Armchair Matchmaker - UFC 129

As some of you may know, UFC 129 marked the first time I had ever gone to a UFC show live, and it was an experience. It's definitely not something I would do frequently, as I ended up watching the screen most of the time anyways, but the atmosphere was great, and the card (outside of the main event) was outstanding. My main problem with watching live is that you can't hear the commentary, and it really takes away alot from the fights. I know you can get radios to listen to it, but fuck if I'm paying for that shit. Also, when the UFC comes back, Toronto needs to be better prepared - getting home on transit was a bitch and a half. I did get a bunch of free shit though (Did you know Tapout made an energy drink?) Anyways, on to the fights to make

Special mention to Randy Couture, who retired after his KO loss to Lyoto Machida - if any fighter deserves to be in the UFC Hall of Fame, it's him.

Cut List - Ryan Jensen, Yves Jabouin, Kyle Watson

Georges St. Pierre vs Anderson Silva (given that he gets past Yushin Okami)
Straight up, St. Pierre's fight against Shields blew. I can't say it was much different from what I expected, but I'm getting tired of seeing St. Pierre clearly outclass someone on the feet, but not even try to go for a finish. There is no fight at 170 I want to see with St. Pierre, so it is time for him to take the step up. Silva is the most dominant fighter to ever step in to the Octagon, and  no matter what this fight would sell. Do it up.


Jose Aldo vs Chad Mendes
Jose Aldo may not have finished Hominick, but that could easily be a result of how tough Hominick was. The fifth round brought some questions up about Aldo, mainly how bad he looked off his back, but he still clearly won, both on the judges scorecard and by Stockton rules.Mendes, a training partner or bantamweight fighters Urijah Faber and Joe Benavidez at Team Alpha Male, is undefeated so far in his career, most recently besting top-10 featherweight Michihiro Omigawa. Mendes wrestling and conditioning pose serious threats to Aldo, and Mendes should be smart enough to try and take the fight to the ground as quickly as possible. Aldo has a clear advantage standing, but needs to work on his defensive wrestling if he wants to retain his title.

Jake Shields vs Josh Koscheck
With both guys coming off decision losses to GSP, why not match the two up. Koscheck should be back from injury in the fall, and that gives Shields enough time to fully prepare for the fight. It would be interesting to see if Shields ground game deterred Koscheck from going for takedowns, or if he would try to work a top control special on him anyways. Neither of these guys are close to getting another title shot, but are both high level fighters, so a fight like this prevents them for taking out other contenders, while still providing both with a fight of the caliber that they should be fighting at.

Mark Hominick vs Rani Yahya
Hominick may have lost his title fight against Jose Aldo, but he gained a lot of fans with a tough performance, one that included taking the fifth round from a guy many thought would quickly finish him. Hominick can't be that far from another shot, and should be getting more big fights now. A fight with Rani Yahya, one of the best ground fighters in the UFC, offers Hominick a chance to rebound against a quality opponent, while also posing a legitimate challenge to him. The winner of this fight could be just one more fight away from a title shot (though likely two), and probably get a main card spot.

Lyoto Machida vs the winner of Rampage Jackson v Matt Hamill
Machida looked a lot better than he had in his previous three fights, knocking out Randy Couture with a "Karate Kid" style leaping front kick. With the top fighters in the division tied up, a fight against the winner of the upcoming Rampage Jackson/Matt Hamill fight offers Machida another chance to move back to a title shot, and in the case of Jackson, redemption for a fight many thought he won.

Vlad Matyushenko vs the winner of Ryan Bader v Tito Ortiz
Matyushenko, long known as a boring restler, has now knocked out two straight guys in the first round. Matyushenko isn't getting any younger, so it makes no sense to groom him for a title shot. A fight against the winner of Ryan Bader/Tito Ortiz (so Bader) would be a good test for both guys, and move one of them up into the top contenders circle, and likely push the other one down to permanent gatekeeper status.

Jason Brillz vs Brandon Vera
When you lose a fight in less than 30 seconds, it's usually not good for your career. Brillz may still have that almost-win over Lil' Nog still in recent memory, but the fact remains that he has lost three of his last four fights, and he's got to be worried about continued employment. The same can be said about Brandon Vera, who had been cut for losing three straight fights, but his last loss to Thiago Silva was overturned after Silva as busted for steroids. This is a do-or-die fight for both guys, with the loser being sent down to the minor leagues.

Ben Henderson vs Sean Sherk
Henderson put on a pretty entertaining fight against Mark Bocek, and got back on the winning track after a very close decision loss to Anthony Pettis. A fight against Sherk would be a big step up for Henderson, but I really believe that he could pull out a win over the former lightweight champion. Besides, everyone else in the division has a fight and the division is in a standstill anyways with Edgar and Maynard now out with injuries.

Mark Bocek vs Nate Diaz
Both Bocek and Diaz put up a good fight at UFC 129, and with Diaz's announcing his move back to lightweight, this fight makes sense. Two really talented ground guys usually means a stand up fight, and Bocek and Diaz have both displayed improved striking in thier recent fights. Both these guys need to bounce back, and at least one of them will do it with this fight.

Rory Macdonald vs Claude Patrick
Both these guys picked up wins at UFC 129, and while Macdonald's may have been more impressive, both are in the same spot in the division. A fight between the two pushes one up into contender status, and forces the other one to rebuild. Both guys should be healthy so this fight could happen sooner rather than later.

Jake Ellenberger vs Evangelista Santos
I realize that Santos isn't currently on the UFC roster, but this fight could be awesome. This could be a great chance to showcase Ellenberger's skill, as he should be able to exploit Santos wild striking and minimal ground work. With everyone else in the division booked up, this is a fight that could build Ellenberger's reputation while he waits for one of the bigger fish.

Daniel Roberts vs Sean Pierson
Neither of these guys had great performances at UFC 129, with Roberts losing a dull decision to Claude Patrick and Pierson getting his bell rung within a minute by Jake Ellenberger. Both these guys have shown that they can be entertaining, and a fight against each other is a classic striker vs grappler fight  - so the fight will be about which one can control the fight and keep it in thier domain. And for extra motivation, it's never a good idea to have back to back losses in the UFC.

Ivan Menjivar vs Kid Yamamoto
Menjivar has been around the MMA circuit for years, and has never quite been able to take the leap to the next level. Following his 1st round TKO victory over Charlie Valencia, Menjivar deserves another shot at moving up the ladder. A fight with Yamamoto makes sense for both parties - Yamamoto gets a chance to rebound after a recent stretch of less than stellar performances, and Menjivar gets the chance to add by far the biggest win of this career to his resume. Added pressure goes on Yamamoto, who could earn his walking papers with a loss.

Charlie Valencia vs Edwin Figueroa
Valencia is one of the most tenured bantamweights in the division, and while he clearly isn't a contender, his willingness to stand and get in slugfests guarantees him at least one more fight. Figueroa showed some skills in his decision loss to Michael McDonald, which also came on short notice, and will get a much easier test in Valencia. The loser of this fight would likely be cut, so that should give extra motivation to both fighters to put on a show.

Jason Macdonald vs Mike Swick
Mike Swick, who has been out with injury for more than a year, is planning on coming back soon and will need a guy that, while tough, shouldn't be too much of a challenge for him. Macdonald is just the right fighter for that, as he proven time and time again that he's one tough son of a bitch, but his overall skill is lacking. For Macdonald, this fight is low risk, high reward because a loss means little to his career, but a win could be huge. For Swick, Macdonald should be a tough, yet passable first test on his road back to contendership.

Pablo Garza vs Chan Sung Jung
This fight has "Fight of the Night" written all over it. In three UFC appearances between them, they have one KO of the Night bonus and two Submission of the Night bonuses (Not to mention Jung's Fight of the Year award for his first bout with Leonard Garcia). Whatever happens in this fight, it's almost guaranteed to be awesome, and could serve as a co main event on a free UFC card.

John Makdessi vs Kamal Shalorus
Makdessi has shown some very capable striking in his two UFC appearances, and it's time for him to take a step up in the division. Shalorus, an Olympic level judo player with a tendency to strike with everyone, makes a great next opponent for Makdessi. This fight goes one of two ways - Makdessi proves he can hang with the contenders in the division, or Shalorus bounces back and Makdessi loses little hype. Sounds good to me.