Saturday night marked one of the biggest nights in recent combat sports history, with Manny Pacquiao vs. Keith Thurman taking place on Pay-Per-View, Caleb Plant defending his world title against Mike Lee, and Rafael Dos Anjos throwing down with the UK’s prizefighting son – Leon Edwards. The Dos Anjos vs. Edwards card was filled to the brim with action, and while fight fans were offered a slew of decisions, there was never a dull moment. Every fighter brought the action on tonight’s card, so it’s time to talk about who everyone should fight next.
Ben Rothwell vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima
Ben Rothwell still remains winless since coming back from his USADA suspension, but he managed to put on a war against the battle-tested Andrei Arlovski in San Antonio. While it is disappointing to see Rothwell lose to “The Pitbull” yet again, he had his fair share of moments in the fight and proved that he’s not ready to call it a career. Marcos Rogerio de Lima is someone that always wants to bang it out, which would make for an excellent style match-up with “Big Ben”, and this could prove to be a valuable opportunity for both men to get into the win column.
Andrei Arlovski vs. Cain Velasquez
Andrei Arlovski has had a resurgence in his career and looked better tonight than he has in the last few years. However, he is still at an advanced age and is not the fighter he once was. Neither is Cain Velasquez, so this could be a fun fight between two former champions who should have fought each other a long time ago.
Francisco Trinaldo vs. Jon Tuck
Francisco Trinaldo was a victim of hometown judges tonight in San Antonio, and it is safe to say that he was robbed of a rightful victory. However, this should not stop the perennial Lightweight contender from coming back to the Octagon, and someone that may be the perfect opponent is Jon Tuck. Tuck is a UFC veteran that has been on the roster for years, so this fight could easily mean retirement for the loser, and could easily open up new opportunities for the winner.
Alexander Hernandez vs. Gregor Gillespie
Although Alexander Hernandez won an extremely controversial decision, he should still get the perks of having the win, and that means fighting someone who is ahead of him in the rankings. Hernandez and Gregor Gillespie are both young, hungry contenders, and their paths are likely to cross eventually. This should be an absolute dog fight and could be a fantastic match-up to round out any Pay-Per-View.
James Vick: Cut
James Vick suffered another devastating knockout loss in his home state, and it seems that his chin may have been made of glass all along. Losing three fights in a row, he will likely be cut from the promotion, and it’s hard to argue against that fact.
Dan Hooker vs. Charles Oliveira
Dan Hooker looked spectacular against James Vick, landing a one-punch knockout and cementing himself into the Lightweight rankings. Hooker asked for a fight in Melbourne in order to support his training partner Israel Adesanya, and calling for a fight against a ranked opponent on such short notice could pose some problems. However, Charles Oliveira is always ready for a fight, so he could be an excellent contender to take a fight against Hooker.
Juan Adams vs. Sergey Spivak
Despite his words, Juan Adams was dispatched in mere seconds against Greg Hardy, and it seems that his hype train has been thoroughly derailed. Someone else that has looked like a killer until they got to the UFC is Sergey Spivak, who is quite possibly the worst fighter on the Heavyweight roster. This fight should clear up which of these men belong in the UFC, and hopefully, we can expect to see marked improvements from both of these athletes.
Greg Hardy vs. Juan Espino
Greg Hardy has managed to score another knockout win, and while he is the most hated fighter in the UFC, he still deserves a bigger fight. Juan Espino won the last season of The Ultimate Fighter and is an elite wrestler, which may be Hardy’s kryptonite. This would be the fight to see if Greg Hardy is legitimate or not, and we can all hope that he gets steamrolled next time.
Aleksei Oleinik vs. Augusto Sakai
Aleksei Oleinik suffered an extremely scary knockout loss at the hands of Walt Harris, and it seems that his career may be coming to an end. However, if he does have one more fight left in him, then someone that’s trying to make a name for themselves would be an adequate opponent. Augusto Sakai is someone that could use a name on his record, and if given this fight, it could truly go either way.
Walt Harris vs. Alistair Overeem
Walt Harris seems like he may finally be a factor in the Heavyweight division, but the only way to prove that is to go through Alistair Overeem. Everyone has to fight Overeem eventually, and if Harris wants to get to the title, this is the path he has to take. The winner of this fight would have a nice win streak going, and could possibly even challenge for the title after another win.
Rafael Dos Anjos vs. Stephen Thompson
Rafael Dos Anjos has been an elite member of the Welterweight rankings ever since he moved up, but he got absolutely demolished by Leon Edwards in San Antonio. He went all five rounds in the main event, but it just was not enough, and now his dreams of another title shot have been set back yet again. A good fight to keep both fighters relevant would be to take on Stephen Thompson, as both men are always in title contention, and this fight has been talked about ever since RDA moved up in weight.
Leon Edwards vs. Jorge Masvidal
Leon Edwards put on the greatest performance of his career against the most dangerous opponent he has ever faced and immediately called for a grudge match against Jorge Masvidal. This has been the fight to make ever since Masvidal sucker-punched Edwards backstage, and it is about time to see how this would unfold. The winner of this fight would undoubtedly earn themselves a title fight, and this particular match-up will likely not see a second round.
What matches would you make? Let us know in the comments!