UFC 177 was live from the Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento, CA this past weekend (August 30, 2014) with an eight-fight card, including a five-fight main card on Pay Per View that resulted in four finishes. After much trouble and bad luck, the final result was one to be satisfied with, as every fight on the main card proved to be exciting. It was a fun night of fights, and definitely one for the UFC history books. Now, with the night of scraps behind us, let’s take a look at some potential match-ups for some of the competitors of the evening… All-Lightweight Edition Danny Castillo vs Ramsey Nijem This would be a match-up pairing two lightweights who were each unsuccessful at UFC 177, with Castillo coming short on the judges’ scorecards in a split decision loss to The Ultimate Fighter season 13 winner Tony “El Cucuy” Ferguson and Nijem getting knocked out by former Legacy FC lightweight champion Carlos Diego Ferreira in the second round of their bout. Castillo was in top position for a good portion of his fight against Ferguson, but it was Ferguson who was scoring points from bottom position. The Team Alpha Male product’s inactivity in top position on the mat ultimately cost him the decision. Nijem was doing well against Ferreira, arguably winning the first round of the fight. Unfortunately, his over-aggression was too much in the second stanza, as he rushed in with his chin up and got clipped with a counter by the Brazilian that sent him straight to the canvas. Ferreira quickly followed up with strikes and the referee immediately intervened to call off the action, awarding Ferreira the TKO victory. I think, stylistically, Castillo vs Ferguson would be an excellent, ‘Fight of the Night’-worthy match-up. This is a loser vs loser pairing I would certainly be thrilled to see and think it should belong on a main card. It would be a solid fit for the main card of late November’s UFC Fight Night 57 in Austin, which will feature a bout between Castillo’s teammate Joseph Benavidez and Duke Roufus product Duston Ortiz. Carlos Diego Ferreira vs Rashid Magomedov Ferreira was victorious on the main card of UFC 177, scoring a second round TKO over Ramsey Nijem. The win makes the former Legacy FC lightweight champion 2-0 inside the Octagon; both victories coming by way of finish, as he submitted The Ultimate Fighter season 16 winner Colton Smith at only 0:38 seconds into the very first round of action in his debut with the promotion. Magomedov is also 2-0 inside the Octagon, coming off a unanimous decision victory over Brazilian veteran Rodrigo Damm on enemy territory at The Ultimate Fighter Season 3 Finale in Sao Paulo, Brazil three months. The victory followed another unanimous decision, which came in come-from-behind fashion against Tony Martin. Ferreira is now undefeated in his professional mixed martial arts career at 11-0, while Magomedov is 18-1 and riding a 10-fight winning streak. I think this would be a fantastic pairing in the UFC’s 155-pound division and certainly a scrap I would love to see. This fight would be a great fit for the main card of late December’s UFC Fight Night in Barueri, Brazil, which would mean back-to-back road trips to Brazil for the Dagestani fighter. Yancy Medeiros vs James Vick I think this would be a very exciting scrap in the UFC’s lightweight division, and I imagine it would entirely take place on the feet, likely going back-and-forth for all three rounds of action on a thrill-ride to the judge’s scorecards for a decision. I think both 155-pounders would be fighting for the finish, but both are incredibly tough to put away, so I think these two would have a great chance of producing an applause-worthy war, if paired inside the Octagon against each other. I have no doubt it would be a definite ‘Fight of the Night’ candidate. Medeiros was successful in the opening bout on the main card of last night’s UFC 177 on Pay Per View, defeating the former Legacy FC featherweight champion Damon “The Leech” Jackson via submission in the second round of action, only after first battering him with his superior striking. Vick last saw action at UFC Fight Night 49 one week ago, scoring a unanimous decision victory over Brazilian promotional newcomer Valmir Lazaro. The win makes the Texas native 2-0 inside the Octagon and puts him at an undefeated 6-0 as a professional mixed martial artist. After coming up short on season 15 of The Ultimate Fighter, “The Texecutioner” made the most of his UFC debut, and in impressive fashion, scoring a first round submission victory over The Ultimate Fighter season 13 finalist Ramsey Nijem. I think Medeiros vs Vick would be a super fantastic addition to the preliminary card for late November’s UFC Fight Night 57 in Austin, where Vick would enjoy the advantage of fighting in his own backyard. Tony Ferguson vs Winner of Chiesa/Lauzon Ferguson defeated Danny Castillo via split decision on the judges’ scorecards on the main card of last night’s UFC 177 and is now on a three-fight winning streak that includes first round finishes of Katsunori Kikuno and Mike Rio. I think pitting him against either Michael Chiesa or Joe Lauzon would make sense for his next outing, and I either fight would be fun to watch. I would be happy to see him fight either 155-pounder, so I hope to see him matched-up against whoever wins this bout. I would like to see Ferguson compete on the UFC 180 card in Mexico City this November, and I think it would make most sense if it’s against the winner of this particular lightweight scrap. Chiesa vs Lauzon will be taking place at this Friday’s UFC Fight Night 50 in Connecticut.
