Matchmaking Predictions for UFC on FOX 19’s Winning Fighters

Michael GravesUFC on FOX 19 came and went, producing a night of entertaining action that saw seven of 11 bouts end inside the inside, and with the night of scraps now in our rear view, let’s take a look at a few potential match-ups featuring some of the competitors from the evening… Glover Teixeira vs Anthony Johnson Teixeira scored a first round knockout of Rashad Evans in the main event of the evening, and proceeded to respectfully call out Evans’ team-mate Johnson in his post-fight in-cage interview with Joe Rogan. I think Teixeira vs Johnson would make for an excellent match-up and I would certainly love to see it put together. I think there is a good chance Joe Silva and the UFC will pair these two together inside of the Octagon. I think it would be a great fit as the main event for July’s UFC Fight Night 91 in South Dakota. Cub Swanson vs Darren Elkins Swanson took a unanimous decision victory over Hacran Dias to open up the main card this past weekend, and Elkins is coming off a unanimous decision win in his own right, coming against Chas Skelly. I think Swanson vs Elkins is a match-up that makes a lot of sense in the UFC’s featherweight division. This would be a classic “striker vs grappler” match-up between a pair of veterans inside the Octagon. I think this potential 145-pound battle would be a good fit for the main card of July’s UFC Fight Night 90 in Las Vegas, which will be two days before UFC 200. Santiago Ponzinibbio vs Alan Jouban Ponzinibbio is coming off a first round TKO of TUF 11 winner Court McGee this past weekend and Jouban recently returned to the win column with a first round TKO of his own, coming against Australia’s Brendan O’Reilly. I think Ponzinibbio vs Jouban would make for a phenomenal pairing in the UFC’s welterweight division, as I think these 170-pounders will put on one helluva barn-burner if pitted against each other inside the Octagon. Ponzinibbio and Jouban are both amongst the most entertaining fighters to watch in the division; both fighters preferring to keep things on the feet, move forward and look for the finish. Stylistically, I believe this fight will be a serious contender for the evening’s ‘FIght of the Night’ honors, regardless of the card it is booked on. Speaking of which, I think it’d be a solid fit on the main card for the aforementioned UFC Fight Night 91 in South Dakota this July. Michael Graves vs Sheldon Westcott Graves is now 2-0 inside the Octagon following this past Saturday night’s second round rear naked choke submission win over then-undefeated fellow prospect Randy Brown. Westcott picked up his first UFC win in his most recent Octagon outing, where he scored a first round TKO over Edgar Garcia. I think Graves vs Westcott is a pairing that makes sense in the UFC’s welterweight division and is a fight I would be interested in seeing. Both 170-pounders prefer to take the fight to the mat and get top position and I am interested in finding out which of the two would have the most success. I think this potential welterweight scrap would be a decent fit for the preliminary card of the aforementoned UFC Fight Night 90 in Las Vegas in July.

Written by Gabe Killian

Leave a Reply

MMA Odds and Ends for Tuesday: Josh Koscheck vs. Paul Daley rematch co-headlines Bellator 158

Full UFC 197 Betting Odds