The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) went to Croatia for the first time in promotional history, producing a night of solid action, and with the entertaining night of scraps in our rear-view, let’s take a look at a few potential match-ups featuring some of the losing fighters from the evening… Ben Rothwell vs Loser of Velasquez/Browne Rothwell came up short on the judges’ scorecards in the main event of yesterday’s UFC Fight Night 86 in Croatia, losing a unanimous decision to former UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior Dos Santos. For his next outing inside the Octagon, I would like to see him take on the loser of Cain Velasquez vs Travis Browne, which is scheduled to take place at UFC 200 this July. The Velasquez fight is a rematch he has wanted for a while, and the Browne fight would be a fresh, intriguing match-up for the Wisconsin-based heavyweight. Either match-up would be a solid fit to the Pay Per View main card for the yet-to-be-announced Madison Square Garden card in New York CIty this November. Nicolas Dalby vs Kyle Noke I think Dalby vs Noke would be a fun match-up in the UFC’s welterweight division, with Dalby coming off a unanimous decision loss to Zak Cummings and Noke dropping a controversial split decision to Alex Morono in his most recent outing inside the Octagon. I think this would be an interesting match-up and one I feel makes some sense. I think this potential welterweight contest would make for a solid fit on the preliminary card to July’s The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale, which is scheduled to take place the night before UFC 200. Cristina Stanciu vs Izabela Badurek Stanciu dropped a unanimous decision to Maryna Moroz on the main card of yesterday’s UFC Fight Night 86 in Croatia, ultimately getting her first taste of professional mixed martial arts defeat. I think a match-up that makes sense for her in her next Octagon outing is one against Izabela Badurek, who suffered a second round guillotine choke submission in her promotional debut last year. I think Stanciu vs Badurek would make for an interesting match-up in the UFC’s women’s strawweight division, and could potentially be a “loser goes home” type of bout. I think this potential women’s 115-pounds crap would be a good addition to the UFC Fight Pass prelims for July’s UFC on FOX 20 in Chicago. Ian Entwistle vs Taylor Lapilus I think Entwistle vs Lapilus would make for an entertaining battle in the UFC’s bantamweight division and I would expect a fun scrap, regardless of how long it lasts. Like any Entwistle fight, he would likely either secure an early submission or end up getting knocked out. Entwistle is coming off a first round TKO loss against Alejandro Perez at yesterday’s UFC FIght Night 86 in Croatia, while Lapilus has not seen action since a unanimous decision loss to Erik Perez last year. I think this potential 135-pound contest would be another solid addition to the UFC Fight Pass prelims for the aforementioned UFC on FOX 20 fight card in Chicago this July.
