UFC Fight Night 59 came and went this past weekend (January 18, 2015), and after the wild and crazy night of fights in Boston, let’s take a look at some potential match-ups for a few of the competitors from the event… Lorenz Larkin vs Nordine Taleb Larkin looked very impressive in his welterweight debut at this past Sunday night’s UFC Fight Night 59 in Boston, where he scored a first round TKO over Boston’s own John Howard, becoming the first fighter to ever knock “Doomsday” out inside the Octagon. After dropping three in a row at 185 pounds, this fight was a must-win for Larkin and he came through with flying colors. I think a proper next move for him would be to pair him up with Nordine Taleb, who is currently 2-0 in the UFC with a pair of decision victories. I believe this would be a very entertaining battle on the feet between these two strikers, and it is certainly one fight I would not miss, as I think it has real ‘Fight of the Night’ potential. I would not always be excited for a Nordine Taleb fight, but stylistically, if he were matched up with Larkin, I think it would be a fight worth getting up for. I think this fight would be a solid fit anywhere on the UFC 186 fight card which will be live from Montreal, Quebec, Canada on April 25th. Johnny Case vs James Vick I think this would make for an excellent match-up in the UFC’s lightweight divisions. Case and Vick are both long and rangy strikers who possess an all-around mixed martial arts skill-set, so I think having them compete against each other would make for a great, closely-contested battle. The winner will move forward in the division, likely drawing a top 15 ranked opponent for his next outing, while the loser will return to the drawing board. Case earned a third round TKO over promotional newcomer Frankie Perez at this past Sunday night’s UFC Fight Night 59, which makes him 2-0 inside the Octagon. Vick last saw action at UFC Fight Night 57 a couple of months ago, where he defeated Nick Hein via unanimous decision to extend his UFC winning streak to 3-0 and his undefeated mixed martial arts record to 8-0. It is also worth noting that Case is a product of Alliance MMA, where Vick used to train before the gym and his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu coach Lloyd Irvin parted ways. I think this bout would be a solid addition to the preliminary card for the UFC’s upcoming trip to Vick’s home-state of Texas with March 14’s UFC 185 in Dallas. Chris Wade vs Leandro Silva Keeping things in the lightweight division, this is another match-up I would like to see made. Wade just earned a unanimous decision victory over Zhang Lipeng at this past Sunday night’s UFC Fight Night 59 in Boston and is now 2-0 inside the Octagon. Silva last saw action at UFC Fight Night 56, where he defeated Charlie Brenneman via rear naked choke in the very first round of action. Though I believe Wade is the superior mixed martial artist in this match-up, I think Silva is a proper next move for him. This is a fight I would like to see added to the preliminary card of UFC Fight Night 62 in Brazil on March 21st, and with the fight being in his backyard, Silva would enjoy the hometown edge. Charles Rosa vs Andre Fili I believe this would be a phenomenal match-up to put together in the UFC’s featherweight division. This would be a battle between American Top Team and Team Alpha Male, and I think it would be a great one, as both fighters are talented all-around and are amongst the most entertaining to watch in the division. Stylistically, I think this pairing is a solid recipe for fireworks. Rosa just bounced back into the win column with a third submission victory over Sean Soriano and Fili last competed at UFC 179, where he took a unanimous decision victory over the Brazilian Felipe Arantes in Brazil. I feel confident this fight will be a contender for the evening’s ‘Fight of the Night’ honors, regardless of the card it is booked on. Speaking of which, I would love to see it anywhere on the upcoming UFC 187 fight card in May, where UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo will defend his crown against challenger Conor McGregor.
