UFC Fight Night 54: Matches to Make for the Entire Fight Card
At UFC Fight Night 54, Rory MacDonald made a statement and showed he might be at the front of the line to challenge the winner of an upcoming championship bout between Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler.
In the third round of his main event bout with Tarec Saffiedine, MacDonald landed a combination that floored his adversary. The knockout victory gave MacDonald a third straight win, giving him more momentum than any other Top Five contender in the 170-pound class.
Meanwhile, Saffiedine could fall outside the Top 10 rankings. The former Strikeforce champion has gone 1-1 since joining the UFC roster.
With another UFC event in the books, here is a look at who should be next for MacDonald, Saffiedine and the rest of the UFC Fight Night 54 competitors.
Prelim Fighters
1 of 13
Prelim Winners
| Fighter | Matchup |
| Daron Cruickshank | KJ Noons |
| Olivier Aubin-Mercier | Francisco Trinaldo |
| Paul Felder | Adriano Martins |
| Chris Kelades | Scott Jorgensen vs. Wilson Reis Winner |
| Albert Tumenov | Alan Jouban vs. Warlley Alves Winner |
| Pedro Munhoz | Rob Font |
Prelim Losers
| Fighter | Matchup |
| Anthony Njokuani | Evan Dunham |
| Jake Lindsey | None (Release) |
| Jason Saggo | Efrain Escudero |
| Patrick Holohan | Scott Jorgensen vs. Wilson Reis Loser |
| Matt Dwyer | Chris Heatherly |
| Jerrod Sanders | None (Release) |
Roman Salazar
2 of 13
Matchup: Tateki Matsuda
No, the cable guy taking a fight with a 3-1 UFC veteran on less than one week's notice didn't win. Hard to believe, but crazy things happen in MMA.
Handed a tough task in his UFC debut, Salazar was submitted by Mitch Gagnon in the opening round. It was a learning experience for Salazar, who should get at least one more chance to prove he belongs inside the Octagon.
A bout with Tateki Matsuda, who was also beaten in his first UFC outing, would give Salazar a more reasonable opportunity to pick up a UFC win.
Mitch Gagnon
3 of 13
Matchup: Manny Gamburyan
As expected, Gagnon took care of business Saturday against his late-replacement opponent.
"Mitch Gagnon lives out everyone's dream and chokes out a cable employee.
— Coach Mike (@coachmjr) October 5, 2014"
With his win over Salazar, Gagnon has now won four in a row. Scoring submissions in three of those four bouts, Gagnon is proving he is several steps above these low-level UFC bantamweights.
It's time Gagnon gets another shot at a noteworthy 135-pounder. He may not be ranked, but Manny Gamburyan would be a good matchup for Gagnon. A win over the former WEC title challenger would prove Gagnon is ready to challenge the bantamweight contenders.
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Li Jingliang
4 of 13
Matchup: Richard Walsh
After beating David Michaud via split decision in his UFC debut, Li Jingliang wound up on the wrong end of a close decision Saturday.
The aggressor throughout most of the bout, Jingliang remained competitive with Nordine Taleb, but the more technical French-Canadian came away with the win. At 26 years old, Jingliang is still improving, but this appearance showed he does still have a lot of work to do.
It's likely Jingliang will now meet an opponent also coming off of a loss. Richard Walsh would be a logical choice for Jingliang's next outing.
Nordine Taleb
5 of 13
Matchup: Kiichi Kunimoto
With a win over Vik Grujic in April, Taleb earned a long-term contract with the UFC and a bout with Jingliang.
Taleb was a significant favorite heading in, but he ended up having his hands full in dealing with the aggressive Jingliang. Ultimately, Taleb did enough to come away with the win, and it's possible an injury was to blame for his somewhat lackluster showing.
"According to his coach, @NordineTaleb suffered a broken foot in the first round of his win over Li Jingliang #UFCHalifax
— UFCONFOX (@UFCONFOX) October 5, 2014"
Beating Jingliang won't be enough to earn Taleb a big step up in competition. A matchup with Kiichi Kunimoto could give Taleb a chance to keep the momentum going, though.
Bruno Santos
6 of 13
Matchup: Caio Magalhaes vs. Trevor Smith Loser
Through two rounds, Bruno Santos had a chance to grind out another decision win.
However, surrendering three takedowns in the third stanza, Santos allowed Elias Theodorou to take the lead on the scorecards. Now 1-2 inside the Octagon, Santos needs to start making a stronger impression before he develops a reputation for producing boring fights.
One way to force a grinder to be more active is to match them up with a fellow grinder. The UFC matchmakers should consider booking Santos against the loser of a November bout between Caio Magalhaes and Trevor Smith.
Elias Theodorou
7 of 13
Matchup: Uriah Hall
Fighting an opponent who can make pretty much anybody look bad, Theodorou still came away smelling like a rose Saturday at UFC Fight Night 54.
The bout was close through two rounds. However, the Canadian outlasted Santos, scoring three takedowns in the third frame to secure a decision win on all three scorecards.
"The calm before the storm (of violence). @dynamicfastener #UFCHalifax pic.twitter.com/4G2sBHcopC
— The Spartan (@EliasTheodorou) October 5, 2014"
Now 2-0 and 26 years old, Theodorou is one of the more exciting prospects in the middleweight division. It's time to match him up with another rising star. The winner of a bout between Theodorou and Uriah Hall would probably be ready to be tested by a middleweight just outside the Top 15 rankings.
Yosdenis Cedeno
8 of 13
Matchup: James Vick vs. Nick Hein Loser
Yosdenis Cedeno was not able to build on his first UFC win, which came against Jerrod Sanders in July.
On Saturday, Cedeno met Chad Laprise, who was appearing for the first time since winning TUF: Nations. Cedeno was beaten in all areas, though, as he allowed four takedowns and landed less than half as many significant strikes as his adversary.
Cedeno isn't going to make much noise in the incredibly deep 155-pound division unless he makes some huge strides in a hurry. His next bout should come against the loser of a November matchup between James Vick and Nick Hein.
Chad Laprise
9 of 13
Matchup: James Vick vs. Nick Hein Winner
Laprise got by with his striking alone en route to winning TUF: Nations, but the Canadian looked much more well-rounded against Cedeno.
On his way to a clear decision victory, Laprise scored four takedowns Saturday. The Disciple didn't abandon his striking, either, as he landed more than double the significant strikes that Cedeno did.
At 28 years old, Laprise has some time to grow. A matchup with the winner of a November bout between Vick and Hein would be a logical progession.
Bryan Caraway
10 of 13
Matchup: Henry Cejudo
Bryan Caraway's bout with Raphael Assuncao, who owns a recent win over bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw, gave him an opportunity to step out of his girlfriend Miesha Tate's shadow.
Instead, Caraway fell short on the scorecards and dropped back into the deep end of bantamweight contenders. A win over Assuncao would have put Caraway near the top, but he'll now have get another winning streak going in order to stand out.
Leading into Saturday, Caraway told reporters he was "the best in the world on the ground." UFC newcomer and Olympic wrestling gold medalist Henry Cejudo might have something to say about that.
Raphael Assuncao
11 of 13
Matchup: Renan Barao
It seems crazy that Assuncao will probably have to fight again to earn a title shot, but that's the situation.
With Dominick Cruz's statement win over Takeya Mizugaki in his return from injuries, the UFC made the right call in naming The Dominator the top contender in the bantamweight division. That leaves Assuncao, who has won seven in a row, in a tough position, though.
Assuncao probably won't be able to wait for a title shot, as Cruz just fought in September and won't be meeting TJ Dillashaw too soon. Assuncao may have to compete against Renan Barao and score a eighth consecutive victory to earn a spot in a championship bout.
Tarec Saffiedine
12 of 13
Matchup: Hector Lombard vs. Josh Burkman Loser
The knockout loss to MacDonald will be a serious setback for Saffiedine, but it's not one he can't recover from and make another run at a title shot.
With bouts against MacDonald and Tyron Woodley, Saffiedine now has the experience he needed to understand what adjustments he'll have to make to reach the top. Those matchups showed Saffiedine has to improve in all areas, but he's not too far away.
"@tarecfighter I KO you the same way in practice remember??
— Hector Lombard (@HectorLombard) October 5, 2014"
Following Saffiedine's loss Saturday, Hector Lombard broke training partner rules with the above tweet. It's a call out that Saffiedine won't soon forgive or forget.
Should Lombard lose to Josh Burkman in January 2015, Saffiedine might have a grudge match on his hands. If not, Burkman would still be a logical adversary.
Rory MacDonald
13 of 13
Matchup: Johny Hendricks vs. Robbie Lawler Winner
It has been inevitable that MacDonald would earn a shot at the welterweight championship.
With a statement win over Saffiedine, it looks like the time may have finally come for the Canadian. Lombard and Woodley are probably the only other contenders with strong cases to meet the winner of a bout between Hendricks and Lawler, but neither has three straight wins like MacDonald does.
""I feel that I’m the best in the world & I can beat anybody" @rory_macdonald Who's next? pic.twitter.com/k6mp5KQkS3
— UFC (@ufc) October 5, 2014"
MacDonald has already lost to Lawler, but it was a bout that went to a split decision. No matter the result of the December title fight between Hendricks and Lawler, MacDonald should be waiting for the winner.
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