The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was live from The Forum in Los Angeles with UFC 199: Rockhold vs Bisping with a stacked 13-fight card, eight of which ended by way of T/KO. Following the insanely fun and memorable night of mixed martial arts action, let’s take a look at a few potential match-ups featuring some of the competitors from the evening… Ricardo Lamas vs Cub Swanson II Their first meeting was a highly entertaining one in which Lamas ultimately won by rear naked choke submission. Half a decade later, I think it is the right time to pair them against each other in a rematch. It would be a rare “winner vs loser” match-up in the UFC’s featherweight division, with Lamas coming off a unanimous decision loss against Max Holloway and Swanson coming off a unanimous decision win over Hacran Dias, though it is a fight that makes sense and one Swanson would like to have back. I think it would be a solid fit as the co-main event for November’s TUF: Latin America 3 Finale. Brian “T-City” Ortega vs Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira Just the mere idea of this potential featherweight scrap gets me giddy like a kid on Christmas morning. As a fight fan, I would be thrilled to find out that these 145-pounders have been booked to square off against each other inside the Octagon. I think it is a pairing that makes sense for both fighters and a match-up that would be a true gift for fight fans. I would like to see this fight booked for the main card of August’s UFC 202 in Las Vegas, which will be headlined by a welterweight bout between Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor. I think “T-City” vs “Do Bronx” would be the ideal match-up to kick off the evening’s Pay Per View main card. Dustin Poirier vs Beneil Dariush This potential lightweight showdown would pit together two lightweights who were each successful inside the Octagon at this past Saturday night’s UFC 199 in Los Angeles, with Dustin Poirier scoring a first round knockout of Bobby Green and Beneil Dariush knocking James Vick out inside the the first round, as well. Poirier is now ranked at #9 and Dariush at #11, so not only does the match-up make sense rankings-wise, I think it makes for an entertaining fight. Both 155-pounders are well-rounded and usually produce fireworks inside the Octagon. This is another fight I think that would make a great addition to the aforementioned UFC 202 in Las Vegas this August; either on the main card or the headliner to the evening’s prelims on FOX Sports 1. Sean Strickland vs Gunnar Nelson Strickland was successful this past Saturday night at UFC 199, were he edged a split decision win over then-undefeated TriStar product Tom Breese, the win which puts him at three in a row in the UFC’s welterweight division. For his next outing inside the Octagon, I would like to see him take a step up in competition in the form of ranked Icelander Gunnar Nelson, who is coming off a second round rear naked choke submission of Albert Tumenov. I think Strickland vs Nelson would make for an excellent match-up in the UFC’s welterweight division and is a fight I would like to see booked for a future fight card. I think it would be a good fit on the main card for September’s UFC Fight Night 93 in Germany.
