The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was back in Dublin, Ireland this past Saturday (October 24, 2015) with UFC Fight Night 76: Holohan vs Smolka. The fight card had taken some major hits but ultimately produced an exciting and memorable show. The entertaining night of scraps is now in our rear-view, so let’s take a look at some potential match-ups featuring a few of the competitors from the evening… Darren Till vs Matt Dwyer Till fought to a Majority Draw with Nicolas Dalby this past weekend and many fans are calling for a rematch. However, I would personally like to see the two move on and don’t think an immediate rematch is necessary. I’m of the feeling that Till would have gone on to win a 30-27 decision on the judges’ scorecards, had he not suffered an in-fight injury. An opponent I would like to see Till face is Matt Dwyer, who is coming off a ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus winning unanimous decision loss to Alan Jouban. I just think Till vs Dwyer would be a fun fight for however long it lasts. I think this potential welterweight bout would be a good fit for the main card of the UFC’s upcoming trip to London this February, where Till would be enjoying a hometown advantage. Nicolas Dalby vs Tom Breese Dalby dropped the first two rounds against Till this past Saturday but came back strong in the third and final frame, to win the round 10-8 on two judges’ scorecards, ultimately saving himself from a loss with a Majority Draw. Keeping his undefeated record intact after facing the undefeated Till, for his next Octagon outing, I would like to see him take on another undefeated Brit in Tom Breese. Breese was victorious in his UFC Fight Night 76 bout, as well, scoring a first round TKO stoppage over Ireland’s own Cathal Pendred. The Brit is now 2-0 inside the Octagon with two stoppage victories and I think Dalby would be a great challenge for his next time out. Not only that, but I think pairing the two together would produce an entertaining fight; a barn-burner in the UFC’s 170-pound division. This is another welterweight contest I would would make for a solid fit on the aforementioned London UFC Fight Night card coming in February. Norman Parke vs Kajan Johnson TUF: Smashes winner Parke bounced back into the win column with a unanimous decision win over Reza Madadi in the co-main event of the evening at UFC Fight Night 76 in Dublin. The victory puts the Northern Irishman back on track following two split decision losses and for his next outing I’d like to see him take on TUF: Nations veteran Kajan Johnson. The Canadian currently enjoys a two fight winning streak and I think Parke is a good next move for him for his next outing. It is certainly a big step up in competition for the veteran following his recent wins, but I think it is a fight he would be happy to take and could see him having success in. I think stylistically these lightweights would produce a fun fight and I think they are the right opponents to pit each other against to see where they each stand in the division. I think this bout would make a solid fit for the preliminary card of January’s UFC 195 in Las Vegas. But of course, it would also be a great fit for the aforementioned London card in February. Stevie Ray vs James Krause Ray made it three in a row inside the Octagon with a unanimous decision win over Frenchman Mickael Lebout this past weekend and in an effort to make it four in a row, I would like to see him take on RFA and UFC veteran James Krause, who recently returned to the winning column with a first round rear naked choke submission of TUF: Live vet Daron Cruickshank. I think Ray makes sense as a next move for Krause and think Krause is a a good test to give Ray at this stage in his UFC career. This is another fight that would likely be very entertaining but also determine where both fighters belong in the UFC’s 155-pound division. And of course, this potential lightweight bout would make a solid addition to the aforementioned UFC Fight Night in London card.
