Unlike last week's UFC 130, the finale card was actually pretty good. Some solid undercard fights, coupled with some good KOs on the main card means an overall entertaining night of fights.
Cut List - Ken Stone, Ryan McGillivray, Chuck O'Neil,
Clay Guida vs the winner of Jim Miller v. Ben Henderson
Clay Guida picked up a big win with his decision over Anthony Pettis, but it wasn't the most exciting performance. A fight against the winner of the upcoming Jim Miller/Ben Henderson fight would create a number one contender, as well as being a matchup in which both guys tremendous wrestling could negate each other, forcing the fight to stay on the feet.
Anthony Pettis vs Jeremy Stephens
Pettis wasn't able to stop Clay Guida's relentless wrestling attack in a decision loss, but still showed off some trememdous skill. A fight against Jeremy Stephens, who picked up a win over Danny Downes, is a much better style matchup, and would be a very entertaining scrap.
Tony Ferguson vs James Wilks
Ferguson won the 13th season of The Ultimate Fighter with his first round knockout of Ramsey Nijem. He has been calling out Amir Sadollah since the win, but I think a Ultimate Fighter winner that makes more sense is James Wilks. Wilks has been out for a while, and likely needs a win to be avoid being cut. A fight between two past Ultimate Fighter winners has worked in the past, so why not again?
Ed Herman vs the winner of Jesse Bongfeldt v. Chris Weidman
The fight wasn't long, but you cant say anything bad to Herman about a performance where he won in less than a minute. The winner of the upcoming Bongfeldt/Weidman matchup would be another guy in a similar position, and would make for a great next opponent for Herman. That fight would be very even, making the fight that much better.
Tim Credeur vs the winner of James Head v. Nick Ring
Credeur came back for the first time since late 2009, and was promptly KOed in less than a minute. Not the return he was hoping for, and his next fight will likely be for his job. He won't be getting an easy test either with the winner of the Head/Ring matchup, but he needs to prove himself to show that he still belongs in the UFC.
Kyle Kingsbury vs Matt Hamill
Kinsgbury picked up his fourth straight win with a decision over Fabio Maldonado, where he showed some good muay thai striking and wrestling. It's time for him to take on someone higher on the ladder, and Hamill presents that fighter. Coming off a decision loss to Rampage Jackson in which he did not look good, Matt Hamill really needs to step up and put on a solid performance if he ever wants a shot to go up against the upper echelon guys again. The winner of this fight would likely move on to another big contender, while the other will be regulated to the undercards.
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Fabio Maldonado vs the loser of Igor Pokrajic v. Krzusztof Soszynski
Maldonado came up short against Kyle Kingsbury, but showed some solid striking throughout the fight. He needs to bounce back though, and the loser of the upcoming Pokrajic/Soszynski matchup would provide an opponent who needs to do the same.
Danny Downes vs the loser of Joe Lauzon v Curt Warburton
Downes wasn't able to pull off the upset, but he did make it to decision in a fight he took on very short notice. A shot against the loser of Lauzon/Warburton would be a do or die fight for both guys, and would be the last chance for either guy to show if they belong in the UFC.
George Roop vs Jonathan Brookins
Roop pulled off an upset with his third round TKO over Josh Grispi, and should know get a nice fight on the televised portion of a Spike TV card. Brookins, the winner of the 12 season of The Ultimate Fighter, recently announced a drop to featherweight, and a great first opponent would be Roop. On the feet, Roop would hold the advanage, while Brookins would have the advantage on the ground. This fight could go either way, but should be a great fight none the less.
Josh Grispi vs the loser of Darren Elkins v Michihiro Omigawa
Grispi came in to the UFC as a potential title contender, and has since lost two straight, neither of which was very close. It's do or die time, and the loser of the upcoming Elkins/Omigawa matchup will be in a similar position. It's time for Grispi to show off the skills he displayed in the WEC, or he will be sent packing.
Shamar Bailey vs the winner of Charlie Brenneman v. TJ Grant
Bailey didn't look all that impressive in his decision win over Ryan McGillivray, but it was a clear win. Pushing him into a fight against the winner of Brenneman/Grant is a clear step up, but that should be what most fighters want - a fight that moves them up the ladder.
Clay Harvison vs Chris Cope
Harvison won a very close split decision win over Justin Edwards, and he should be tested to see if he belongs in the UFC. Pretty much the same thing can be said about Cope, and while a matchup between the two may not really decide if either is UFC caliber, it would at least show us which one isn't.
Justin Edwards vs Ramsey Nijem
Edwards, coming off a razor thin decision loss to Clay Harvison, showed enough in the fight to warrant a second shot at staying in the UFC. Nijem's fight wasn't as close, but he deserves another chance after making it to the finals. The fight would almost certainly be for their jobs, so both guys will want to bring everything they got to the fight to make sure they stay in the UFC. Do it up.
Scott Jorgenson vs the winner of Brian Bowles v. Takeya Mizugaki
Jorgenson picked up a nice 1st round KO victory over Ken Stone, and should continue on his way to a second title shot with a fight against the winner of the upcoming Bowles/Mizugaki matchup. The fight would create a top contender, and in the case of Mizugaki winning, a rematch of a close Fight of The Night winner. Either way, we get a great fight with major title implications.
Reuben Duran vs Renan Barao
I thought Duran looked very impressive in his submission win over Francisco Rivera. Barao, who won a decision over Cole Escovedo at UFC 130, has also shown off impressive submission skills in his WEC fights. A faceoff between the two could create a new contender at bantamweight, and would likely be a great fight as they have both shown solid striking and grappling skills.
Francisco Rivera vs Ian Loveland
Rivera may have lost, but he still put on a solid performance against Reuben Duran, and deserves another chance. Loveland also came up on the short end of the stick in his UFC debut, so is in a similar position as Rivera. With their jobs likely on the line, both guys should be pushing hard for the win.
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