UFC on FOX 3 Results: Matches to Make

UFC on FOX came and went, with title contenders emerging in several weight classes. It was a great night of fights, which saw upsets, knockouts, submissions and heartbreaks.

We even saw two flyweight fights, which were only the third and fourth bouts in the weight class in UFC history. They dazzled with their speed and power, much to the delight of the crowd.

Where do these fighters go from here? Let's take a look at the matches that should be made following UFC on FOX 3.

Mike Massenzio vs. Alessio Sakara

Mike Massenzio faltered again last night, which cannot be good for his job security. Massenzio is 1-3 since his return to the Octagon for a second run with the organization.

The two-fight losing streak may get him cut from the company. A saving grace may be that one of his losses in his return to the UFC was a late notice light heavyweight bout, which saved a fight on the UFC 131 card.

A matchup with another recent loser, Alessio Sakara, could be in the cards, with the loser leaving the company. Sakara was blasted by Brian Stann, en route to a knockout loss, making this fight a possibility.

Karlos Vemola vs. Jared Hamman

Karlos Vemola made a successful middleweight debut last night, using his superior wrestling and ground strikes to open up a rear-naked choke victory. 

Vemola is a monster at middleweight. He looked great at middleweight, looking much more cut than his heavyweight and light heavyweight days. This may have been the best move for Vemola to make. 

Jared Hamman is currently coming off injury and looking for an opponent. Hamman has an iron jaw and the striking to really challenge Vemola. 

Nick Denis vs. Azamat Gashimov

Nick Denis faltered last night, erasing the memory of his 22-second knockout victory in his UFC debut. Denis found himself battling off a talented grappler, and in the end, a tap was inevitable.

Denis is now in a position where he needs to prove himself. He beat a guy who couldn't cut it in the Octagon in his debut, but fell against a guy who has the talent to make a name for himself in the UFC.

Azamat Gashimov just dropped off a card due to injury, pushing back his UFC debut. When he is ready to return to action, a bout with Nick Denis would be very telling where he is at in the UFC's bantamweight division. 

Roland Delorme vs. Mike Easton

Roland Delorme has pushed his record to 2-0 in the UFC, dispatching Nick Denis with a rear naked choke with one second left in the first round.

Delorme is a talented grappler with solid submission skills. He owns two submission wins in his UFC career, as he choked out Josh Ferguson in his UFC debut.

Mike Easton is mending an injury, but I am sure he is back to training and could take a fight soon. Easton has good wrestling, that could matchup evenly with Delorme's judo and jiu-jitsu ability. Easton also is a powerful striker, which could greatly test Delorme.

Pablo Garza vs. Akira Corassani

Pablo Garza, despite being the much taller fighter, dropped a decision to Dennis Bermudez yesterday, which was his second loss in a row. I don't believe his job is in jeopardy though, as he holds to of the most exciting finishes in recent UFC history as two of his victories. 

Garza couldn't win a round against Bermudez, whose superior wrestling was too much for "The Scarecrow." It is back to the drawing boards for Garza, but a number of fights could await him.

Bermudez's housemate in The Ultimate Fighter, Akira Corassani, is awaiting an opponent, as he was pulled from his official UFC debut due to injury. Garza needs a rebound fight, so this could be a matchup that we see.

Dennis Bermudez vs. Marcus Brimage

Dennis Bermudez broke a three-fight skid with his win over Pablo Garza, erasing the memory of losing The Ultimate Fighter championship against Diego Brandao.

Bermudez is tough as nails, has great wrestling and powerful striking. He is a tough out for any fighter in the featherweight division, but needs to continue to take fights to gain more momentum.

His former housemate on The Ultimate Fighter, Marcus Brimage, is now 2-0 in the UFC and could be an opponent Bermudez faces. They were on opposite teams during the show, which makes this bout even more intriguing. 

John Cholish vs. Tommy Hayden

John Cholish was on the losing end of a decision in his bout against Danny Castillo, losing all three rounds on the judges' scorecards. Despite the loss, Cholish is still a bright prospect in the lightweight division.

Cholish is a gifted submission artist and a slick grappler. He is going to need a rebound fight to right the ship, and he could find that fight against Tommy Hayden.

Hayden is not scheduled to fight yet and has not fought since January. He is another young competitor with a bright future, as he trains with Jorge Gurgel and his team in Ohio.

Danny Castillo vs. Mac Danzig

Danny Castillo is like the Rodney Dangerfield of the lightweight division, in that no matter how many times he wins, he gets no respect. 

Castillo dominated a game fighter in John Cholish last night, using his wrestling to control the young lightweight. Castillo is now 3-1 in the UFC and looking to step up against a higher-end fighter.

Mac Danzig was victorious at UFC 145 in April and is looking to build off his win. A bout against Castillo would provide great experience for both men, as well as a solid challenge.

John Lineker vs. Timothy Elliott

John Lineker did not make weight and lost his fight against Louis Gaudinot. That is not a very good start for anybody's first UFC bout, as missing weight does not make the boss happy.

Lineker was choked out by Gaudinot last night after an exciting affair which earned him a "Fight of the Night" recognition. Lineker is going to stay employed with the company, despite missing weight and losing. The flyweight division is still light, so Lineker's presence is necessary.

Timothy Elliott lost his fight against John Dodson, despite looking impressive at points in the fight. Elliott looks to be an excellent signing in the flyweight division.

These two could be pit against each other in their next fight, as the flyweight division still is small in numbers and both are coming off losses. It would be a great fight, that could garner "Fight of the Night" honors for both men.

Louis Gaudinot vs. Darren Uyenoyama

Louis Gaudinot made a successful flyweight debut last night, showing that he is a natural flyweight and that he is a threat at this weight class.

Gaudinot choked a tough opponent in John Lineker to sleep in their fight, slapping on a slick guillotine choke to end the fight. Gaudinot is a well-rounded fighter and cannot be far from an eventual title shot.

Darren Uyenoyama was originally slated to be on the card against John Dodson, but was forced off with injury. With the flyweight division being light, a fight between Gaudinot and Uyenoyama has a good possibility of happening soon.

Pascal Krauss vs. Che Mills

Pascal Krauss tasted defeat for the first time yesterday, dropping a clear-cut decision to John Hathaway. The German is still a very solid prospect in the welterweight division, but needs to get back on track in his next fight.

Che Mills is coming off a loss in his last fight at UFC 145, looking underwhelming compared to his UFC debut against Chris Cope. With Mills and Krauss both coming off losses, this fight makes perfect sense.

John Hathaway vs. Claude Patrick

John Hathaway continues to look like one of the brightest prospects in the welterweight division, beating a tough opponent in Pascal Krauss last night. He has solid wrestling, especially for a Brit, as British fighters are not known for their wrestling.

Hathaway still needs to build his resume, and he could do that in a solid veteran in Claude Patrick. Patrick has a similar style to Hathaway, which could make this fight an interesting chess match.

John Dodson vs. Winner of Flyweight Tournament

John Dodson may be the first challenger to the eventual flyweight champion, being a winner of The Ultimate Fighter and a winner in his UFC flyweight debut last night.

Ian McCall and Demetrious Johnson have to settle their controversial ending to their flyweight semifinal fight in March. The winner will face Joseph Benavidez to crown the champion. 

Whoever should win the title should face Dodson, as in my mind he is the No. 1 contender to the eventual crown.

Tony Ferguson vs. Rafaello Oliveira

Tony Ferguson lost his first fight in the UFC last night, being out-struck by Michael Johnson. The former Ultimate Fighter champion is still an intriguing competitor in the lightweight division, but needs to get back on track.

His solid boxing and wrestling are a challenge to any fighter in the lightweight division. Rafaello Oliveira is currently without an opponent and coming off a couple losses. This could be a good fight for Ferguson to take, as it could get him back on track or prove his inadequacy as a UFC competitor. 

Michael Johnson vs. Reza Madadi

Michael Johnson has gained more momentum last night, taking this fight on short notice and winning in a striking battle. Johnson has improved greatly since his time on The Ultimate Fighter, spending beneficial time with the Blackzilian camp.

Johnson's work with kickboxing stud Tyrone Spong showed last night, adding a dangerous striking to an already polished wrestling base. 

A bout against another recent winner, Reza Madadi, would be an interesting fight. Madadi has great wrestling and grappling ability, which would force Johnson to continue to use his improved striking.

Pat Barry vs. Phil De Fries

Pat Barry showed improvements in his ground game last night, but it was not enough to avoid the freight train that is Lavar Johnson.

Barry got the fight to the ground, but when Johnson eventually got back to his feet, he lit Barry up with brutal combinations. Barry is back at the bottom looking up after this fight, and will need a win in his next fight to keep credibility.

Phil de Fries is also coming off a loss in his latest bout and has not yet been scheduled to fight. A matchup with Barry would test Barry's ground game, while testing de Fries's striking. It's a perfect example of striker versus grappler. 

Lavar Johnson vs. Winner of Roy Nelson/Dave Herman

Lavar Johnson is a certified star in the UFC, impressing fans with yet another brutal knockout. Now 2-0 in the UFC, Johnson will look for a step up in competition.

The massive striker should composure when Barry locked in a deep arm lock last night, which led to Johnson getting back to his fight and throwing bombs. He will need to test himself with an upper-mid-tier fighter in his next bout.

Roy Nelson is set to scrap with Dave Herman at UFC 146 later this month. Whoever should win that bout should be next for Lavar Johnson. I would love for it to be Nelson, just to see if Johnson could break through Nelson's iron jaw.

Rousimar Palhares vs. Tim Credeur

Rousimar Palhares faced a big setback last night, falling to a vicious barrage of elbows and punches by Alan Belcher. The leg lock specialist now finds himself falling from the upper end of the division, and will need to rebound quickly if he wishes to stay in title contention.

Tim Credeur is currently not scheduled to fight, which could lead to a nice rebound fight for Palhares. Creduer has good boxing and solid jiu-jitsu, which could give Palhares solid competition. If he is unable to beat Credeur, he could find himself at the bottom looking up.

Alan Belcher vs. Winner of Michael Bisping/Tim Boetsch

Alan Belcher is officially a fight or two away from a title shot, as he engaged in a dangerous ground fight with Rousimar Palhares. Impressively, Belcher held his own and destroyed Palhares with a barrage of elbows and punches from the top position.

Belcher is extremely well-rounded and criminally underrated. 

Michael Bisping and Tim Boetsch will fight at UFC 149, with the winner taking one step closer to the middleweight title shot. Whoever should come out on top from that fight could be next for Belcher, who will provide solid competition to either man.

Josh Koscheck vs. Loser of Demian Maia/Dong Hyun Kim

Josh Koscheck has been disappointing in his last two fights, which have been a controversial split decision win over Mike Pierce and last night's split decision loss to Johny Hendricks. Koscheck is in danger of falling into irrelevancy, so a convincing win is a must in his scrap.

Demian Maia is set to meet Dong-Hyun Kim later this year. The loser of that fight should meet Koscheck next, as it would give one man the much needed rebound, while sending the loser to the bottom of the division.

Johny Hendricks vs. Rory MacDonald

Johny Hendricks moved one step closer to a title shot last night, earning a decision win over Josh Koscheck. The title picture at welterweight is jammed right now, as Carlos Condit and Georges St-Pierre need to unify the welterweight belts before anybody gets a title shot.

In the meantime, Hendricks should take a fight with another top contender. With Martin Kampmann and Jake Ellenberger already set to fight in a possible No. 1 contenders bout, Hendricks should meet another top welterweight waiting in line in Rory MacDonald. That fight would make the title picture a little clearer, and possibly earn the winner a title shot.

Jim Miller vs. Joe Lauzon

Jim Miller was finished for the first time in his career last night, succumbing to a guillotine at the hands of Nate Diaz. Miller is still a top fighter for the UFC, so his stock should not plummet to far here.

Joe Lauzon would be a great stylistic matchup for Jim Miller, as both are good boxers with great jiu-jitsu. Both are as tough as they come and have an aggressive style, which would excite fans.

Nate Diaz vs. Winner of Ben Henderson/Frank Edgar

Nate Diaz won last night, submitting a tough-to-finish guy in Jim Miller. With that win, Nate Diaz has earned a title shot most likely, after Ben Henderson and Frankie Edgar sort out their business.

Diaz is a dangerous boxer and submission artist, with cardio for days. In beating Jim Miller, Diaz has put the whole lightweight division on notice. He is a legitimate contender that is finally starting to come into his own.

He will always have problems with wrestlers, but his submission skills may scare off any wrestler that thinks about taking him down.