UFC Fight Night 58 Results: Burning Questions Heading into UFC 182

UFC Fight Night 58 is in the books. The results are as follows:

UFC Fight Night 58 Main Card

• Lyoto Machida def. CB Dollaway, TKO (Round 1, 1:02)
• Renan Barao def. Mitch Gagnon, submission (Round 3, 3:53)
• Patrick Cummins def. Antonio Carlos Junior, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Rashid Magomedov def. Elias Silverio, TKO (Round 3, 4:57)
• Erick Silva def. Mike Rhodes, submission (Round 1, 1:15)
• Daniel Sarafian def. Antonio dos Santos, TKO (Round 2, 1:01)

Prelims on Fox Sports 1

• Marcos Rogerio de Lima def. Igor Pokrajac, TKO (Round 1, 1:59)
• Renato Moicano def. Tom Niinimaki, submission (Round 2, 3:30)
• Hacran Dias def. Darren Elkins, unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
• Leandro Issa def. Ulka Sasaki, submission (Round 2, 4:13)

Prelims on Fight Pass

• Tim Means def. Marcio Alexandre Jr., split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Vitor Miranda def. Jake Collier, knockout (Round 1, 4:59)

Next up? The exciting UFC 182 on January 3.

Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier are set to face off in one of the most tantalizing fights in years. Myles Jury gets to put up or shut up against Donald Cerrone. Hector Lombard gets to face the resurgent Josh Burkman...and more!

So what is worth discussing during the holidays? Find out here!

This Won't Go Wrong...Right?

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

The Fight: N/A
The Real Fight: UFC vs. Learning Lessons

The Stakes

Tell me if you have heard this story before. Jon Jones is booked for a highly anticipated title fight against a big name brought in from Strikeforce. Confident in the fight's drawing power, the UFC puts together a weak lineup behind it. Just days before fight night, the whole thing goes sideways when Jones refuses a before-the-buzzer opponent change.

That is the story of UFC 151. And the UFC doesn't seem to have learned its lesson from that debacle, as it is doing precisely the same thing with UFC 182. If something goes wrong with either Jones or Cormier, things could fall apart quickly.

The Question

This won't go wrong...right?

Analysis

Am I the only one who can see this happening? I mean, it pains me, because Jones vs. Cormier is the most anticipated fight in recent memory...but we have been here before. Like right exactly here.

If Jones pulls up lame, he won't fight injured (and he shouldn't be expected to). If Cormier withdraws from the fight days before the event, precedent shows that Jones won't be willing to go too far out of his way to do the UFC a solid (and he shouldn't be expected to). 

How Will Josh Burkman Look in His UFC Re-Debut?

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The Fight: Hector Lombard vs. Josh Burkman
The Real Fight: Josh Burkman vs. Second-Time-Around First Impressions

The Stakes

After a moderately successful run in World Series of Fighting, Josh Burkman is set to rejoin the UFC following a six-year hiatus. But the former "Mr. Arianny Celeste" isn't just coming back to the UFC...he is set to immediately vault into the rankings in a matchup with sixth-ranked welterweight Hector Lombard. A win could trampoline him into the fringe of the title picture, while even a competitive loss can help him take a big step up in the division.

The Question

How will Josh Burkman look in his UFC re-debut?

Analysis

Fighters from the olden days returning to the UFC has been a trend this year. Heck, last week we saw Joe Riggs vs. Ben Saunders. I welcome it. However, none of them has gotten as huge and as random an opportunity as Burkman has

This fight is much closer than many are expecting. If he can hang with Lombard, he might just be a real player at 170 pounds.

Can Hector Lombard Maintain His Spot Among the Welterweight Elite?

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The Fight: Hector Lombard vs. Josh Burkman
The Real Fight: Hector Lombard vs. Small Sample Sizes

The Stakes

Right now, Hector Lombard is among the elite of the welterweight division. In fact, one could make a case that he is in front of Rory MacDonald and Johny Hendricks in the line for a title shot. That case, however, is largely built around MMA math and strength of competition.

How the 2014 edition of Lombard stacks up against the current crop of top welterweights, however, remains unknown. Depending on how this fight shakes out, it will either confirm that Lombard is the monster that many believe he is, or it may let doubt seep in when it comes to his contendership.

The Question

Can Hector Lombard maintain his spot among the welterweight elite?

Analysis

This is a dangerous fight for Lombard, no doubt about it. While Burkman is a solid fighter, he is still almost entirely unknown to the general MMA fan population. Frankly, a loss to Burkman would be no less devastating than a loss to Mike Rhodes, Edgar Garcia or Alexander Yakovlev.

Lombard needs to win and win big to remain in a holding pattern. If he can do that, a title shot at the upcoming Australia stadium show might just be in the cards for him.

Which Flyweight Will Earn a Shot at the Next Level?

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The Fight: Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Louis Gaudinot
The Real Fight: Super-Intriguing Newcomer vs. Guy With Green Hair

The Stakes

In a rare, exciting turn, the UFC is taking two hot, up-and-coming flyweights and putting them in a position to shine on the main card of a huge pay-per-view. Louis Gaudinot is a humble 1-1 (1) as a flyweight but owns a huge submission win over John Lineker. Former Shooto champion Kyoji Horiguchi, meanwhile, is undefeated in the UFC through three fights and might just be a legitimate contender in the making.

Whoever wins this will be due for a big jump up in competition.

The Question

Which flyweight will earn a shot at the next level?

Analysis

This is a bold claim...but the flyweight division is one of the best in the UFC. There are many interesting matchmaking options and new rivalries that can pop up. The 125-pound class, really, is what a division should be (as opposed to the bantamweight division, which is terrible).

This fight is worth watching, and these guys are worth getting invested in. 

Is Myles Jury a Top-Level Lightweight?

Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

The Fight: Donald Cerrone vs. Myles Jury
The Real Fight: Myles Jury vs. The Biggest Challenge of His Career

The Stakes

Myles Jury has done nothing but win in his professional MMA career. With a 15-0 record against surprisingly stiff competition, he has earned the opportunity to vault into honest-to-goodness title contention. That will not come easy, however, as he will have to take down the streaking Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone.

The Question

Is Myles Jury a top-level lightweight?

Analysis

We all know how good Cerrone is. Since losing to Anthony Pettis, Cowboy has developed some of the best kickboxing in the division, and his takedown defense and Brazilian jiu-jitsu remain potent.

What we don't know is whether Jury is up to that level yet. Boy, am I excited to find out.

Is Jon Jones' Wrestling Fading?

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The Fight: Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier
The Real Fight: UFC vs. Learning Lessons

The Stakes

Not long ago, Jon Jones was pretty much the perfect fighter. His striking was creative, his takedown defense was impenetrable, and his wrestling offense bordered on unstoppable. As the "Shogun" Ruas and "Rampage" Jacksons gave way to the Alexander Gustafssons and Glover Teixeiras, however, his wrestling just didn't seem to be quite as steely as it used to be.

Now, Jones is set to face quite possibly the best MMA wrestler in the history of the sport. If the champ doesn't embrace the heck out of the grind, he might just be in for a tough night.

The Question

Is Jon Jones' wrestling fading?

Analysis

While Jones still ranks among the best wrestlers in the division, the chinks in his armor have started to show. His fight with Gustafsson was defined by his inability to get takedowns. Not only that, but he could not get Teixeira to the mat until the fight entered the championship rounds, and even then he could not do anything with it.

Jones is one of the toughest fighters to shoot on in the sport, due to his length and mastery of space, but Cormier is also the first fighter Jones has faced with high-level striking, elite-level wrestling and experience in beating up guys even bigger than Jones. This, truly, is the champ's toughest test to date. 

How Is Daniel Cormier's Knee?

Isaac Brekken/Associated Press

The Fight: Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier
The Real Fight: Daniel Cormier vs. Old Injuries

The Stakes

Daniel Cormier played things masterfully to get his UFC light heavyweight title shot. While it initially seemed as though he would be left twiddling his thumbs as Jones prepared for a rematch with Alexander Gustafsson, an injury to the Swede opened the door for DC. Unfortunately, that also cancelled his plans to undergo surgery to correct a decade's worth of damage to his knees.

How that will impact his performance remains to be seen. But fighting with creaky hinges is a daunting prospect for any given fight—never mind against Jon Jones. 

The Question

How is Daniel Cormier's knee?

Analysis

Wrestling, real or fake, is absolutely brutal on the body. Whether you destroy your neck, end up with spinal disks welded together, need a full Monopoly set removed from your elbow or, in Cormier's case, have destroyed every kind of collateral ligament in your knee, nobody walks away from it without needing the help of doctors, anesthesia and pointy objects. Having a bum knee puts Cormier at a clear disadvantage...and that is before considering that Jones' go-to range-establishing technique is his ACL-destroying oblique kick.

That makes it hard to get too bullish on Cormier's chances here. And even if he does take the belt, expect him to quickly place the belt on his mantel and get his knee fixed.

Can This Fight Possibly Live Up to the Hype?

The Fight: Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier
The Real Fight: Hype vs. Precedent

The Stakes

The hype for Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier has been built around one fact: These gentlemen do not like each other very much at all, no siree Bob. However, fights built around contenders' distaste for each other tend to either disappoint or be mired in controversy. The UFC is almost certainly setting up grudge match-focused fans for disappointment. 

The Question

Can this fight possibly live up to the hype?

Analysis

Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier has people watering at the mouth, and for darn good reason. On paper, this might just be the single best fight in UFC history, pitting possibly the greatest fighter of all time opposite an arguably top-10 pound-for-pound opponent. This would be an amazing fight, even if it wasn't a bitter grudge match.

But darn it, when was the last time a bitter grudge match worked out? Most of them wind up being fairly standard-issue fights, a la Rashad Evans vs. Rampage Jackson, Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra and so on. If things actually do get heated, it typically whirls up controversy, a la Anderson Silva's tarnished win in his rematch against Chael Sonnen (greasing and trunks-grabbing...don't deny it!) or Michael Bisping's habit of eye-poking and illegal kneeing during his more bitter rivalries.

Granted, a straightforward MMA fight between two truly elite talents should be enough on its own. Just don't expect them to suddenly become anything other than consummate professionals in the cage.