The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) went back to Atlanta, GA for the third time in promotional history for UFC 201: Lawler vs Woodley. The entertaining night of scraps saw five of 11 fights end inside the distance. The action is now behind us, so let’s take a look at a few potential match-ups featuring some of the competitors from the evening… Robbie Lawler vs Johny Hendricks III Lawler suffered a first round knockout at the hands of Tyron Woodley, losing his UFC welterweight title. Hendricks is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Kelvin Gastelum and will have his back against the wall heading into the Octagon his next time out. Lawler and Hendricks are officially 1-1 against each other, though I personally scored both fights for Hendricks, as did many other people. I think this is a good time to make this rubber-match; it makes sense and is a fight I am really interested in seeing. I think it is a fight Hendricks could really get up for, and the same could be said for Lawler. Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs Joanna Jędrzejczyk Kowakiewicz defeated Rose Namajunas via split decision to go 3-0 inside the Octagon and remain undefeated as a pro, and I believe the victory sets herself up for a title shot against fellow undefeated Polish striker Joanna Jędrzejczyk. I think pitting two undefeated Polish strikers inside the Octagon against each other for a title fight will draw big numbers, so I think this bout would best be suited for the Pay Per View main card to November’s UFC 205 in New York City. Matt Brown vs Nick Diaz Brown suffered a first round TKO against Jake Ellenberger on the main card of this past weekend’s UFC 201 in Atlanta, and he will be eagerly looking to get back into the win column his next time out. Diaz vs Brown is a match-up fight fans have been longing for some time, and with Diaz’s suspension coming to an end, I think it is the perfect time to make this match-up. This is another fight I think would make for a fantastic fit on the main card for the aforementioned UFC 205 in New York City this November. I think this bout should be booked for the first quarter of 2017, as I feel both fighters need some time off. Nikita Krylov vs Mauricio “Shogun” Rua Krylov scored the most beautiful finish of the night at this past Saturday night’s UFC 201 in Atlanta, knocking Ed “Short Fuse” Herman out with a head-kick. The victory puts him at five in a row inside the Octagon, with all five wins coming by way of finish. For his next outing inside the Octagon, I would like to see the Ukrainian take a step or two or three up in competition in the UFC’s razor-thin light heavyweight division by being pitted against former UFC 205-pound champ Rua. The Brazilian currently rides a two fight winning streak inside the Octagon, with a pair of decision victories over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Corey Anderson, respectively. I think Rua vs Krylov would make for an excellent match-up in the UFC’s light heavyweight division and I would like to see it booked for a future fight card. I think it would be a perfect fit to co-main event September’s UFC Fight Night 95 in Rua’s backyard of Brasilia, Brazil.
