Tonight marked the finale of another excellent season of The Ultimate Fighter, featuring several of the undefeated participants from the show. This was an excellent card to kick off the International Fight Week festivities, and almost ever fight on the card was utterly exciting. Having so many spectacular fighters on the same card means that everyone needs another fight best suited to them, and I think I have a few matches that would make sense.
Julian Marquez vs. Karl Roberson
Julian Marquez lost a controversial split decision to Alessio Di Chirico tonight, and I personally feel that he won the fight. However, he’s still 1-1 in the UFC, just as seasoned kickboxer Karl Roberson is. I think this could be a fun fight between two big strikers, and I would love to see who knocks out the other first.
Alessio Di Chirico vs. Ryan Janes
Alessio Di Chirico did his part in derailing the Julian Marquez hype train, yet he’s still not ready for a top contender in the division. I feel like matching him up with Ryan Janes would be a good fight between two men with contrasting styles and similar body types. They’re both coming off of the biggest victories of their careers, and I think it’s only a matter of time until the two clash in the Octagon.
Barb Honchak vs. Jessica-Rose Clark
One of MMA’s true female pioneers, Barb Honchak suffered a devastating TKO loss tonight. While she’s on a bit of a losing streak now, she is still very much in the mix at Flyweight, and fighting someone like Jessica-Rose Clark could be what gets her back on the horse. Both women seemed like potential title challengers before their most recent losses, and this could be a crossroads fight between two women who have yet to make their marks in the UFC.
Roxanne Modafferi vs. Lauren Murphy
Roxanne Modafferi picked up the biggest win of her career by knocking out Barb Honchak, and I think she deserves a fight that could get her back to the title. Lauren Murphy is coming off of a loss, yet is still ranked fairly high in the division, so a fight against her could be exactly what Modafferi is looking for. It seems likely for it to happen considering how both women were on the same season of The Ultimate Fighter together, and I think it would be a competitive fight between two veterans.
Martin Bravo vs. Guan Wang
Martin Bravo went to war with Alex Caceres for three rounds, and I think he deserves another person to go to war with. Guan Wang handed Caceres a loss not too long ago, but styles make fights, and I think that Bravo could pose a lot of problems for Wang.
Alex Caceres vs. Chas Skelly
Alex Caceres won an absolute battle with Martin Bravo, and someone else that would be willing to engage in a war with Caceres is Chas Skelly. Both Skelly and Caceres have established themselves as journeymen in the Featherweight division, and it’s only a matter of time until they fight. I think that both fighters could pose a threat to one another in different areas, and I would like to see the clash of styles unfold.
Jay Cucciniello vs. Brandon Davis
Jay Cucciniello has become known for getting knocked down and getting back up again, and that’s exactly what he did in his losing effort against Brad Katona tonight. While he may not be The Ultimate Fighter, Jay still has a lot of potential in the promotion, and I think pairing him with someone like Brandon Davis would be a fun fight. Davis is 1-2 in the promotion, and a dangerous striker with a spotty record could be what Cucciniello needs to get a win in the UFC.
Brad Katona vs. Sean O’Malley
Brad Katona is officially the Featherweight Ultimate Fighter for season 27, yet he’s been saying since the show ended that he sees himself moving down to Bantamweight. As one of the most exciting new prospects in the UFC, it would make sense to have him fight another promising star in Sean O’Malley. People have fallen in love with O’Malley’s flashy style, but I think this is a good fight for Katona to establish himself in the Bantamweight division.
Joe Giannetti vs. Richie Smullen
Joe Giannetti let his hopes of becoming The Ultimate Fighter slip through his fingers, and it was literally due to lack of trying. Giannetti hardly even tried in the biggest fight of his life, yet he still has a lot of potential, and deserves to have another fight under the promotion. Someone else who had a terrible performance on the undercard was Richie Smullen, and I feel like the two fighting to decide who stays in the promotion would be fair.
Mike Trizano vs. Luis Pena
Mike Trizano won the TUF Lightweight tournament by a mixture of luck and wanting it more, and if you ask me, he just simply wasn’t the best fighter in the house. Luis Pena was favored to win the tournament until he hurt his foot in the competition, and I think he deserves an opportunity to prove that he should have been the winner. Pena shut out Richie Smullen on the prelims, and while Trizano was fighting a tougher opponent, he still didn’t look like what I would call an Ultimate Fighter.
Brad Tavares vs. Thiago Santos
Brad Tavares lost a hard fought decision to the new prospect Israel Adesanya, yet he was thoroughly outclassed at every turn. Someone else who has established themselves as a mid-tier Middleweight is Thiago Santos, who is coming off of a devastating knockout loss to David Branch. I feel like Tavares vs. Santos is a prelim headliner waiting to happen, and I wouldn’t mind seeing who takes the next step in their career.
Israel Adesanya vs. Uriah Hall
Adesanya called out the winner of Uriah Hall vs. Paulo Costa after his masterful performance against Brad Tavares. However, I feel that he should fight Hall no matter what. This would be undoubtedly one of the best fights in Middleweight history, and I can almost guarantee that one man would knock out the other.