UFC 171 wrapped up a night of exciting fights, leaving us with a new welterweight champion, and some match-up possibilities to ponder on… Hector “Lightning” Lombard vs “Stun Gun” Dong Hyun Kim – Lombard is coming off a lackluster unanimous decision victory over the always tough Jake Shields this past weekend at UFC 171 in Dallas. The Cuban stated post-fight that it was not very important for him to score a finish, and his goal was to make sure he wins, while simultaneously showing Shields that he is capable of outgrappling him, especially without being submitted. That was the case, as the former Strikeforce middleweight champion was surprisingly not much of a threat off his back. The win over Shields puts Lombard on a two fight winning streak in the UFC’s welterweight division, and a match-up against the recently victorious “Stun Gun” makes a whole lot of sense to me. Kim just scored a very impressive knockout over John Hathaway earlier this month, and like Lombard, is eagerly looking for a title shot. Assuming Tyron Woodley gets the next shot at Johny Hendricks for his first title defense, I think Lombard vs Kim would make for a fantastic number one contender match-up. Myles “Fury” Jury vs Abel “Killa” Trujillo – Jury has already bested one Blackzilian in Michael Johnson, and could be looking to make it two against another lightweight from the popular Florida gym who is also on a rise in the division. Jury just outpointed Diego Sanchez at UFC 171, while Trujillo knocked out Jamie Varner at UFC 169 over a month ago. My main question for Jury vs Trujillo is whether Trujillo will find success in keeping the fight on the feet, as he is very solid in his defensive grappling. On the feet, I think this will be an exciting fight, and if the majority of it plays out there, my money says it would be a contender for Fight of the Night. A win would help move either fighter a step up in the UFC’s 155 pound division. Kelvin Gastelum vs Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson – I think this would be a terrific match-up between a pair of welterweights who are riding hot streaks. Gastelum just oupointed Rick Story on the judges’ scorecards at UFC 171, with “Wonderboy” scoring an impressive first round knockout of Robert Whitaker at UFC 170 just a few weeks prior. This fight would move the winner up the UFC’s welterweight ladder, rightfully earning him a fight against a top 10 fighter in his next outing. I think this would make for a tough fight to predict, and my best guess would be that the betting odds would be a coin-flip. I have no doubt that this would be a fun fight, regardless of how long it lasts, and it is certainly one welterweight scrap I wouldn’t want to miss. I could definitely see it being a featured bout on an upcoming Pay Per View card, possibly in Mexico. Frank Trevino vs Joe Proctor – Trevino was successful in his promotional debut this past Saturday at UFC 171, earning a unanimous decision win over TUF: Brazil’s Renee Forte. The Mexican is now undefeated at 12-0, and a match-up against another TUF veteran in Joe Proctor would make plenty of sense for his next outing. Proctor is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Cristiano Marcelo at UFC Fight Night 36 one month ago. I could see this fight being featured on an upcoming preliminary card, probably in Mexico, and I do think it would make for a good fight. This is another fight where I would think the betting lines would be pretty close, with Trevino most likely being the favorite, especially if the fight did indeed take place in Mexico. I think this fight makes sense as a next move for both 155 pounders, and with a win, they would likely earn a shot at someone in the top 15-20.
