UFC Fight Night 50: Matches to Make for the Entire Fight Card
Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza is blazing a path straight toward Chris Weidman and the middleweight championship.
After beating Chris Camozzi, Yushin Okami and Francis Carmont in his first three UFC appearances, Souza recorded another impressive win at UFC Fight Night 50. With four takedowns in less than four full rounds, Souza did as he wished against Gegard Mousasi on the ground and eventually locked up a submission.
With an outstanding 4-0 start to his UFC career, the former Strikeforce champion is looking like Weidman's biggest threat right now. Weidman is currently scheduled to meet Vitor Belfort, but Souza could be right behind his fellow Brazilian.
Here are the matchups that should be next for Jacare, Mousasi and the rest of the UFC Fight Night 50 competitors.
Prelim Fighters
1 of 9
Prelim Winners
| Fighter | Matchup |
| John Moraga | Ali Bagautinov |
| Al Iaquinta | Chad Laprise vs. Yosdenis Cedeno Winner |
| Rafael Natal | Trevor Smith |
| Chris Beal | Rob Font |
| Chas Skelly | Kevin Souza |
Prelim Losers
| Fighter | Matchup |
| Justin Scoggins | Tim Elliott |
| Rodrigo Damm | Francisco Trinaldo vs. Efrain Escudero Loser |
| Chris Camozzi | Dylan Andrews |
| Tateki Matsuda | Ian Entwistle |
| Sean Soriano | None (Release) |
Michael Chiesa
2 of 9
Matchup: Danny Castillo
Michael Chiesa was in a close fight with Joe Lauzon before suffering a nasty cut over his right eye during a flurry in the second round. The gash caused referee Herb Dean to call a stop to the bout upon the advice of the cageside physician.
The loss prevented Chiesa from capturing a third consecutive victory. Had he continued his streak in what was an entertaining fight with Lauzon, Chiesa might have earned a matchup with a Top 15 lightweight contender. Instead, he'll need to gather momentum again, but don't expect The Ultimate Fighter 15 winner to see a big step down in competition.
A rematch with Lauzon is a possibility, but it wasn't like Chiesa was clearly winning prior to the doctor stoppage on Friday, so that's far from a certainty. Instead, Chiesa would be a good opponent for Danny Castillo, a 155-pounder who needs an adversary who will make him work on the ground.
Joe Lauzon
3 of 9
Matchup: Diego Ferreira
Lauzon is fun to watch against pretty much anybody in the lightweight division, but he seems to be particularly entertaining against fellow grapplers.
Due to the nature of how his bout with Chiesa ended, Lauzon might be interested in a rematch. However, I don't think that's necessary. Lauzon won the first round on my meaningless scorecard and wasn't behind in the second stanza. He was the better fighter, so there's no need for Lauzon and Chiesa to do it again immediately.
Instead, the UFC should match Lauzon up with another grappler who is on a roll. Diego Ferreira is 2-0 inside the Octagon and coming off a win over Ramsey Nijem. He's a risk-taker on the canvas, which makes him another excellent opponent for Lauzon.
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Derrick Lewis
4 of 9
Matchup: Daniel Omielanczuk
Derrick Lewis' UFC career got out to a hot start with two knockout wins, but he ran into trouble against a veteran opponent on Friday.
Matt Mitrione wasn't going to let Lewis bulldoze him like Jack May and Guto Inocente did. Instead, he took the center of the Octagon and landed the first significant blow, a short right hand that led to a knockout finish less than one minute into the opening round.
For Lewis, it's back to fighting less-proven UFC heavyweights. A bout with Daniel Omielanczuk, who has a 1-1 UFC record, would be logical.
Matt Mitrione
5 of 9
Matchup: Todd Duffee
With losses in three out of four appearances, it looked as though Mitrione was on his way out of relevancy.
Instead, he rebounded well. With a knockout win over Lewis on Friday, Mitrione has stopped two straight opponents in the opening round.
As impressive as Mitrione's win was, he's still probably one more win away from earning a shot at a serious heavyweight contender. If Todd Duffee decides to return to action anytime soon, it would be intriguing to see two of the more athletic big men in MMA throw down.
Alistair Overeem
6 of 9
Matchup: Mark Hunt vs. Roy Nelson Loser
Following a dominant win over Frank Mir, it looked like Alistair Overeem might be ready to get back to his old form again. However, his chin failed him again on Friday.
A veteran not to be taken lightly, Ben Rothwell pulled off the upset by finding Overeem's button in the opening round. The former IFL heavyweight took some heavyweight knees and kicks to the body, but he battled through them and eventually put away The Reem, who has now been finished in three of his past four appearances.
Still a big name in a shallow weight division, Overeem will get another opportunity. However, he clearly is headed in the wrong direction quickly. Should he lose to Roy Nelson on September 20, Mark Hunt may be able to avenge a July 2008 loss to Overeem, and Big Country wouldn't be a bad opponent for the former Strikeforce and Dream champion either.
Ben Rothwell
7 of 9
Matchup: Mark Hunt vs. Roy Nelson Winner
Rothwell hasn't been able to come close to earning a title shot, but he's quietly posted a very respectable 4-3 record inside the Octagon.
With consecutive knockout wins over Overeem and Brandon Vera, Ben Rothwell should earn a spot in the Top 15 rankings. More importantly, he finally has some momentum going and should have another big fight coming his way soon.
Having had close fights with Hunt and Nelson, Rothwell could have set himself up for a rematch with the winner of an upcoming bout between the two. There might not be many who would be interested in another meeting between Hunt and Rothwell, but their first clash was ruined by altitude. A second confrontation at sea level could be much more entertaining.
Gegard Mousasi
8 of 9
Matchup: Luke Rockhold vs. Michael Bisping Loser
Superior wrestlers and grapplers have always given Mousasi the most trouble, and that was the case again when he met Souza on Friday.
Allowing four takedowns in less than 15 minutes, Mousasi stood little chance on the ground against a world-class grappler like Souza. Eventually, the Brazilian was able to secure a guillotine choke and forced Mousasi to tap during the third round.
Mousasi would be fun to watch against a middleweight contender who would kickbox with him. Should Michael Bisping lose to Luke Rockhold in November, the Englishman would be an intriguing matchup for Mousasi.
Ronaldo Souza
9 of 9
Matchup: Chris Weidman vs. Vitor Belfort Winner
With his win over Mousasi at UFC Fight Night 50, Souza is a great candidate to be the next challenger to the middleweight champion.
Jacare is the second-most highly ranked contender without a bout against Weidman, and he'll become the highest once Belfort meets Weidman in December. Should Weidman retain his belt, it's hard to say any middleweight would be more deserving of a shot than Souza.
It's possible the UFC goes in a different direction depending on timing, but Souza should get his first UFC title shot in early 2015. Given Belfort's recent issues with drug testing, Souza may even want to be ready to serve as a replacement opponent against Weidman in a few months.
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