The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was back in Houston, TX for the fourth time in promotional history this past Saturday night (October 3, 2015) with UFC 192: Cormier vs Gustafsson. Now with the wild and exciting night of scraps in our rear-view, let’s take a look at a few potential match-ups featuring some of the competitors from the evening… Albert “Einstein” Tumenov vs Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson Just the thought of this potential welterweight match-up gets me excited! I think this would be an incredible match-up between two very elite strikers in the UFC’s 170-pound division and there is no way I would miss it, should it be booked for a future fight card. Einstein just made it three in a row with a TKO of Alan Jouban at this past weekend’s UFC 192 and I think Thompson is a good step up in competition for him, and a fight I feel fans could get behind. I think this bout would be an excellent addition to any Pay Per View main card, especially as the first bout of the main card, as I believe it would be a barn-burner that gets things rolling on a high note. Sergio Pettis vs Paddy Holohan/Louis Smolka winner Pettis returned to the win column and picked up his first win in the UFC’s 125-pound division at this past Saturday night’s UFC 192, where he took a unanimous decision victory over 34-year old Chris Cariaso, handing the veteran his third straight loss. I think an entertaining match-up, as well as one that makes sense for his next move would be to take on the winner of the Holohan vs Smolka bout, which is set to take place at October 24th’s UFC Fight Night 76 in Dublin. I think both Pettis vs Holohan and Pettis vs Smolka would be entertaining scrapd and I would not want to skip either of them. Yair Rodriguez vs Felipe Arantes I think Rodriguez vs Arantes would make for a phenomenal pairing in the UFC’s featherweight division and is another fight I could get very exciting just thinking about. Like many, I have become a big fan of Rodriguez and look forward to his next Octagon outing, following this past Saturday night’s unanimous decision win over Daniel Hooker. I think Arantes is an opponent that makes sense as a next move for the Mexican and is an appropriate step up in competition. The Brazilian made his 145-pound debut a few weeks ago at UFC Fight Night 74, where he submitted veteran Yves Jabouin with an armbar in the very first round of action. Following the successful debut, I think this would be a great fight for him, and one that would put him in the spotlight. This is another scrap that would make for a good addition to any Pay Per View fight card, especially as the first bout; but it would also make for a lead-in bout, headlining a FOX Sports 1 preliminary card, which was the role Rodriguez played this past Saturday night. “Thug” Rose Namajunas vs Aleksandra “Stitch” Albu I love this potential women’s strawweight bout, even considering Namajunas would likely be a massive favorite heading in. Albu does not have much professional mixed martial arts experience and Namajunas would certainly be a huge step up in competition for her, but I think this could turn out to be a good fight. Albu has been out of action for a while since her successful promotional debut, while Namajunas just returned from an extended layoff of her own to take a technical submission win over Angela Hill. This does not seem like the type of fight the UFC would book, but I think it would be a wise move if they did.
