The UFC made their second trip to Hamburg, Germany this morning, and once again they delivered on another European card. These events are notorious for their entertaining fights and quick finishes, and nothing changed in Hamburg. With so many fighters making huge statements for the future of their careers, the matchmakers are scrambling to find out what’s next for them, and I think I have a few ideas.
Marc Diakiese: Cut
Marc Diakiese is somebody that fans used to say would fight for the belt one day, and now it looks like everyone is eating their words. Diakiese suffered his third straight loss in Germany today, and it’s just unacceptable to lose that many times in a row and expect to stay on the UFC roster. I do wish the best for the British striking phenom, but at the same time I feel that this is the decision the UFC should make.
Nasrat Haqparast vs. Damir Hadzovic
Nasrat Haqparast picked up his first UFC win with a dominant decision over Marc Diakiese, and he proved that he belongs in the UFC. Someone else that picked up a big win today on the prelims is Damir Hadzovic, who showcased his power striking in order to pick up a split decision win over Nick Hein. It makes a lot of sense to pair the two up since they both just fought at the same time, and I think that their two styles could make for an interesting slugfest.
David Zawada vs. Ricky Rainey
David Zawada stepped up on short notice against Danny Roberts, and he did much better than anyone expected he would. Zawada showcased a complete game in his split decision loss, and I think it’s safe to say that the UFC wants him back for another fight. Matching him up against Ricky Rainey could be an interesting clash of styles, and I wouldn’t be surprised if one man went to sleep.
Danny Roberts vs. Alan Jouban
Danny Roberts won a narrow decision over David Zawada, and I think the most logical thing to do is to reschedule his bout with Alan Jouban. These two men were supposed to fight in Hamburg until Jouban got injured, and I think the fans deserve to see this fight play out. Both men have enormous knockout power, as well as underrated grappling, and I think that this would be an even better fight than Zawada vs. Roberts was.
Stefan Struve: Cut
Stefan Struve suffered a pretty clear decision loss in his fight today, and that makes three losses in a row for him as well. While he has been a staple of the Heavyweight division for years, I just don’t see him winning anymore fights in the promotion, and I think it would be best for him to sign with someone else. His name will always be etched into the record books as being the tallest fighter in UFC history, but it’s time for him to move on with his career.
Marcin Tybura vs. Alistair Overeem
Marcin Tybura dominated Stefan Struve with his wrestling, which is a part of his game that he hasn’t really shown before. While he won this fight with his ground game, he’s still more of a striker, and I think that a match-up with Overeem could be fun. Alistair is coming off of a couple of tough losses, and with Tybura trying to make his way up to the title, this is a logical crossroads fight.
Vitor Miranda: Cut
It seems like there were a lot of fighters on this card that were in do-or-die situations, and Miranda was one of them. Having lost his third fight in a row, it will likely be his last in the UFC. While he did have his moments in the fight, the fact remains that he’s just lost too many times, and I don’t see the UFC wanting to keep him on the roster.
Abu Azaitar vs. Marvin Vettori
Abu Azaitar made his much anticipated UFC debut against Vitor Miranda today, and it turned out to be a successful one. He managed to beat someone who is a veteran of the UFC Middleweight division, so I would like to see if he can beat someone that’s just as explosive as he is. Not only is Marvin Vettori also a big power puncher, but he has an incredible chin as well, and I would love to see if one man could knock the other out.
Glover Teixeira vs. Ilir Latifi
Glover Teixeira had a tough change of opponents today with his fight against Corey Anderson, so I think that the best thing to do would be to give him back the fight he was supposed to have. Glover will inevitably take some time off, and when he’s ready to come back, Latifi might be fully recovered from his injury. Both of these guys are still contenders in the division, and a win for either man could put them right back into the title picture.
Corey Anderson vs. Jan Blachowicz
Corey Anderson just won the biggest fight of his career today, and with this one victory he puts himself in the title picture. However, with Daniel Cormier preparing for his fight with Brock Lesnar, he will likely have to fight a couple more times before he gets his chance at the strap. Blachowicz is a top five fighter, and these two battling it out for a chance at the title could be perfect to smooth out the division.
Shogun Rua vs. Volkan Oezdemir
Shogun suffered a hard knockout loss in the Hamburg main event, but that doesn’t mean that he should stop fighting. He was originally scheduled against the heavy handed Volkan Oezdemir, and I think he should try to get that fight back. While I won’t guarantee that he would win, I feel like he did learn a big lesson about his defense in this fight, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he changed some things up in the future.
Anthony Smith vs. Jimi Manuwa
Anthony Smith picked up what was undoubtedly the biggest win of his career in Germany today, knocking out the legendary Shogun Rua in under two minutes. Smith has likely secured himself a spot in the top ten, and I think a fight against another top contender is warranted. Jimi Manuwa also has one punch knockout power, and if the two were to fight, the winner could position himself for a crack at the champion.
