The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) went back to Brasilia, Brazil this past Saturday night with UFC Fight Night 95: Cyborg vs Lansberg. It was an entertaining night that saw seven of 13 bouts end inside the distance. Following the night of scraps in Brazil, let’s take a look at a few potential matchups featuring some of the competitors from the evening… Renan Barao vs. Doo Ho Choi Barao earned a unanimous decision win over Phillipe Nover in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 95 in Brasilia, picking up his first win since moving up to 145 pounds. For his next outing inside the Octagon, I would like to see the Brazilian take on surging featherweight prospect “The Korean Superboy” Doo Ho Choi. The 25-year-old last saw action at the TUF 23 Finale nearly three months ago, when he scored a first-round knockout of veteran Thiago Tavares, making it three straight victories for himself inside the Octagon, with all three coming via first-round knockout. I think Barao is a good step up in competition for his next bout, and I think this is a fight that make sense for Barao as well since Choi is a ranked fighter and this would allow him to break into the rankings of the UFC’s 145-pound division. I think Barao vs. Choi is a potential matchup that makes a lot of sense, and I would like to see it booked for a future fight card. I think it would serve as a solid co-main event for either December’s TUF 24 Finale in Las Vegas or UFC on FOX 22 in Sacramento. Rani Yahya vs. Eddie Wineland II Yahya took a unanimous decision over Japan’s Michinori Tanaka this past weekend and improved to four wins in a row inside the Octagon. For his next time out, I would like to see him take on fellow WEC veteran Eddie Wineland in what I think would be an excellent matchup at 135-pounds. It would be a rematch of a 2009 bout which Yahya won via rear-naked choke submission at just a minute into the very first round of action. I think that is a loss Wineland would like to get back, and at this point in their careers, I think it is the perfect time for it. I think this potential bantamweight contest would be a solid fit for the preliminary card to the aforementioned UFC on FOX 22 in Sacramento, CA this December. Jussier Formiga vs. Sergio Pettis Formiga defeated Dustin Ortiz to return to the win column at 125 pounds following a split-decision loss to recent UFC flyweight title challenger Henry Cejudo in what was a title eliminator matchup. For his next bout, I would like to see the Brazilian take on Roufusport product Sergio Pettis, who is currently riding a two-fight winning streak at 125 pounds and recently pulled out of a matchup against Louis Smolka that was scheduled for this weekend. Once both flyweights are ready to go, I think this would be a fun fight to make and would be a good fit for either the main or preliminary card to December’s UFC 207 in Las Vegas. Erick Silva vs. Vicente Luque Silva and Luque were each succesful in their respected bouts at UFC Fight Night 95 in Brasilia this past weekend, with Silva earning a third-round rear-naked choke victory over Luan Chagas and Luque scoring a first-round knockout of Hector Urbina. I think pitting these Brazilians inside the Octagon for their next bout makes sense at this point in their careers. Silva is a big step up in competition and a stiff test for Luque, and for Silva, Luque is another dangerous threat just as Chagas was, so a victory there would be impressive as well. This is another potential matchup that I think would be a good fit for the preliminary card to the aforementioned UFC 207 in Las Vegas this December.
