the Octagon, he’s due to get a significant step up in competition next time.
Struve and Mitrione throw down next weekend on the main card of UFC 175 and the winner is really the only logical pairing for Rosholt. The winner will be on a mini two-fight winning streak, but not ready to dance with the big boys and the former Oklahoma State wrestler needs a stiffer test in order to determine if he’s ready for that kind of challenge.
Ricardo Lamas vs. Dennis Bermudez/Clay Guida winner
If Lamas did break his hand Saturday night against Hacran Dias, he’s going to be out for a few additional months and his next bout won’t take place until 2015. If he’s able to get back into the cage in the next six months, a pairing with the winner of the impending Bermudez-Guida bout fits.
Bermudez is on a tear and beating Guida would put him in line for another step up, but I can’t see the UFC putting him in there with someone that is already in contention. Should Guida win, he’s the kind of established name you can line up opposite “The Bully” in the co-main event of a show on Fox Sports 1. Either way, Lamas gets another top-10 opponent and his dance partner gets a former title challenger. Everybody wins.
Charles Oliveira vs. Nik Lentz
They fought before when both competed at lightweight and it ended in controversy, with Oliveira landing an illegal knee and the bout being deemed a No Contest. Now both are having success at featherweight, but fall outside the top tier of talent in the division, so why not run this one back and let them resolve their outstanding issues inside the Octagon?
Clint Hester vs. Cezar “Mutante” Ferreira
No, I’m not just trying to save space – I genuinely think that pairing Saturday’s San Antonio middleweight winners together makes a lot of sense. Hester collected a split decision win over Antonio Braga Neto and has now won four straight in the UFC, while “Mutante” rebounded nicely from his quick loss to Clarence Byron Dollaway to outwork Andrew Craig.
Here’s the thing: neither are in the mix at this point and it makes more sense to pair them off and see who moves forward than giving them each stiff tests next time out … at least to me.
Robert Whittaker vs. Kenny Robertson/Ildemar Alcantara winner
The TUF Smashes winner halted his two-fight skid with a decision win over Mike Rhodes on Saturday, but is still ultimately in need of finding consistency in the cage. While the victory is a step in the right direction, building upon it is critical. A matchup with the winner of UFC 175’s lone welterweight pairing would give him a chance to reach that target and fits as a small step up in competition for either Robertson or Alcantara as well.
Joe Ellenberger vs. Jesse Ronson/Kevin Lee winner
Ellenberger showed a ton of heart in getting a split decision win over a game James Moontasri on Saturday, but there is no reason to hustle him into deep waters at this point. Ronson and Lee scrap on the Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale next Sunday and the winner feels like the right opponent for “Excalibur” the next time around.