After being spoiled with three solid UFC events over the course of eight days, I am left with some possible match-ups to think about, some of which excite me. Here are my matchmaking predictions for some of our recent losers… Michael “The Count” Bisping vs Brad Tavares – This is a match-up I thought would be great, then I was surprised to see Tavares make a Tweet actually asking Bisping for the fight. I thought when I wrote it for this article, it would be a match-up that would not have been on anyone’s mind, but by now most hardcore MMA fans know this pairing is a real possibility. I think this is a middleweight fight that will prove to be very exciting, and I expect it would be a definite ‘Fight of the Night’ contender. Both men will be looking to keep this bout on the feet and display their kickboxing skills. Bisping just dropped a five round unanimous decision to Tim Kennedy at the TUF Nations finale, and Tavares came up short against Yoel Romero at UFC on FOX 11 just four days later. After being outwrestled in decision losses, these middleweight scrappers will be looking to put on a show in an all-out stand-up war. I am expecting this bout to either be the main or co-main event for UFC Fight Night in Ireland on July 19th. Rafael Dos Anjos vs Ramsey Nijem – This would be a rare winner vs loser match-up, but it is one that I think makes sense and would like to see. Nijem’s was just successful in Abu Dhabi, taking out one of Dos Anjos’ main training partners in Beneil Dariush via bloody first round TKO. Dos Anjos just had his five-fight winning streak snapped by Khabib Nurmagomedov this past Saturday, and a fight against a guy who is currently on a winning streak is a fight he would be interested in. It will especially interest him because he will have an opportunity to avenge the first defeat of his friends’ career. For Ramsey, it is a fight he would very much be interested in. He is looking for a ranked opponent, and Dos Anjos was a contender for the 155 pound title until his loss this past weekend. A win over the Brazilian would mean a great deal for Nijem. I don’t think the chances of this match-up being put together are great, but I do think it works, and believe it would result in a great fight, especially considering how hungry they will both be. Alan Omer vs Akira Corassani – This is a pairing of two featherweight strikers that I think will prove to be very exciting. After coming short in a split decision against Jim Alers last week, Omer would love to be paired up with an opponent who will be looking to strike, rather than grapple. Corassani just had a ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus-winning outing against Dustin Poirier, a fight which he lost via TKO in the second round. He was a very big underdog heading into the bout, and was getting the better of “The Diamond” until the end of the first frame. At the beginning of the second, Poirier broke Corassani’s nose, and he decided that was all he could take, dropping to his knees and forcing the referee to step in to call off the action. I think this would be a great fight, and could see it on a future undercard. I would expect Omer to be the favorite, because his striking is more crisp, but more importantly because he is younger and unlike Corassani, has no quit in him. Kyle Noke vs John “Doomsday” Howard – This is a match-up between two welterweights who suffered losses a week ago, with Noke dropping a unanimous decision to Patrick Cote in Quebec, and Howard dropping a unanimous decision to Ryan LaFlare in Abu Dhabi. I think this is a fight that makes sense, and one that I see going the distance. Stylistically, more often than not, I see these two producing a fun, 15 minute fight. I see stand-up exchanges, as well as grappling exchanges. While I think it would be a fun fight, it’s not one I would be excited to hear about, or one I would really care much about seeing. I would assume “Doomsday” would be the favorite, because he has been more active lately, not to mention far more impressive than the Australian. This match-up makes a lot of sense to me, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see it on a future card, such as June 28th’s UFC Fight Night in New Zealand. Leslie Smith vs Jessica “Evil” Eye – Leslie Smith stepped in on short notice to make her promotional debut in a fight against Sarah Kaufman last week in Quebec. While it was a losing effort, the Invicta FC fought her heart out and won over many new fans who are looking forward to seeing her inside the Octagon again. Enter Jessica Eye. She is coming off a split decision loss to current women’s bantamweight title challenger Alexis Davis, and I think a match-up against Smith makes sense for her next move. More than it makes sense, I think it would be an undoubtedly exciting fight. These two are amongst the most entertaining fighters in women’s mixed martial arts. This is a match-up I could see the UFC putting together, and I really hope that they do. Chas “The Scrapper” Skelly vs Noad Lahat – Skelly just dropped a decision to fellow promotional newcomer Mirsad Bektic at UFC on FOX 11 this past weekend. Lahat last saw action a month ago in Brazil, suffering a first round flying knee knockout against Godorfredo Pepey. It was the first defeat of the Israeli’s professional mixed martial arts career. This is a fight I wouldn’t be excited about, but it works as a next move for both as they look to get on the winning track in the UFC’s featherweight division. Though they are coming off losses, they are both still highly touted prospects at 145 pounds. Pitting them against each other makes sense to me, and this is a fight I could see being on an upcoming undercard, especially for June 28th’s UFC Fight Night in San Antonio, which will be in Skelly’s backyard of Texas. If that were to happen, it would mean back-to-back bouts for Lahat where he travels to his opponents turf to scrap. For his advantages in grappling and physical size, I would guess that “The Scrapper” would open as a slight betting favorite. Though, it is also worth noting that he had the same advantages over Bektic, and still came out on the losing end.
