The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returned to Hollywood, FL with UFC Fight Night 70 this past Saturday night (June 27th) and the nine-fight card produced some exciting scraps and finishes. The battles are now in our rear-view, so let’s take a look at some potential match-ups for a few of the competitors from the evening… Antonio Carlos Junior vs Scott Askham After winning the TUF: Brazil 3 heavyweight tournament by defeating Vitor Miranda via unanimous decision in his Octagon debut, Carlos Junior made the move down to the light heavyweight division for his next outing, where he took on Pat Cummings and saw a second consecutive bout go the distance. Unfortunately for the Brazilian, that time it was all Pat Cummings, as the former Penn State wrestler outgrappled the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt for all three rounds of action to pick up a unanimous decision victory on the judges’ scorecards. The defeat, marking the first of Carlos Junior’s professional mixed martial arts career prompted him to move further down to the middleweight division. In his 185-pound debut at this past weekend’s UFC Fight Night 70 in Florida, the TUF: Brazil 3 winner took on Serra-Longo product Eddie Gordon and defeated him via rear naked choke submission with less than half a minute remaining in the third and final round of action. Following the impressive win, I think a match-up that makes sense as a next move for the Brazilian is one against England’s Scott Askham. Much like Carlos Junior, the Brit recently snapped the lone loss of his career by taking out Antonio Dos Santos Jr via first round knockout. One Brazilian “Junior” after another, I think this is a middleweight scrap that makes sense for both middleweights looking to continue making noise and climbing up the division’s ladder. I would like to see this bout as part of the preliminary card for October’s UFC 192 in Houston; neautral territory. Alex Oliveira vs Tony Sims Oliveira made it two in a row inside the Octagon on the main card of this past weekend’s UFC Fight Night 70 in Florida by defeating late notice promotional newcomer Joe Merritt via unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards following three closely contested rounds of action. Sims made his Octagon debut on the same card, and in his contest, he was the late notice promotional newcomer. In his Octagon debut, he took on fellow promotional newcomer and American Top Team product Steve Montgomery, defeating him via knockout in the very first round of action. Oliveira and Sims are both lightweights who competed in the welterweight division, and I would like to see them drop back down to 155-pounds for an outing against each other. I see this as an interesting pairing that will answer questions about both lightweight prospects. I would like to see this scrap on the preliminary card for September’s UFC 191 in Las Vegas, which would spell neutral territory for both fighters. Lorenz Larkin vs Omari Akhmedov “Da Monsoon” made it two in a row since dropping down to the UFC’s welterweight division, and both wins have come by way of impressive, highlight-reel knockouts over two of the most resilient and durable fighters in the division in John “Doomsday” Howard and Santiago Ponzinibbio. Akhmedov recently strung together two of his own, following a unanimous decision over Mats Nilsson with a TKO (knee injury) of Brian Ebersole, sending the 70 pro fight veteran into retirement. I think Larkin vs Akhmedov is a welterweight pairing that makes a lot of sense and I see it as a recipe for fireworks, as they are both talented strikers who are very fun to watch in action. Regardless of the fight card this scrap is placed on, I see it as being a solid contender come time for the evening’s ‘Fight of the Night’ honors. That said, I think this is a fight that deserves a main card slot, and I would like to see it on the main card for the aforementioned UFC 192 in Houston this October. Thiago Santos vs Robert Whittaker The Brazilian just scored a first round knockout over promotional newcomer and former professional hockey player out of Canada, Steve Bosse. Many consider one of the most brutal head-kick knockouts in UFC history. He now has two first round knockouts, including one over Andy Enz leading into this bout. Prior to a unanimous decision defeat to Urijah Hall, Santos knocked out Ronny Markes with a kick to the body in the first round of action; all three of his UFC victories have come quickly in the first frame. New Zealand’s Robert Whittaker is no stranger to knockout finishes, owning 50% of his professonal mixed martial arts wins by way of T/KO, including his last two, which came in the 185-pound division. Whittaker now enjoys a three fight winning streak and hopes to extend it to four against a ranked opponent, though considering most fighters being booked or injured, I think this is an option that makes a lot of sense for the TUF: Smashes winner. This middleweight scrap would make for a solid fit on any UFC Fight Night main card.
