UFC Fight Night 60 in Colorado wrapped up a long and exciting extended weekend of mixed martial arts, and following the night of action, we are left with some match-up possibilities to consider. Here are my matchmaking predictions for some of the competitors from the Valentine’s Day evening… Neil Magny vs Winner of Koschek/Ellenberger I was having a hard time deciding which I would rather see; Magny vs Thiago Alves, or vs the winner of the upcoming Josh Koscheck vs Jake Ellenberger bout at February 28th’s UFC 183 in Los Angeles. Magny was Koscheck’s original opponent for the card, but was rebooked for this past Saturday night’s UFC Fight Night 60 in Colorado, where he defeated Japanese veteran Kiichi Kunimoto by third round rear naked choke submission. He is now on a six fight winning streak that includes three finishes, and I believe he believes a step up in competition for his next outing. I think he would make for a good match-up against the winner of the Koscheck/Ellenberger fight, because a win over either opponent would mean the biggest of Magny’s professional mixed martial arts career. At the same time, a win over Magny would be big for either Koscheck or Ellenberger, because it would definitely mean something to snap the division’s longest UFC winning streak. Makovsky vs Reis II A potential flyweight bout between Zach Makovsky and Wilson Reis would be a rematch of a fight that took place just over seven years ago at ShoXC 4, where Reis defeated “Fun Size” with his famed arm triangle choke in the second frame. It was Makovsky’s fifth professional mixed martial arts bout, and it was just the third for the Brazilian. Since their initial meeting, they have both gone on to have excellent careers, and after dropping from the bantamweight division down to flyweight, they are amongst the best in the world at 125-pounds. Their first fight proved to be entertaining, and I think a rematch between the two will do just the same. Makovsky just took a unanimous decision victory over Tim Elliott at last night’s UFC Fight Night 60 in Colorado and returned to the win column, while Reis scored a first round submission over Scott Jorgensen in his last outing at UFC 179, again with his famed arm triangle choke. He now rides a two-fight winning streak inside the Octagon, with much like Makovsky, he is trying to climb the apparent short flyweight ladder for a shot at UFC gold. I think this scrap would be a good fit for the FOX Sports 1 televised preliminary card of May’s UFC 187 in Las Vegas. Chas Skelly vs Charles Oliveira Skelly is coming off a second round T/KO win over former Cage Warriors featherweight champion Jim Alers and is now riding a three fight winning streak inside the Octagon that includes two finishes. Oliveira is riding an impressive three fight winning streak of his own right, with a unanimous decision over Jeremy Stephens and submissions of Andy Ogle and Hatsu Hioki, respectively. I think Skelly vs Oliveira would be an excellent match-up to make in the UFC’s 145-pound division, because regardless of how long this fight lasts, I can’t see it being anything but exciting. Most featherweights paired up against Skelly would result in uneventful bouts more often than not, but this is one of the few potential match-ups I see for him in the division that has a slim-to-none chance of not being entertaining. I would this fight would be a nice fit for the main card of May’s UFC Fight Night in the Philippines. Kevin Lee vs Johnny Case I think this potential pairing would make for a phenomenal match-up in the UFC’s lightweight division and feel like it could be a sure-fire contender for the evening’s ‘Fight of the Night’ honors regardless of the card it is on. The best fit for this bout would probably be June’s UFC Fight Night in New Orleans, though I would be thrilled as a fight fan to see this scrap booked on any UFC fight card. Lee just took a unanimous decision over the always game Michel Prezeres at last night’s UFC Fight Night 60 in Colorado and now rides a three-fight winning streak inside the Octagon. Meanwhile, Case is 2-0 in the UFC, most recently scoring a TKO over Frankie Perez at UFC Fight Night 59 in Boston a month ago, and much like Lee, he looks to extend his winning streak on his way up the UFC’s 155-pound ladder.
