UFC 179: Matches to Make for the Entire Fight Card
It was a lot closer than his first meeting with Chad Mendes, but Jose Aldo once against defended his belt from the Team Alpha Male standout.
Although Mendes attempted eight takedowns, he didn't seem overly hesitant to stand with the champion. While that didn't work out so well, he did seemingly rock Aldo on multiple occasions.
Still, Mendes was also hurt by multiple strikes thrown by the titleholder, including an unfortunate blow after the horn had sounded to signal the end of the opening round. Aldo was never warned for the illegal blow, and Mendes may not have been the same over the four rounds that followed.
His win may be tainted, but Aldo did continue his reign as featherweight champion. The Brazilian is now tied with Jon Jones for the most consecutive title defenses among current UFC champions, and that doesn't include his time as WEC champion.
Prelim Fighters
1 of 11
Prelim Winners
| Fighter | Matchup |
| Neil Magny | Stephen Thompson |
| Yan Cabral | Mitch Clarke |
| Wilson Reis | Jussier Formiga vs. John Moraga winner |
| Andre Fili | Darren Elkins |
| Gilbert Burns | Jake Matthews vs. Vagner Rocha winner |
| Tony Martin | Chris Wade |
Prelim Losers
| Fighter | Matchup |
| William Macario | Alan Jouban vs. Warlley Alves loser |
| Naoyuki Kotani | None (Release) |
| Scott Jorgensen | Patrick Holohan |
| Felipe Arantes | Robbie Peralta |
| Christos Giagos | Joe Ellenberger vs. Bryan Barberena loser |
| Fabricio Camoes | None (Release) |
Diego Ferreira
2 of 11
Matchup: Rashid Magomedov vs. Elias Silverio Loser
With stoppage wins over Ramsey Nijem and Colton Smith in his first two UFC outings, Diego Ferreira looked like a lightweight with the potential to become a contender. However, the Brazilian hit a speed bump when he met Beneil Dariush in his home country on Saturday.
Taken down three times, Ferreira spent most of the bout defending. Only able to land 21 significant strikes over three rounds, Ferreira lost in a clear decision.
Still a respectable 2-1 inside the Octagon, Ferreira shouldn't see a huge step down in competition. Rashid Magomedov and Elias Silverio will battle to keep their winning streaks going in December. Ferreira should meet to loser of that matchup.
Beneil Dariush
3 of 11
Matchup: Vinc Pichel
Given his recent knockout loss to Nijem, it was puzzling to see Dariush matched up with Ferreira, who stopped Nijem only two months ago.
Dariush became the latest to prove MMA math can't be trusted, though. With his victory over Ferreira at UFC 179, Dariush improved to 3-1 inside the Octagon and is again looking like a fighter who not many 155-pounders would be willing to grapple with.
That said, Dariush didn't leave many fans happy with his grinding performance, so he's not likely going to see a huge step up in competition. Instead, Dariush could meet Vinc Pichel, who has also won two in a row.
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Lucas Martins
4 of 11
Matchup: Rony Jason
Following a loss to Edson Barboza in his UFC debut, Lucas Martins picked up three straight stoppage victories, which earned him a shot at top-15 featherweight Darren Elkins on Saturday.
It was expected Elkins would test Martins' defensive wrestling, and he sure did. With 14 takedown attempts, Elkins constantly kept Martins on the defensive and ended up scoring a clear decision victory, although one judge did inexplicably score the bout for the Brazilian.
"30-27 Lucas Martins has got to be the worst scorecard in UFC history. That judge needs to have his licence revoked immediately! What a joke!
— Adam Martin (@MMAdamMartin) October 26, 2014"
Martins' will have to earn his way back into competition with title contenders. While he does, a bout with fellow Brazilian Rony Jason would likely feature much more action than his matchup with Elkins did.
Darren Elkins
5 of 11
Matchup: Andre Fili
With losses to Chad Mendes and Jeremy Stephens, Elkins could be turning into a gatekeeper in the 145-pound division.
Elkins served that role on Saturday when he met up-and-coming Brazilian Lucas Martins. Always a grinder, Elkins shut Martins down with wrestling and walked away with a somewhat lackluster decision victory on two scorecards.
"Darren Elkins is allergic to exciting fights.
— Marc Raimondi (@marc_raimondi) October 26, 2014"
Unable to finish an unproven opponent like Martins, Elkins probably isn't going to get a contender in his next outing. Instead, he may again test the wrestling of a bright striking prospect, Andre Fili.
Hans Stringer
6 of 11
Matchup: Gian Villante vs. Corey Anderson loser
With only a split decision win over Francimar Barroso inside the Octagon, Hans Stringer surprisingly found himself on the UFC 179 main card this past weekend.
Increased pressure may or may not have had something to do with it, but Stringer seemed to gas quickly following a strong start against Fabio Maldonado. The Dutchman spent almost the entire opening round on top, but he came out tired in the second stanza and succumbed to Maldonado's ground-and-pound.
At 27 years old, Stringer has time to turn things around. He might look to do so against the loser of a December bout between Gian Villante and Corey Anderson.
Fabio Maldonado
7 of 11
Matchup: Nikita Krylov
No matter how poor Maldonado performs in the opening round, he always seems to turn it around.
The Brazilian had no answers on the ground against Stringer and spent almost the entire opening round underneath his adversary. However, after being taken down again early in the second round, Maldonado reversed positions and pounded away for a knockout win.
"Fabio Maldonado celebrates his win with Anderson Silva on top of the cage...awesome moment #UFC179 pic.twitter.com/05twId2MfH
— MMA GIFS (@mma_gifs_) October 26, 2014"
Fans would probably now like to see Maldonado meet an opponent more willing to stand with him. That opponent could be Nikita Krylov.
Glover Teixeira
8 of 11
Matchup: Rafael Cavalcante
On his way to a title shot in the light heavyweight division, Glover Teixeira really hadn't had his defensive wrestling tested too much. Over his past two bouts, takedown defense has been revealed to be one of his bigger weaknesses.
After surrendering three takedowns against Jon Jones, Teixeira gave up a whopping nine in his matchup with Phil Davis on Saturday. So, it was no surprise the decision went Davis' way after three rounds.
"I feel like I'm watching Glover Teixeira have a nightmare wherein he's trying to free himself from a giant, wet wool coat.
— Ben Fowlkes (@benfowlkesMMA) October 26, 2014"
UFC matchmakers will now probably look to match Teixeira up with somebody who would be more willing to box with him. That could mean a clash with fellow Brazilian Rafael Cavalcante.
Phil Davis
9 of 11
Matchup: Ryan Bader
On the heels of a deflating loss to Anthony Johnson, Davis picked up a very important rebound win.
Knowing he'd have a difficult time striking with Teixeira, Davis didn't give the Brazilian any space to work with. The American stuck to Teixeira like glue, recording nine takedowns en route to a clear decision victory.
"Highlights: Phil Davis manhandles Glover Teixeira in decision victory http://t.co/d1iKEHYAlg via @FoxSports
— UFCONFOX (@UFCONFOX) October 26, 2014"
Chad Mendes
10 of 11
Matchup: Ricardo Lamas vs. Dennis Bermudez loser
Mendes came up short in his second crack at Aldo on Saturday, but he did enough to generate interest in a potential third meeting should it come to that at some point.
Although Mendes lost on the scorecards, multiple rounds could have conceivably gone either way. This despite Mendes eating a damaging punch well after the horn sounded marking the end of the opening round.
"@chadmendes Easily could've gone your way. You once again proved just how elite you are. Absolute pleasure to watch, start to finish. 👏
— Jon Anik (@Jon_Anik) October 26, 2014"
It'll be back to the drawing board for Mendes, but he's clearly an elite featherweight and shouldn't panic by considering a change in divisions. A bout with the loser of a November matchup between Ricardo Lamas and Dennis Bermudez could put Mendes right back in the title hunt.
Jose Aldo
11 of 11
Matchup: Conor McGregor, Cub Swanson or Dennis Bermudez
The 145-pound division has never been more interesting than it is now, and Aldo has the chance to develop into a big star over his next couple fights for that reason.
At UFC 179, Aldo set the stage with one of the most entertaining fights in his career. Mendes brought it to Aldo early and gave the featherweight champion a rare competitive bout.
"How should we remember UFC 179? How about as the event that Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes brought back from the dead: http://t.co/8WvXbAx7OF
— Ben Fowlkes (@benfowlkesMMA) October 26, 2014"
Right now, UFC matchmakers have so many options for Aldo. Given his promotional skills and recent knockout win over Dustin Poirier, Conor McGregor is the clear leader, but he has to get through a puzzling matchup with Dennis Siver.
Should McGregor lose to Siver, Cub Swanson and Dennis Bermudez have been on incredible, title-shot-worthy runs as well. Both will compete against former 145-pound title challengers in November, with Swanson meeting Frankie Edgar and Bermudez seeing Ricardo Lamas. Whoever wins more impressively would likely meet Aldo next in the event of a McGregor loss.
Stats via UFC.com.
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