UFC 167 was live from Las Vegas, N.V. this past Saturday night (Nov. 17, 2013), and was a fun card from top to bottom. Now that it is in the rear-view, let’s take a moment and contemplate on a few potential match-ups… The first match-up I would like to see is Rick Story vs Tyron Woodley. After I had paired these two for this article, I read that Rick Story is asking for this fight. Both these men competed at UFC 167, each earning dominant victories. Story beat-up Brian Ebersole for three rounds en route to a unanimous decision, and Woodley notched a first round knockout over Josh Koscheck, which also earned him $50,000 for Knockout of the Night. Keeping things in the welterweight division, I would like to see Robbie Lawler vs Hector Lombard, for a likely number one contender match-up. This would be a very exciting fight between two talented strikers who are arguably the heaviest hitters in the division. Lawler is coming off an upset victory over Rory MacDonald this past weekend. The fight went the distance and Lawler walked away with a split decision, leaving fans wondering what will be next for “Ares”. Personally, I would like to see Rory MacDonald vs Thiago Alves. It would be a fight I would avoid betting on, but I think it would be a good one. I have a feeling the UFC might give MacDonald a lesser name opponent, and send him back down to the prelims, considering how dull his past few performances have been. Going up to the middleweight division, I would like to see Thales Leites vs Tim Boetsch. I believe this would be a step up in competition for both men, following their last bouts. The winner will likely secure a fight with a top 10-15 type of opponent. I initially thought Leites should fight Derek Brunson, as they’re both 2-0 their current stints in the UFC, but ultimately, I think fans would be a lot more excited about the Boetsch fight. Leites competed at UFC 167, and was successful in a unanimous decision victory over Ed “Short Fuse” Herman. Speaking of which, I wouldn’t mind seeing Ed Herman vs Bubba McDaniel. Both guys need a win, and they both train at high altitude. This is not a match-up that MMA fans would be excited to see, but it would be one that makes sense. Going up to the light heavyweight division, one fight I think would be very exciting is ”Suga” Rashad Evans vs Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante. Two guys who were very impressive in their last performances, each scoring first round stoppages. I really don’t think there is any way this fight will not be exciting. More than likely, there would be a finish, and almost certainly would be a serious contender for Fight of the Night. Saving the best for last, I would love to see a match-up in the form of Evan Dunham vs Diego Sanchez. This would be an exciting war that will have the entire crowd on their feet, and will very likely be another Fight of the Year type of match-up for Sanchez. Both of these guys are no strangers to exciting fights, as they’ve never been in a boring one. Each coming off a loss, pitting them against each other inside the Octagon will produce nothing but fireworks. This is one fight I really would love to see Joe Silva make happen.
