UFC Fight Night 46 produced one of the biggest UFC events in the promotion’s history and it was live on UFC Fight Pass. The solid card of fights is now behind us, so let’s take a look at some possible match-ups for some of the competitors of the Irish evening… Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier It appears as if all Dustin Poirier needs to do is say ‘yes’ and this bout is official for UFC 178 in Las Vegas, which will be headlined by a light heavyweight title rematch between challenger Alexander Gustafsson and the champion Jon Jones. I think this fight makes sense for both featherweights and would be a great addition to the September Pay-Per-View card. However, McGregor feels Poirier won’t agree to this bout, as he did not step up to replace his team-mate Cole Miller in the main event for UFC Fight Night 46 in Dublin when Miller got injured. Instead, an opponent Poirier recently beat, the Brazilian Diego Brandao stepped up to face the Irishman. It was an entertaining round of action with McGregor getting the better of Brandao and ultimately stopping him with strikes with only seconds remaining in the frame. Poirier notched his third straight victory three months ago at the TUF: Nations Finale, scoring a second round TKO over Akira Corassani, which followed his first round TKO over Brandao and a unanimous decision victory over Erik Koch, respectively. I believe this would be an excellent match-up and hope Poirier agrees to it very soon. A win would put either fighter within one, and at the most two fights away from a shot at the division’s strap. Diego Brandao vs Akira Corassani Brandao is on a two fight skid, coming off back to back first round TKO defeats against Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier, respectively. Corassani is coming off a second round TKO loss at the hands of Poirier, also, and the loss snapped a three fight winning streak for the Swede. I think a pairing of these two makes a lot of sense and would make for a great featherweight scrap. Whether it lasts a couple of minutes or goes all 15, I think this would be a very fun fight and almost certainly a contender for the evening’s ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus. This bout would be a good fit for either UFC Fight Night 51 in Brasilia or UFC 179 in Rio de Janeiro. In either situation, Brandao will be stepping into the cage with the crowd on his side. Trevor Smith vs Caio Magalhaes I think this would make for an interesting match-up in the UFC’s middleweight division between a pair of 185-pounders who are mid-tier at best. Smith just took a unanimous decision for the Swede Tor Troeng at yesterday’s UFC Fight Night 46 in Dublin, and the Brazilian last saw action at UFC on FOX 11 three months ago, where he scored a first round TKO over Luke Zachrich, making it his first victory by way of finish inside the Octagon. I think this bout would make a lot of sense for both middleweights, and would be a solid fit for either UFC Fight Night 53 in Sweden or UFC Fight Night 54 in Nova Scotia. Both events will be held live on the evening of October 4th, and this middleweight scrap would make for a solid addition to the preliminary card of either one. Ilir Latifi vs Nikita Krylov This would be a match-up in the UFC’s light heavyweight division that pits together a pair of 205-pounders who were each successful at yesterday’s UFC Fight Night 42 in Dublin. Latifi scored a first round TKO over promotional newcomer Chris Dempsey, and Krylov notched a first round TKO of his own against Cody Donovan. Coming off first round TKO finishes on the same card, I think these two would produce a great fight if paired up inside the Octagon against each other. One thing both light heavyweights have in common is that they are both very tough and hard to put away. They both have solid striking and submissions, and in this fight, it may come down to who has the super cardio. While I don’t get excited over watching either of these guys fight, this is one particular match-up that would gain my interest. Of course, I feel it would be a perfect fit of the UFC’s upcoming trip to Sweden this October for UFC Fight Night 53. Brad Pickett vs George Roop Pickett announced that he will be moving back up to the bantamweight division following his unanimous decision loss to Ian McCall at yesterday’s UFC Fight Night 46 in Dublin. After defeating Neil Seery in his divisional debut, McCall stopped the Brit’s goal of getting a rematch with Demetrious Johnson, the division’s title holder. I think a fight against Kid Yamamoto in Japan would be great for his return to the 135-pound division, but I think the UFC is eyeing Urijah Faber for that particular match-up. It might also be too soon, considering he might not want to make a quick turnaround. In any case, I believe a match-up with George Roop would be an excellent one for the UFC to put together, as it would be one bantamweight scrap that would all but guarantee fireworks. Regardless of whether it lasts a minute or goes all three rounds, I think this is a fight that would have fight fans on the edge of their seats, knowing both fighters like to fight looking for the finish every second of the 15 minutes they are inside the cage. I think this fight would be a good addition to the main card of the UFC’s trip to Istanbul this November for UFC Fight Night 55. Roop is coming off a first round knockout at the hands of promotional newcomer Rob Font on the UFC 175 preliminary card earlier this month, and much like Pickett, he is eagerly looking to get back to his winning ways.
