The UFC held their final card on Fox tonight, and the entire card was worth watching. It seems that every Fox card contains a lot of action, but tonight had an exuberant amount of three-round wars. I think I know what fights each fighter should have after tonight, and I hope that you agree with my opinion.
Jim Miller vs. Clay Guida
Jim Miller lost the rematch against Charles Oliveira on Fox’s final UFC card, but it doesn’t seem like his time is up yet. It seemed as though Miller should retire before, and he bounced back in incredible fashion. Clay Guida is also someone who has been fighting for years, and I think that the two could have an excellent style matchup.
Charles Oliveira vs. Zabit Magomedsharipov
Charles Oliveira expressed interest in going back down to Featherweight after his submission of Jim Miller, and I think that’s a good idea. Oliveira might be able to challenge for the title at that weight, and has done enough to earn a ranked opponent. The lowest ranked fighter in the Featherweight division is hype-train Zabit Magomedsharipov, and I think that Oliveira could truly expose a hole in the Russian’s game.
Sergio Pettis vs. Brad Katona
Sergio Pettis made his way back up to Bantamweight, but his performance was utterly terrible. I am not sure if Pettis can compete at this weight, but perhaps a fight against an unranked opponent could provide a better measuring stick. Brad Katona is likely the next contender at 135 pounds, so adding Pettis’ name to his resume would only get him closer to the title, and Pettis is in desperate need of a win.
Rob Font vs. John Lineker II
Rob Font looks to be on his way to a title shot, but he has to beat a higher ranked opponent first. Someone that is bordering the top five at Bantamweight is John Lineker, and he actually owns a win over Rob Font. With his fight against Dominick Cruz getting called off, I would love to see this rematch get scheduled, and I think it would prove which man is championship material.
Dan Hooker vs. Anthony Pettis
Dan Hooker showed championship toughness in his loss to Edson Barboza, and I think that he deserves to shot against another top ten fighter. Anthony Pettis has fallen on hard times in his career as of late, so he might he an easy target. However, Pettis has a similar style to Barboza, so this fight could easily go either way.
Edson Barboza vs. Dustin Poirier
Edson Barboza knocked out Dan Hooker in what was undoubtedly the fight of the night, and just like that, he is back in the title picture. Someone else who is right at the top is Dustin Poirier. I think that the winner of this fight should probably get a title shot, and it would be sure to be a striker’s delight.
Kevin Lee vs. Justin Gaethje
Kevin Lee lost a pretty clear decision in his rematch with Al Iaquinta, and he was sure to cry about it afterwards. I’m not going to lie, seeing such a poor sportsman get beat up gave me a high degree of joy, and I would like to see that happen again. Justin Gaethje is very similar to Iaquinta, except he hits a lot harder, and I think that he would be able to expose Kevin Lee’s chin.
Al Iaquinta vs. Conor McGregor
Al Iaquinta shocked the world by beating the brakes off of Kevin Lee for a second time, and he has truly put himself back into the title picture. Someone else who is a big power puncher and is ranked in the top five is Conor McGregor. While it is nearly impossible to get a fight with Conor, I think that they both need to go through each other to get a title shot, and I would love to see whose chin holds up better.