UFC Fight Night 50 was live from Connecticut this past Friday night (September 5, 2014) with a nine-fight card, including a four-fight main card on FOX Sports 1 that resulted in four finishes. 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… Al Iaquinta vs Joe Proctor This would be a match-up between a pair of The Ultimate Fighter season 15 veterans who were slated to face each other at UFC 159 back in 2013. The originally scheduled bout was canceled, as both fighters sustained injuries during their training camp leading up to the bout. I think this would be a solid match-up for the UFC to put together as both fighters, while being well-rounded, love to stand and trade. Iaquinta just scored a very impressive third round TKO victory over the veteran Rodrigo Damm at Friday’s UFC Fight Night 50 in Connecticut, after having dominated the Brazilian on the feet for over two rounds of action. Coming off the upsetting submission loss to Mitch Clarke, this was an impressive way for the Long Island native to bounce back into the win column. I think a match-up against his TUF 15 cast-mate Proctor makes sense for his next move at 155-pounds, especially considering that Proctor is coming off an impressive TKO victory of his own right, having finished Justin Salas in the second round of their bout back in July. This fight makes sense as the next move for both lightweights, and I think it would be a good fit for the preliminary card of November’s UFC Fight Night 57 in Austin, TX. Justin Scoggins vs Tim Elliott I think this would make for a phenomenal match-up in the UFC’s flyweight division and would more than likely take the evening’s ‘Fight of the Night’ honors, regardless of the card it’s on. I believe that if these flyweights were paired up inside the Octagon to face each other, there would be nothing but fireworks from start to finish. If I had to make a 12-fight fantasy card, this fight very well could be on it. Both 125-pounders are currently on two-fight losing streaks and are in dire need of a win. That said, I don’t think either of them would get cut should they go three-in-a-row, as they are incredibly talented fighters who are very fun to watch. I believe they would each get one last shot after this one. Scoggins just suffered a second round submission loss at the hands of John Moraga at this past Friday night’s UFC Fight Night 50 in Connecticut. He was beating Moraga until getting caught in the choke and being forced to tap. Funny enough, the same goes for Elliott; he was getting the better of his opponent Joseph Benavidez in their bout at UFC 172 back in April, until Benavidez caught him in a guillotine with both arms trapped, forcing Elliott to tap-out with his feet, a first in UFC history. I think this flyweight scrap would be a solid addition anywhere on October’s UFC 181 fight card in Las Vegas, NV. John Moraga vs Jussier Formiga I already wrote about the potential of this match-up in a previous article, but the fight was never booked, as Sean Shelby had different plans for them. Now both 125-pounders are coming off recent victories, so this is the perfect time to pit them against each other. Aside from the fact that saying “Moraga/Formiga” rolls right off the tongue, I believe this would be an excellent match-up in the UFC’s flyweight division and one I would certainly love to see. Moraga just defeated the aforementioned Justin Scoggins via second round guillotine choke submission at this past Friday night’s UFC Fight Night 50 in Connecticut, while Formiga last saw action at UFC Fight Night 47 in Oklahoma less than a month ago, scoring an impressive unanimous decision over former Bellator bantamweight champion Zach “Fun Size” Makovsky in upset fashion. Moraga vs Formiga would be a good fit for the preliminary card of December’s UFC on FOX 13 in Moraga’s backyard of Phoenix, AZ. Gegard Mousasi vs CB Dollaway I suggested these middleweights square off against each other after they were each victorious at UFC Fight Night 41 in Berlin just a few months ago. Mousasi submitted Mark Munoz via first round rear naked choke, and Dolloaway defeated Francis Carmont via split decision. While Dolloway has not seen action since, Mousasi faced Jacare Souza in a rematch but unfortunately came up short, losing via guillotine choke submission in the third round of action. Now, with Mousasi coming off a loss, I still think this would be a solid match-up as the next step for both 185-pounders. It would be a winner vs loser match-up with both middleweights having something to gain from a win. Mousasi is ranked 7th in the UFC middleweight rankings, while Dolloway is ranked 9th, so a win over Mousasi would certainly take “The Doberman” up the rankings. Dolloway has been on a tear, so a win over him would mean something for Mousasi, and would likely get him a shot at a top five opponent in his next outing. I think this middleweight bout would be another solid addition to December’s UFC on FOX 13 in Dollaway’s backyard of Phoenix, AZ. It would work as either a main event or co-main event for the card. Alistair Overeem vs Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira “Big Nog” is coming off a knockout loss at the hands of Roy “Big Country” Nelson in Abu Dhabi five months ago and wants another fight. With Overeem now coming off a TKO loss against Ben Rothwell at this past Friday night’s UFC Fight Night 50 in Connecticut, I think this match-up makes sense as a next-move for both heavyweights. If Overeem loses, it will definitely drop him down the ranks and all but guarantee he will never fight for a title in the UFC. If Nogueira loses, he will likely have to call it quits, especially if it happens in brutal fashion. I think this fight would be a good fit as the headliner or co-headliner for December’s UFC Fight Night in Barueri, Brazil.
