After a long weekend of fights with UFC 175 and The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale, there are a few potential match-ups I would like to see… Alex Caceres vs Chico Camus I think this would be a remarkable match-up in the UFC’s bantamweight division, with both 135-pounders coming off recent defeats. Caceres was submitted by Urijah Faber via rear naked choke in the third round of their fight at Saturday night’s UFC 175, and Camus came up short on the judges’ scorecards against Chris Holdsworth at UFC 173 just a few weeks ago. This would be a fight between a pair of tough, well-rounded mixed martial artists and is a fight that I feel makes a ton of sense. I would love to see this fight booked on the main card for August 23rd’s UFC Fight Night in China, which will be headlined by Cung Le vs Michael Bisping. The fight would make for a quick turnaround for both fighters, especially Caceres, but they will have plenty of time to be ready and I feel it’s a booking they would both be incredibly thrilled with. “Bruce Leeroy” has already fought in China once, in a split decision victory over Motonobu Tezuka in 2012. Frankie Edgar vs Winner of Guida/Bermudez I think Edgar vs either of these featherweights would make for an incredible, ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus-worthy match-up. I believe Bermudez would be a great fight for Edgar, but I think most would prefer to see him take on Guida. Man, oh man, that would be some fight! Guida vs Bermudez takes place at UFC on FOX 12 later this month. I think Edgar vs Guida/Bermudez would be a great fit as a five-round main event for October’s UFC Fight Night in Sweden. They are not going to be getting a title fight there, so they at least deserve a solid main event this time around, and it doesn’t get much better than this. Dustin Ortiz vs Ali Bagautinov This would be a winner vs loser match-up in the UFC’s flyweight division, with Ortiz coming off a split decision win over Justin Scoggins as this past Sunday night’s The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale. Bagautinov came short in a unanimous decision loss against Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson in a bid for his 125-pound gold just a few weeks ago. I think this would be a competitive fight, but mostly for his size advantage, I’d have to figure Ortiz would be a favorite over the recent title challenger. A win over a fighter who recently challenged for the title would extend Ortiz’s winning streak and set himself up for a possible future title shot should he come out on top. This is a flyweight scrap I would be very much interested in seeing, as I feel it could prove to be a great chess match on the mat between a pair of talented grapplers; Ortiz with his wrestling and Bagautinov with his Sambo. I would like to see this fight booked for the UFC’s trip to Japan on September 26th for UFC Fight Night 52 in Saitama, which will be headlined by a five-round heavyweight slobber-knocker between Roy Nelson and Mark Hunt. Kevin Casey vs Bruno Santos This is a pairing of two middleweights who were each successful in their bouts on the preliminary card of this past Saturday night’s UFC 175, with both picking up their first victories inside the Octagon. Casey competed in the first fight of the evening, which streamed live on UFC Fight Pass. The now-former RFA middleweight champion hurt the now-former Legacy FC middleweight champion on the feet with his heavy hands, before finishing him off with heavy elbows on the mat. It was a very impressive outing by “King“ Casey, who keeps looking better and better, fight by fight. Santos squeaked out a split decision against Chris Camozzi on the FOX Sports 1 portion of the prelims, and a fight against another powerful grappler in Casey makes sense for his next Octagon outing. While he was boring against Camozzi, I think stylistically, a fight against Casey would prove to be entertaining. I would like to see this fight on the preliminary card for October 25th’s UFC 179 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Russell Doane vs Pedro Munhoz I believe this would make for an excellent match-up in the UFC’s 135-pound division and has ‘Fight of the Night’ written all over it. Doane just scored a split decision victory over Marcus Brimage at UFC 175, while Munhoz scored his first UFC victory a few weeks ago at the TUF: Brazil 3 Finale with a first round stoppage of now-former Legacy FC bantamweight champion Matt “The Crowbar” Hobar. These are both well-rounded mixed martial artists’ who possess a ton of heart, and I believe pitting them against each other inside a cage will do nothing but produce fireworks; whether it lasts one minute or 15 is anybody’s guess. I think this bantamweight scrap would be a solid fit for the main card of October 25th’s UFC 179 in Munhoz’s backyard of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
