UFC 184: Matches to Make for the Winners and Losers
Ronda Rousey remains on another level compared to the rest of the women's bantamweight division.
At UFC 184, Rousey clashed with Cat Zingano, arguably the most dangerous contender in the 135-pound division. However, the champion needed only 14 seconds to lock up another armbar and retain her championship.
With the win, Rousey is now undefeated in 11 MMA bouts and has finished every opponent she's met. Making it look so easy against Zingano, Rousey is starting to run low on legitimate threats to her spot atop the women's bantamweight class.
That said, Rousey is going to keep competing against whoever the UFC throws at her. So, here are the matchups that should be next for her and the rest of the UFC 184 competitors.
Prelim Fighters
1 of 11
Prelim Winners
| Fighter | Matchup |
| Roan Carneiro | Yoshihiro Akiyama |
| Tim Means | Santiago Ponzinibbio |
| Derrick Lewis | Anthony Hamilton vs. Daniel Omielanczuk Winner |
| Valmir Lazaro | Frank Trevino |
| Masio Fullen | Rocky Lee vs. Taylor Lapilus Winner |
Prelim Losers
| Fighter | Matchup |
| Mark Munoz | None (Retire) |
| Dhiego Lima | Nico Musoke |
| Ruan Potts | None (Release) |
| James Krause | Danny Castillo |
| Alex Torres | Alan Omer |
Other Fighters
| Fighter | Matchup |
| Norifumi Yamamoto | Roman Salazar |
| Roman Salazar | Norifumi Yamamoto |
Gleison Tibau
2 of 11
Matchup: Elias Silverio
Going on nine years since he made his UFC debut, Gleison Tibau is still coming up short when given opportunities to become a serious title threat in the lightweight division.
Heading into UFC 184 with three wins in a row, Tibau had another chance to break through. However, the Brazilian was rocked by Tony Ferguson early on and got caught in a rear-naked choke before he could recover. That resulted in Tibau's first submission loss since a July 2008 bout with Joe Stevenson. Per Tibau's post-fight tweet, he put the loss behind him and is already preparing for his next "battles":
"Let's move on! Life is made of battles! https://t.co/Q1Xut1auMx
— Gleison Tibau (@GleisonTibauMMA) March 1, 2015"
Tibau still hasn't lost back-to-back bouts since that same appearance against Stevenson, so he's in no danger of being released. However, Tibau will likely see a big step down in competition. A matchup with fellow Brazilian Elias Silverio, who lost to Rashid Magomedov in his latest outing, is a possibility.
Tony Ferguson
3 of 11
Matchup: Jorge Masvidal vs. Al Iaquinta Winner
Since winning The Ultimate Fighter 13 as a member of Brock Lesnar's team, Ferguson has become one of the brightest prospects in the 155-pound class. UFC noted Lesnar's pre-fight visit:
"Look who stops by to wish @TonyFergusonXT good luck before his fight... The one and only @BrockLesnar https://t.co/Xk3TCcGGtO #UFC184
— UFC (@ufc) March 1, 2015"
With a win over a veteran like Tibau, though, Ferguson graduated from prospect to contender on Saturday. El Cucuy has won five in a row, and his only UFC loss came against Michael Johnson, who has been on a meteoric rise of his own recently.
It is time for Ferguson to be tested by a ranked lightweight. A bout between Ferguson and the winner of an April contest between Jorge Masvidal and Al Iaquinta would pit two rising contenders against one another. It would also likely set the winner up for a potential shot at a Top Five lightweight.
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Richard Walsh
4 of 11
Matchup: William Macario
Coming off a loss and having only beaten Chris Indich inside the Octagon, Richard Walsh didn't seem like a fighter who belonged on a UFC pay-per-view main card at this point in his career.
Nonetheless, that's where he ended up opposite Alan Jouban this past weekend. The result was somewhat predictable, with Walsh getting knocked out in the opening round. Two minutes in, Jouban blasted Walsh with an elbow and forced referee John McCarthy to step in with a couple of more punches. UFC president Dana White advertised the fight via Twitter:
"Alan Jouban vs Richard Walsh LIVE this Saturday on PPV! #UFC184 pic.twitter.com/o4UHppvNJ4
— Dana White (@danawhite) February 26, 2015"
With two losses in a row, Walsh is now in a must-win situation. There's a good chance he'll meet fellow TUF veteran William Macario in a loser-leaves-town matchup.
Alan Jouban
5 of 11
Matchup: Matt Dwyer
Still early in his UFC career, Jouban is looking like a solid addition to the UFC welterweight division.
On Saturday, Brahma scored his second knockout win in three trips to the Octagon. He's proven he can be exciting. Now, he needs to string a few wins together to prove he deserves a shot at ranked 170-pounders. That could still take a few more victories, though. Former MMA Fighter and current UFC on Fox analyst Kenny Florian expects Jouban to make some notable progress in the MMA arena in 2015:
"I'll say it again, @AlanJouban is a guy to watch in 2015. Beautiful elbow to the temple that started it. #UFC184
— Kenny Florian (@kennyflorian) March 1, 2015"
Jouban isn't likely to get a crack at a big name so soon, but he should be paired with another rising prospect. Having knocked out Macario with a superman punch in his most recent outing, Matt Dwyer would provide Jouban with an entertaining striking matchup.
Josh Koscheck
6 of 11
Matchup: None (Retire)
Josh Koscheck has had an outstanding MMA career, but the time has come for him to call it quits.
At UFC 184, Koscheck was submitted by Jake Ellenberger in the second round. Koscheck has now been stopped in three straight bouts and has lost four in a row. In fairness, all those losses came against ranked welterweights, but Koscheck has nothing left to prove if he can't beat the best. Radar MMA noted Koscheck's desire to fulfill his UFC contract:
"UFC 184's Josh Koscheck wants to fight out UFC contract, end career in octagon http://t.co/np8CORaWiO #mma
— Radar MMA (@RadarMMA) February 25, 2015"
Prior to UFC 184, Koscheck had said he'd like to complete his current UFC contract. Although he only has one bout remaining on that contract now, Koscheck is probably going to have a long talk with UFC president Dana White about his future with the organization.
Jake Ellenberger
7 of 11
Matchup: Demian Maia vs. Ryan LaFlare Winner
Heading into UFC 184 with three straight losses, Ellenberger's UFC career was in jeopardy.
The Juggernaut came through with a big win against Koscheck to secure his UFC roster spot, though. The first fighter to submit Koscheck since Drew Fickett in October 2005, Ellenberger delivered his most impressive performance in recent memory. Bloody Elbow noted the severity of the punishment Ellenberger inflicted on Koscheck:
"ICYMI: Josh Koscheck choked until he foamed at the mouth in UFC 184 loss to Jake Ellenberger http://t.co/szeiSFpCCw pic.twitter.com/0r3nznqXxQ
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) March 1, 2015"
Still only 29 years old, Ellenberger could be ready to start a new chapter in his new career. He's still looking for his first title shot and appears to be taking some steps forward under Edmond Tarverdyan, Ronda Rousey's head coach.
A matchup with the winner of a March 21 bout between Demian Maia and Ryan LaFlare could allow Ellenberger to move back into the Top 10 in the 170-pound rankings.
Raquel Pennington
8 of 11
Matchup: Julianna Pena vs. Milana Dudieva Loser
Welcoming Holly Holm to the Octagon on Saturday, Raquel Pennington had her hands full.
Despite not getting her hand raised, many would say Pennington passed her test this weekend. The TUF 18 contestant took Holm to a split decision, showing that she can more than hang with opponents who are considered contenders in the bantamweight division. Eddie "Truck" Gordon congratulated Pennington on her effort and encouraged her to learn from it as she moves forward in her career:
"So proud of @RockyPMMA you brought it take this and just grow from it keep your head up your a stud #UFC184 @ufc
— Truck Gordon (@TruckMMA_UFC) March 1, 2015"
The UFC matchmakers could give Pennington another big fight to reward her for her strong showing against Holm. However, at 26 years old, there's no reason to rush Pennington along.
Instead, a bout with the loser of an April contest between Julianna Pena and Milana Dudieva would give Pennington a good opportunity to get back into the win column.
Holly Holm
9 of 11
Matchup: Jessica Eye
Holm's UFC debut wasn't as dominant as planned, but she did remain undefeated with a decision win over Pennington.
Now 8-0 with a win inside the Octagon, Holm is ready to dive into the deep end. She's not quite ready for Rousey, but the 33-year-old isn't going to want to delay things either. A former boxing champion, Holm started competing in MMA to be the best, and she may now be two wins away from reaching that goal. MMAFighting.com pointed out Holm's focus at the moment is getting her "feet wet," not discussing a title bout:
"Holly Holm wants to get ‘feet wet’ before pushing talk of title fight (@shaunalshatti) http://t.co/vW2F1vRWrN pic.twitter.com/k5kH1AtxeW
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) March 1, 2015"
The potential bout between Rousey and Holm is one that the UFC wants in a big way even though they aren't pushing it hard yet. So, don't expect Holm to be matched up with a wrestler anytime soon.
Instead, I'd expect Holm's next bout will be a title-shot eliminator against Jessica Eye, another opponent who won't back down from a boxing match with the Jackson-Wink MMA product.
Cat Zingano
10 of 11
Matchup: Miesha Tate
So much for Zingano being Rousey's biggest threat in the women's bantamweight division.
In a surprisingly quick bout, Zingano lasted only 14 seconds before tapping to a Rousey armbar. The challenger made a questionable decision to rush at Rousey as soon as the fight started, which allowed Rousey to win a scramble and end up on top. The Telegraph's Gareth A. Davies was as stunned as everyone else in how quickly Rousey defeated Zingano:
"WOW.... ridiculous.... @RondaRousey wins in seconds.... @CatZingano arm trapped and ... over... 14 seconds. Quickest champ win. #UFC184
— Gareth A Davies (@GarethADaviesDT) March 1, 2015"
With a few wins, Zingano could earn a rematch with Rousey, but she's going to need to make some statements.
Having won three in a row, Miesha Tate has done enough to earn the rematch she's wanted with Zingano. At the same time, another stoppage win over Tate would be a huge rebound victory for Zingano, so it's a rematch that makes sense for both women.
Ronda Rousey
11 of 11
Matchup: Bethe Correia
With every dominant win, Rousey having to compete against male bantamweights becomes less and less funny. It'll never happen, but Rousey is clearly on another level in comparison to all other female bantamweights.
Facing arguably the best contender the division had to offer on Saturday, Rousey won in only 14 seconds, a UFC championship-bout record. She's just making every title defense look like a walk in the park and is going to run out of legitimate contenders soon if she hasn't already. MMAFighting.com used humor to illustrate how quickly Rousey disposes of her opponents:
"Appreciating Ronda Rousey requires only a few seconds of your time (@ChuckMindenhall) http://t.co/U3RyLlwnff pic.twitter.com/z13Ux19JzH
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) March 1, 2015"
Bethe Correia stands no chance against Rousey, but she's the best option to challenge the champion right now. Having beaten multiple Rousey training partners, Correia at least provides Rousey with a rivalry.
A rivalry is about the best the UFC can do with its women's bantamweight champion until a Holm or Cristiane Justino is ready to challenge Rousey.
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