UFC Fight Nights 53, 54 Results: Burning Questions Heading into UFC 179

UFC Fight Nights 53 and 54 are in the books. The results are as follows:

Fight Night 53 Results (h/t BloodyElbow.com's Mookie Alexander):

Main Card 

• Rick Story def. Gunnar Nelson via split decision (47-48, 49-46, 50-44)
• Max Holloway def. Akira Corassani via TKO (punches) at 3:11 of Round 1
• Jan Blachowicz def. Ilir Latifi via TKO (body kick and punches) at 1:58 of Round 1
• Mike Wilkinson def. Niklas Backstrom via KO (punches) at 1:19 of Round 1

Preliminary Card

• Magnus Cedenblad def. Scott Askham via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Nico Musoke def. Alexander Yakovlev via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Dennis Siver def. Charles Rosa via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Cathal Pendred def. Gasan Umalatov via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Krzysztof Jotko def. Tor Troeng via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-27)
• Mairbek Taisumov def. Marcin Bandel via TKO (punches) at 1:01 of Round 1
• Zubaira Tukhugov def. Ernest Chavez via TKO (punches) at 4:21 of Round 1

UFC Fight Night 54 Results:

Main Card

• Rory MacDonald defeats Tarec Saffiedine by TKO at 1:28 of the third round
• Raphael Assuncao defeats Bryan Caraway by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Chad Laprise defeats Yosdenis Cedeno by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Elias Theodorou defeats Bruno Santos by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Nordine Taleb defeats Li Jingliang by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
• Mitch Gagnon defeats Roman Salazar via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:06 of the first round

Preliminary Card

• Daron Cruickshank defeats Anthony Njokuani by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Olivier Aubin-Mercier defeats Jake Lindsey via submission (inverted triangle choke) at 3:22 of the second round
• Paul Felder defeats Jason Saggo by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Chris Kelades defeats Patrick Holohan by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Albert Tumenov defeats Matt Dwyer by TKO 1:03 of the first round
• Pedro Munhoz defeats Jerrod Sanders via submission (guillotine choke) at 0:39 of the first round

Next up? Two weeks of nothing (well, unless you're into Bellator) followed by UFC 179. The event is the latest Brazilian UFC card and is chock full of random "Brazilian vs. Other Guy" affairs. Still, there are some interesting fights to be had, particularly in the main and co-main events which feature Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes 2 and Glover Teixeira vs. Phil Davis.

So what should you mull over in the coming weeks? What should you look forward to with this card? Find out right here!

Is Wilson Reis the Next Contender at 125 Pounds?

USA TODAY Sports

The Fight: Scott Jorgensen vs. Wilson Reis
The Real Fight: Wilson Reis vs. Stepping Stone, Maybe?

The Stakes

Wilson Reis was quietly one of the best bantamweights in MMA from 2007 through 2013. By dropping to flyweight, however, he is poised to assert himself as a top-five divisional talent. While Reis was robbed of the opportunity to immediately vault into contender status when Tim Elliott withdrew from a Fight Night 49 bout, he finds himself with an opportunity to jump up the rankings by beating WEC holdover Scott Jorgensen.

The Question

Is Wilson Reis the next contender at 125 pounds?

Analysis

Reis is one of the most under-appreciated fighters in MMA from a legacy perspective. Back when the WEC was the Carlos Condit Show, Reis was dominating future 135-pound names like Bryan Caraway and Zach Makovsky in EliteXC, becoming one of the first major sub-lightweight champions in Western MMA. From there, he moved on to Bellator, defeating everyone that wasn't destined to become a champion.

While Reis lacks finishing power, his strong grappling and veteran savvy make him a tough out for pretty much everyone at 125 pounds. If he can string together a couple wins, it will be hard to deny him the opportunity to get destroyed by Demetrious Johnson.

Does Scott Jorgensen Have Anything Left in Him?

USA TODAY Sports

The Fight: Scott Jorgensen vs. Wilson Reis
The Real Fight: Scott Jorgensen vs. Father Time

The Stakes

Scott Jorgensen was one of the best fighters at 135 pounds for a long while. Then he wasn't. While Jorgensen started his Zuffa career with a strong 9-3 record, he has gone 2-5 over his last seven. At this point, it is difficult to tell if Jorgensen can muster up a decent effort against a high-level opponent.

The Question

Does Scott Jorgensen have anything left in him?

Analysis

Remember when Scott Jorgensen folded Chad George in half and lifted him off the ground by the neck? How awesome was that? Also, how long ago does that feel? Like...forever ago, right?

In reality it was four years ago, but Jorgensen seems to have aged 15 years during that span. It's tough to peg where things went wrong for "Young Guns" or if his recent struggles merely stem from stiff competition. Either way, if he doesn't start to pull things together, it's hard to imagine his UFC career lasting much longer.

Will Neil Magny Score His Fifth Win in 2014?

USA TODAY Sports

The Fight: William Macario vs. Neil Magny
The Real Fight: Neil Magny vs. Long Layoffs

The Stakes

For all the talk of Donald Cerrone fighting five times in a calendar year, TUF16's sole survivor, Neil Magny, is poised to beat him to it and, with a little bit of luck, do him one better. Set to face TUF: Brazil 2 also-ran William Macario, Magny could stealthily make a case for being 2014's Fighter of the Year.

The Question

Will Neil Magny score his fifth win in 2014?

Analysis

I talked about this last week in regards to Max Holloway vs. Akira Corassani, forgetting that Magny was already in position to claim his fifth win in 2014.

Magny is one of the UFC's most impressive physical specimens. Standing at 6'1" with a reach of 81", he is physically similar to light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. While he hasn't come close to mastering his frame the way Jones has, the sky is the limit for him.

Worth noting, of course, is that Magny hasn't fought anything resembling strong competition (his toughest opponent to date is Tim Means, probably). That said there is no dismissing or downplaying how impressive it would be to break off a five-fight winning streak inside a calendar year.

So Is Phil Davis Any Good?

Gregory Payan/Associated Press

The Fight: Glover Teixeira vs. Phil Davis
The Real Fight: Phil Davis vs. Somebody That Isn't Horrible

The Stakes

Phil Davis once again came close to title contention and was once again slapped down into the middle of the pack. Still reeling from a shockingly lopsided loss to Anthony "Rumble" Johnson at UFC 172, Davis now has a particularly tough draw in heavy-handed Brazilian Glover Teixeira. If he loses convincingly, it is hard to imagine him ever reaching title contention again.

The Question

So is Phil Davis any good?

Analysis

Hindsight is 20/20 and looking over Phil Davis' career record paints a clear picture. While he has some strong names on his resume in Alexander Gustafsson and Lyoto Machida, he struggles mightily against anybody that has a solid wrestling game of their own. In the current light heavyweight division, which is ruled by fighters with wrestling bases, that damns his chances of becoming a legitimate title contender.

Teixeira has a solid all-around game of his own, but his wrestling likely isn't as good as Davis'. However, if Davis loses, it will likely cement his place as a gatekeeper for life.

How Good Is Glover Teixeira's Wrestling?

USA TODAY Sports

The Fight: Glover Teixeira vs. Phil Davis
The Real Fight: Glover Teixeira vs. Somebody Who Will Try to Wrestle Him

The Stakes

Glover Teixeira was actively rushed toward a title shot in a way rarely seen in the UFC. After being crushed by champion Jon Jones, however, it is tough to peg where the hype begins and ends. This fight with Phil Davis is the start of his career as "Glover Teixeira: Fighter" rather than "Glover Teixeira: Future Victim of Jon Jones."

The Question

How good is Glover Teixeira's wrestling?

Analysis

Glover Teixeira actually comes from a wrestling background but, as we've seen many times, there is a huge difference between an American wrestling background and a wrestling background from anywhere else in the world (outside Russia, Iran or South Korea, that is). We haven't seen somebody actively attack Teixeira's wrestling yet as his fights with Ryan Bader and Jon Jones were largely contested standing. If he can dominate Davis, he might just actually be the top-five mainstay he was hyped as.

Will Things Go Any Differently for Chad Mendes?

USA TODAY Sports

The Fight: Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes
The Real Fight: Chad Mendes vs. That Dude That Kneed His Face Off

The Stakes

Chad Mendes has asserted himself as probably the best featherweight in MMA...not named Jose Aldo. Unfortunately, Mendes is still struggling to distance himself from that little bit that came after that ellipses. Mendes has been dominant outside that split second where Aldo's knee separated him from his senses.

This fight will show whether or not that was a fluke and whether Mendes really is the man to bring down the long-reigning champ.

The Question

Will things go any differently for Chad Mendes?

Analysis

The stakes are obvious here. Chad Mendes has long been a fringe top-10 pound-for-pound fighter because of his strong all-around skills, but his loss to Jose Aldo prevents him from climbing any higher than where he is right now.

If he can win emphatically, he instantly cements himself as one of the unquestioned best in the business. If he loses, however, it's possible he never gets a shot at gold again, given how deep the current crop of featherweight talent is.

Can Jose Aldo Reassert Himself as a Fighter People Want to See?

Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

The Fight: Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes
The Real Fight: Jose Aldo vs. Trending Downward

The Stakes

Jose Aldo is poised to clear out a division in a way rarely seen in MMA history. With wins over Cub Swanson, Frankie Edgar, Chan-Sung Jung, Ricardo Lamas and Chad Mendes, Aldo has defeated almost every reasonable contender there is.

That said, the Jose Aldo of 2014 is not the feared entity the Jose Aldo of 2010 was. Aldo has come under fire of late for a perceived lack of ferocity. If he fizzles once again against Chad Mendes, the closest thing he has had to a legitimate rival, it will be the hard to brush off the discussion of his lack of hunger and focus on "maintenance."

The Question

Can Jose Aldo reassert himself as a fighter people want to see?

Analysis

The last time we saw the scary, WEC-era Jose Aldo was when he caught Chad Mendes against the cage with a vicious knee set up by a controversial cage-grab. Everything before and after has been fairly unimpressive, in spite of his relative dominance.

Granted, part of that is a simple stylistic change with Aldo. While he was once a Wanderlei Silva-style whirlwind of violence, he is now a high-level kickboxer with a jab-leg kick combination that is inherently low-risk but remarkably potent. There is no denying, however, that he is more than content in getting the lead and sitting on it en route to the scorecards. The steadily-dropping buyrates and gates that he draws attest to that, and Dana White's attitude isn't helping.

If this fight with Chad Mendes, which has a bit of heat to it, doesn't get him back into his old ways, the WEC-era Aldo is likely dead.