Armchair Matchmaker - UFC 126

UFC 126 just went down, and it was a pretty massive card. Silva knocked out Belfort with a fucking front kick, that he claimed he learned from Steven Seagal. It's official - Anderson Silva is both one of the best fighters in the world and also batshit insane. His mask thing in the weigh ins was just weird. Who does shit like that? Also, I meant to get this done earlier, but the Internet at my school sucks absolute balls and it's taken me a while to see the fights (I didn't even see all of them, but from what I heard about Torres v Banuelos I didn't miss much. Now, on to the fights

Cut List - Gabe "Cake Boss" Reudiger. Everyone else I feel deserves another fight.

Fights to make

Anderson Silva vs Georges St. Pierre (if St. Pierre defeats Jake Shields at UFC 129)
The timing is perfect for this superfight between the two. It would be the biggest fight in UFC history and is the fight that everyone wants to see. St. Pierre has looked unstoppable, completly cleaning out the division. The same can be said for Silva, though he has a bunch of frustrating performances to go with his explosive finishes. This fight has to happen soon, or it likely will never happen at all. If St. Pierre somehow loses to Jake Shields in Toronto then the next challenger for Silva should be Yushin Okami, the last fighter to get a win over Silva (even if it was by DQ).


Jon Jones vs Shogun Rua
The fight has already been announced - Rashad Evans is out of his fight with Rua because of a knee injury, and Jones will be replacing him. Before I learned of the news (I avoided looking at results until after I watched the fights), I had him pegged for a fight with the winner of the upcoming Lyoto Machida/Randy Couture fight, with that fight determining a new top contender. If he manages to win the title, he becomes the top light heavyweight in the world after being a complete unknown just two years ago. If he loses, he'll get another shot in the future. Either way, with his win over Bader he looks a like he'll be the champ sooner rather than later.

Vitor Belfort vs the winner of Nate Marquadt v Yoshiro Akiyama
Belfort looked pretty terrible in his fight with Anderson Silva, landing pretty much nothing before being knocked out in the first. A fight against either of these guys would be a good test to see how good Belfort really is - I think Belfort fighting against either of these guys would be a close fight, and one that moves the winner way up the middleweight ladder. There's a lot of guys near title shots in the middleweight division, fights like this will help sort out the division.

Donald Cerrone vs Matt Wiman
Cerrone is coming off a performance in which he didnt look great, but still handled his opponent fairly easily. A fight against Matt Wiman would be a stiffer test, especially in the wrestling department. Both of these guys are on the cusp of becoming contenders, this is the fight that can move one of them up in to that level.

Paul Taylor vs Mac Danzig
In my last matchmaker post, I suggested a Matt Wiman and Mac Danzig rematch. As I have now put Wiman in a fight with Cerrone, I think Danzig can take on Taylor. Taylor had one of his best performances yet, TKOing Gabe Reudiger in the second. Danzig himself is coming off a KO win over Joe Stevenson, and they are both looking to put a few wins in a row, something neither fighter has been able to do.

Jake Ellenberger vs Mike Pierce
These guys are in fairly similar positions. Both have three straight wins, with two finishes, after losing thier first fight by decision to one of the top guys in the division. Ellenberger has higher quality wins than Pierce, but Pierce had a harder first fight in the UFC (losing to Jon Fitch, while Ellenberger lost to Carlos Condit). The winner of this fight becomes one of the top contenders in the welterweight division, and one or two fights away from a title shot. The division needs more challengers, so maybe one of these guys can step up and fill that void.

Carlos Rocha vs Kenny Robertson
I put Ellenberger and Pierce together, and the two guys that lost to them can fight each other. Rocha did better than I expected against Ellenberger, but he still needs time to develop. Robertson got TKOed by Pierce in the second round, and needs to make a really good second impression in order to stay in the UFC. Rocha would have to be the favorite in this fight, but Robertson has nothing to lose - a win means he is likely to stay in the UFC for at least two more fights, while a loss to anyone likely results in him being cut. A win for Rocha, especially if he finishes him, restores some of the luster he had before losing to Ellenberger and puts him back on the right track to becoming a contender.

Antonio Banuelos vs Kid Yamamoto
Banuelos didn't do much in his fight with Torres, and Yamamoto didn't look that great either. This is a great chance for either guy to come back with a win and prove that they are at the UFC level. Both guys need a win if they want to stay in the UFC, and this fight proves which one deserves to stay.

Miguel Torres vs the winner of Brian Bowles v Damacio Page
Miguel Torres used to be awesome. When he was champion, he was kicking people's asses up down the mat. Two big losses though and he looks completely different. A fight against the winner of Bowles and Page would be a top contender fight, and a fight in which Torres can prove that he's still one of the best. Both Bowles and Page are known for being finishers and guys that push the pace, so it could turn in to a very exciting fight if we see some of the old Torres come out.

Ryan Bader vs Vladamir Matyushenko
Bader needs to bounce back, but he's at the point in his career where he can't go back to smashing cans. Matyushenko provides a winnable fight over a guy with some name value. If Matyushenko can pull out the upset, he scores the biggest win of his UFC career and a much bigger fight.

Ricardo Romero vs the winner of Igor Pokrajic v Todd Brown
Romero looked like a solid prospect after armbarring Seth "Kimbo Killer" Petruzelli in his first UFC fight. His second fight didn't go nearly as well, getting TKOed in 21 seconds by Kyle Kingsbury. The winner of Pokrajic and Brown provides a low level guy to prove whether or not Romero belongs in the UFC - exactly the type of fight he should be in next.

Kyle Kingsbury vs Stephan Bonnar
Kingsbury looked impressive in TKOing Ricardo Romero in the first round, and should get a much stiffer test after winning three straight. Bonnar provides a tough test, and is coming off two straight wins of his own. Bonner is rarely in dull fights, and provides a role of gatekeeper for Kingsbury - a win means he moves into contender status, a loss proves he's a low level fighter. This is a close fight, where either guy could come out and get a win.

Forrest Griffin vs Lyoto Machida (if he defeats Randy Couture)
Forrest Griffin vs Lyoto Machida has been planned before, but the fight makes more sense than ever now. Griffin could be out for up to six months, which would bring him back just in time for a fight with Machida, should he beat Randy Couture. Griffin vs Machida creates a new top contender at light heavyweight, as well as serving as a very strong co-main (or exceptionally weak main event) for a future UFC card. If Machida loses, Griffin can take on the winner of Lil' Nog and Tito Ortiz (otherwise known as Lil' Nog).

Rich Franklin vs the loser of Lyoto Machida v Randy Couture
This fight would push Franklin's streak of fighting former UFC and Pride champions to six, and provide a solid fight regardless of who he faces. If Couture loses, and decides he does not want to fight again, the winner of the Lil' Nog and Tito Ortiz fight makes sense for him as well (Nogueira and Ortiz are both way further down the ladder than Franklin)

Demetrious Johnson vs Renan Barao
Johnson picked up another big win by decisioning Kid Yamamoto, and a fight with Barao produces a new bantamweight contender. Barao had two submission wins in the WEC, and would be looking to make a big UFC debut. Johnson hasn't faced the kind of submission specialist like Barao, and it would be a good matchup with his high energy wrestling style.

Chad Mendes vs Diego Nunes
Mendes was able to handle a top ten featherweight in Omigawa, and it's time for him to fight in a top contender fight. A fight with Nunes provides the UFC with another guy to fight for the title, and a tough test for both fighters. Mendes hasn't had any trouble with his opponents yet, but Nunes has been able to score wins over Mike Brown and Raphael Assuncao on a recent three fight winning streak. 

Michihiro Omigawa vs Javier Vazquez
Both of these guys are coming off losses to Chad Mendes, so they can fight each other to see which one is a real contender. Vazquez provides a veteran opponent for Omigawa, who looked a little stiff in his first UFC fight at featherweight, though he did show excellent take down defense. The winner of this fight moves back in to the contender ranks, the loser becomes a gatekeeper.

Paul Kelly vs Michael Johnson
As much as I would like to put Kelly in the cheap shot championship fight with Manny Gamburyan, he isn't in the same weight class. Instead, a fight with Johnson, the TUF 12 runner-up, who displayed some solid standup with lacking cardio in his fight with Jonathan Brookins, makes a lot of sense going forward. It's a close fight, with the loser worrying about getting cut, and the winner picking up a much needed win. Kelly displayed some okay standup against Cerrone, so maybe he and Johnson can produce a good slugfest.

Those are my picks, comment if you got any better suggestions.