The Ultimate Fighting Championship was in Norfolk, VA this past Saturday night for the first time in promotional history with UFC Fight Night 120: Poirier vs. Pettis. It was a solid night of scraps that saw five of 13 bouts end inside the distance, and with the night of action 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…
Dustin Poirier vs. Eddie Alvarez/Justin Gaethje winner
Poirier defeated Anthony Pettis via third round finish and used his post-fight speech inside the Octagon with Jon Anik to make his demand, and that is to face the winner of next month’s Alvarez versus Gaethje bout. I think a matchup with the winner makes sense for Poirier, and both matchups would be tremendously entertaining. The Alvarez bout would be a rematch of a bout from earlier this year that ended in a controversial No Contest, and many, including Poirier himself, expected an immediate rematch, but the UFC had other plans for Alvarez. If Alvarez comes out on top, this is a rematch fight fans would want to see, and if Gaethje manages to defeat the former UFC 155-pound champion, then a potential matchup with him and Poirier would be tremendous, as well. Both matchups will undoubtedly be a frontrunner for the ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus, regardless of what card it is booked on.
Cezar Ferreira vs. Paulo Costa
Ferreira defeated Nate Marquardt via split decision on the judges’ scorecards to bounce back into the win column following a controversial split decision call against Elias Theodoreau. The Brazilian used his post-fight speech inside the Octagon with Jon Anik to call out undefeated Brazilian middleweight prospect Paul “Borrachinha” Costa, who is coming off a second round TKO of Johny Hendricks at UFC 217 just a couple of weeks ago. I think a potential middleweight showdown between these Brazilian’s is one fight fans would be chomping at the bits for. I would personally be happy to see this fight booked for a future fight card, preferably January’s UFC 220 in Boston.
John Dodson vs. Andre Soukhamthath
Dodson came up short in a split decision against Marlon Moraes and will be looking to break back into the win column his next time out. For his next outing inside the Octagon, I would like to see him take on the unranked Andre Soukhamthath, who is still winless in two UFC appearances. I think the pair would produce an exciting matchup more likely than not, which is not always easy to say about a John Dodson fight. Dodson versus Soukhamthath is a potential bantamweight showdown that would definitely pique my interest, so I would not mind seeing it booked for a future fight card. I think it would be a great fit for either the main or preliminary card to the aforementioned UFC 220 in Boston next January, where Rhode Island’s Soukhamthath would figure to have somewhat of a home advantage, being in New England. .
