UFC Fight Night 34 was the first ever UFC event to be held in Singapore, and was also the first event to be broadcast on the promotion’s new online digital network, UFC Fight Pass. The late-night/early-morning action featured some exciting fights, great finishes, and it introduced us to some new talent we can look forward to seeing again in the future. Now, with Fight Night 34 behind us, let’s look at what could potentially be ahead for the losers of the evening… Will “The Kill” Chope vs “Super” Steven Siler – This is a match-up between a pair of featherweight Muay Thai strikers that could prove very exciting. Chope is coming off of a second round TKO loss to Max Holloway this past weekend, which snapped his 14 fight win streak. Siler last saw action back in November, where he was outwrestled by Dennis Bermudez en route to a unanimous decision loss. Siler was already successful against one tall, lanky fighter, when he outpointed Cole Miller nearly two years ago. This would be a similar match-up, except Chope has better striking than Miller, but is not nearly as well-versed on the mat. I think this would be a fun Muay Thai battle, and would likely come down to who gets the most damage done inside the clinch. While I don’t care to really ever see Chope fight again after seeing him quit against Holloway, this is actually one match-up that would legitimately have my interest. Sean Soriano vs Andy “Little Axe” Ogle – Soriano stepped in on short notice to take on “Crusher” Kawajiri, and was doing well early in the first frame. Kawajiri was eventually able to get the fight to the mat, where he was in complete control. He found his way onto Soriano’s back in the second frame, and sunk in a rear naked choke that put the Blackzillian to sleep. Ogle last saw action in Manchester, where he was outpointed by Cole Miller on the judges scorecards. This fight is a step down for Soriano and a lot more of a fair fight for him, although I would give him the edge for his striking advantage, and well-roundedness. This is one featherweight match-up I see being thrown somewhere on the early prelims, and certainly one I would care to see. Shunichi Shimizu vs Scott “Young Guns” Jorgensen – Shimizu just suffered a third round arm-triangle submission victory at the hands of Kyung Ho Kang this past weekend in Singapore. He was dominated by Kang for the entirety of the bout. This fight would mean for him to drop to the flyweight division, as fighting at bantamweight will get him nowhere in the UFC. I think he could make 115 pounds, if he wanted, but as long as he wants to try for a career inside the Octagon, he needs to start cutting down to 125. Jorgensen last saw action against Zach Makovsky in his own flyweight debut, where he dropped a unanimous decision to the former Bellator bantamweight champion. He now looks to rebound and get himself on the win column, in hopes to climb up the promotion’s flyweight ladder, and I think this would be a good match-up for him. It is a fight that makes sense, and while I would expect Jorgensen to be the betting favorite, I would not be surprised to see Shimizu get the upset. This would make for a decent preliminary card match-up, probably one that gets the action started for the evening. “The Heat” Jon Delos Reyes vs Louis “Goodnight” Gaudinot – I don’t care if Diego Sanchez is fighting on this card, I would be laying my money down on this fight to take home the Fight of the Night bonus, even if it is the very first preliminary bout of the evening. This would no doubt be an incredibly exciting war between a pair of flyweights who go fast, and who go hard. Reyes just made his promotional debut on the Singapore card, where he fought outside of his natural weight class in a bantamweight contest against the Hawaiian Dustin Kimura. “The Heat” put the heat on Kimura early in the first frame, coming out strong and rocking him. After dropping Kimura with strikes and following him to the mat for an entertaining exchange, he ended up getting caught in an armbar and being forced to tap. It was an impressive debut for Reyes, and I cannot wait to see him again, especially in his natural weight class of 125 pounds. Gaudinot’s last fight was against Tim Elliott at UFC 164, where he lost a unanimous decision. I think this fight could be just as exciting, if not more exciting than Gaudinot’s war against John Lineker which resulted in a victory for “Goodnight” as he put Lineker to sleep with his patented guillotine choke. I have no doubt this would be a fun fight, and there is no way I would miss it. I will be thrilled to see this on an upcoming UFC fight card, though it will likely be on the televised prelims. I figure Gaudinot would be a -250 favorite going into this scrap, though Reyes would be a live dog and the side I would probably be considering for a wager. Hyun Gyu Lim vs Thiago Alves – Lim surprised everyone this past weekend when he went the distance against Tarec Saffiedine. He lost a close decision, but he made a lot of fans that day. MMA fans and media did not expect him to go a full three rounds, much less five. He had no quit in him, as he nearly finished the Strikeforce champion in the fifth frame, taking the round on all three judges scorecards. It was an incredible fight, and took home “Fight of the Night” honors. In his losing effort against the Belgian, Lim proved that he needs to be fighting the upper echelon of the welterweight division. That’s where “The Pitbull” comes in. Alves has not seen action since being submitted by Martin Kampmann in the third round nearly two years ago. He was on his way to winning a 30-27 decision, until going for a takedown and getting caught in a guillotine. After a two year layoff, this may be a tough match-up for him, but nonetheless, I think it would be a great fight, as well as one that makes sense for both parties.
