UFC 149: What's Next for the Losers

Anne-Marie Sorvin-US PRESSWIRE

Last night's UFC 149 saw more card changes than probably any card in UFC history. With many guys getting injured, it seemed almost like the card was to put together in a little over a week.

On top of that, the main card was pretty much just awful. 

Apart from Matt Riddle being himself and a nice, fun battle between Barao and Faber, nothing happen in the other three fights on the pay-per-view.

The prelims, on the other hand, were some of the most exciting in UFC history.

Nonetheless, we crowned a new UFC interim champion and saw one of the most hyped-up debuts in UFC history fail.

With that said, let's take a look back and then look forward with the eleven men who found themselves on the losing end of UFC 149.

Mitch Clarke

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Mitch Clarke kicked off the night with a split-decision loss to Anton Kuivanen in a hard-fought battle that came down to Kuivanen being just a tad bit better of a grappler than Clarke.

Although this loss now makes Clarke 0-2 inside the Octagon, with his impressive showing last night on a card full of duds, I definitely see him getting one more fight, possibly against Ultimate Fighter alum Vic Pichel. 

Daniel Pineda

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After winning his first two fights in the UFC, Pineda has now dropped back-to-back fights, including last night's fight against Antonio Carvalho.

Pineda was impressive in his loss to Brown, but last night, Carvalho was just simply better.

Next, Pineda could find himself matched up with Eric Wisely or Maximo Blanco.

Mitch Gagnon

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Mitch Gagnon was impressive in his UFC debut last night for the first two rounds, but he just gassed out at the end and was submitted by the crafty Bryan Caraway.

Gagnon was a huge bantamweight, but that could have been part of the problem. A better weight cut and improved cardio in his next bout, and Gagnon could be a nice addition to the bantamweight division.

Gagnon could see Nick Denis or Roland Delorme in his next bout.

Anthony Perosh

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Although last night's loss was just Perosh's first at 205 in the UFC, the devastating fashion of the knockout might have many calling for the Aussie's retirement. 

Entering the Octagon riding a three-fight winning streak, UFC newcomer Ryan Jimmo needed only seven seconds to end the streak.

If Perosh isn't considering retirement, a matchup with Joey Beltran makes sense to me.

Roland Delorme

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Roland Delorme just couldn't handle to striking of Francisco Rivera last night and was finished by knockout a little over four minutes into the first round.

The skillful wrestler looked out of place and was unable to get any sort of offense going.

Delorme could possibly face fellow prelim loser Mitch Gagnon in his next UFC bout. 

Court McGee

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Nick Ring should have a UFC record of 1-3, but he has now won two questionable decisions inside the Octagon.

Ring defeated Court McGee last night in a rematch from their fight on season 11 of The Ultimate Fighter. Although Ring badly damaged McGee's nose, it was clear in many eyes that McGee had done enough to pick up the decision.

That was not the case.

In a night of split decisions, Ring won a unanimous decision and upped his UFC record to 3-1.

For McGee, it's unfortunate, but not a deal-breaker. Next for McGee could be Brazilian Francisco Trinaldo or Kyle Noke.

Chris Clements

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There is no doubt that Chris Clements is having fun when he fights, but like most talented strikers, it's all fun and games until you meet a grappler.

Even though Riddle allowed Clements to stand and trade much more than he had to, Riddle was still able to use his submission game and finish Clements with an arm-triangle choke.

Next for Clements could be Jake Hecht, who is coming off a loss to Sean Pearson.

Brian Ebersole

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After winning four fights in a row at welterweight in the UFC, one had to wonder why Ebersole wanted to drop to 155. 

Last night, it showed. Ebersole looked almost two weight classes smaller than opponent James Head, and he wasn't able to take the stronger man down, losing a split decision.

Still, Ebersole's awkward and unorthodox style makes him a threat to anyone he faces. I look forward to seeing him fight at 155. 

Possible opponents for Ebersole at lightweight include Rafael dos Anjos, Sam Stout and Takanori Gomi.

Shawn Jordan

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Shawn Jordan made a major jump in competition last night when he stepped inside the Octagon against Cheick Kongo.

While Kongo was massively unimpressive, Jordan wasn't much better. I'm sure the last thing he prepared for was Kongo tying him up and holding him against the cage for the majority of 15 minutes.

Jordan's possible opponents for his next fight include Dave Herman and Shane del Rosario.

Hector Lombard

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Oh, Hector.

Quite possibly the most disappointing UFC debut in the history of the company.

But if you've watched his fights before, you know there is more to the former Bellator middleweight champion than what he showed last night.

One matchup makes all the sense in the world, and that's to match him with the man he called out: Mark Munoz.

A few days before UFC 149, Lombard stated that he wishes to face Munoz next and would in fact trade in a shot at Anderson Silva to face Munoz.

He no longer has to worry about the title shot, but the fight with Munoz now makes perfect sense, as it would give two middleweight contenders a chance to get back in the mix.

Urijah Faber

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Faber had a shot to finally get his hands on UFC gold last night, but Renan Barao would see that that would not happen. He defeated Faber by unanimous decision to become the interim bantamweight champion.

Urijah Faber will always get credit for being the one to put the smaller guys on the map for his time spent at the top of mountain in the WEC. But since the UFC-WEC merger, Faber is only 2-2, and both loses were for the championship.

Faber will no doubt have to take a backseat to the champions for awhile, but he won't fall too far back in the rankings.

When Faber returns, look for him to either be matched up with a young, up-and-comer such as Mike Easton or Michael McDonald, or possibly a 135 veteran such as Miguel Torres.

 

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