You have to feel a little bad for the fighters that took home victories Wednesday night in Atlantic City as Saturday’s UFC Fight Night event in Dublin overshadowed those performances and made it feel like those fights took place three weeks ago, not three days prior.
Nevertheless, as has become custom on weeks where the UFC offers up a double feature of fisticuffs, my best attempts at impersonating Joe Silva and Sean Shelby are being packaged together into one piece.
Here are the fights I would make for last week’s UFC main card winners.
Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier
The idea for this fight was floating around before McGregor made short work of Diego Brandao and it makes even more sense after Saturday’s fight played out the way it did. Poirier has been on a roll since losing to Cub Swanson in February 2013, winning three straight, and has already said he’s interested.
Here’s the thing with that fight though: It needs to be positioned properly, as McGregor is a burgeoning superstar and the UFC needs to keep mining the interest in “The Notorious” as much as possible.
This is a main event caliber fight with potential title implications, so it should either be booked as the headlining act on a Fox Sports 1 or “Big FOX” show or the co-main event of an upcoming pay-per-view. Throw this fight in the spotlight and allow it to help carry both men to greater levels of recognition and popularity.
Donald Cerrone vs. Josh Thomson/Bobby Green winner
A bout with Khabib Nurmagomedov was signed and ready to be announced as part of the loaded UFC 178 fight card, but shortly after the paperwork was completed, the Dagestani lightweight blew out his knee, scuttling the potentially electric pairing.
As such, “Cowboy” needs a new dance partner and the winner of next week’s bout between Thomson and Green would make sense. The division is a little held up right now with Anthony Pettis and Gilbert Melendez not set to scrap until early 2015, so there is time to make tough fights like this without really losing a potential contender.
Thomson dropped a questionable split decision to Benson Henderson earlier in the year and Green is riding a seven-fight winning streak and could vault himself into the title picture by upsetting “The Punk” in San Jose. As for Cerrone, he’ll fight just about anyone, so you know you’re not going to get complaints from him about facing a top-10 opponent.
Gunnar Nelson vs. Demian Maia/Mike Pyle winner
The unbeaten Icelandic welterweight turned in another strong performance in Dublin, waiting for his opportunity to pounce and quickly sinking in a rear-naked choke on TUF 17 alum Zak Cummings in the co-main event.
Some were critical of Nelson’s minimalist approach through the opening five minutes, but it felt very Machida-like to me – pick your spots, don’t waste energy, and wait for an opening. When it didn’t come, he moved on to the next frame and swiftly jumped Cummings’ back once the two clinched up and hit the canvas.
Maia and Pyle fight at the end of August and a bout with the winner makes sense for Nelson next time out. Both are experienced veterans with very good skills on the mat and the ability to push the now 13-0-1 Nelson.
Welterweight is loaded, so there is no need to rush the 25-year-old into a major fight or pair him with another rising star like Kelvin Gastelum – just keep bringing him along fight-by-fight, one step up at a time.
Edson Barboza vs. Michael Chiesa/Joe Lauzon winner
Barboza earned another “kick-related stoppage” on Wednesday and continues to hover just inside the Top 10 in the lightweight division, which feels a bit high for my liking, but whatever. Chiesa and Lauzon throw down on the loaded Connecticut show in early September and the winner would be in line for a step up to Barboza’s level.
Regardless of who wins, this would be one of those bouts where you test each fighter’s ability to improve and dominate with their strength – the Brazilian would need to keep it standing and in space, while either of the American lightweights would have to get inside, get it to the canvas and stay off the end of Barboza’s strikes.
Ian McCall vs. John Lineker
This one pretty much makes itself as the timelines match-up nicely, provided McCall doesn’t have any serious injuries following his win over Brad Pickett.
Lineker looked great against Alp Ozkilic, but needs to show the UFC he can hit the 125-pound mark at least once more before being entrusted with a title shot, while “Uncle Creepy” had his best performance in some time to vault back into the title discussion. He’s already faced Demetrious Johnson twice and even though the division is desperate for contenders, it’s hard to rush him into a third pairing with “Mighty Mouse” off one quality win and a victory over Iliarde Santos.
Pair these two off and take it from there.
Rick Story vs. Ryan LaFlare
Story looked great in his first outing since moving his training camp to The Lab in Glendale, Arizona, but he’s still got work to do in order to get back into the title chase in the loaded 170-pound ranks.
LaFlare is unbeaten and has won four straight in the UFC, but still needs to beat a proven guy like Story before being considered a contender. He was scheduled to face Nelson in Dublin before being forced out with an injury, but a return against a durable and experienced guy with a similar make-up to his own seems like an ideal pairing.
Joe Proctor vs. Joe Ellenberger
Proctor looked solid putting away Justin Salas to earn his second-straight UFC win, but he’s still in the bottom half of the pack in the talent-rich lightweight division. Ellenberger eked out a victory in his promotional debut and needs to show more in order to start moving forward. Line them up and see which one takes the next step.
Lucas Martins vs. Max Holloway/Mirsad Bektic winner
Featherweight is one of the few divisions where I think you can pair up-and-comers together just outside of the Top 15 and not burn yourself.
Martins earned a second-round knockout win over Alex White on Wednesday, while Holloway and Bektic will lock horns on the August 23 event in Tulsa. All three have potential to be contenders, but there is room to make a “prospects match” here by pairing the Brazilian Martins with whoever emerges from Oklahoma with another win under their belt.
Norman Parke vs. Danny Castillo
Parke is unbeaten in his last 11 fights and five straight in the UFC, but the TUF Smashes winner still finds himself on the outside of the Top 15 looking in. He called out Diego Sanchez after his win on Saturday, but that seems like too big of a step up for “Stormin’ Norman,” especially given that this was his first finish inside the Octagon.
Instead, may I suggest a matchup with the criminally underrated Castillo? Let’s see if Parke can handle a heavy-handed wrestler with great conditioning that brings the fight to him before moving him too far up the lightweight ladder.