UFC Fight Night 64: Matches to Make for the Winners and Losers
At UFC Fight Night 64, Mirko Cro Cop returned to the Octagon for the first time since October 2011.
Giving up takedowns in the first two rounds, Cro Cop started slow. However, opponent Gabriel Gonzaga began to fade in the third stanza, and Cro Cop capitalized. The Croatian hurt Gonzaga while standing and was able to finish with ground-and-pound.
Now 40 years old, Cro Cop is highly unlikely to make a run at the heavyweight championship. That said, he has a second chance to finish off his MMA career in style with the sport's top promotion.
Here is a look at what could be next for Cro Cop, Gonzaga and the rest of the UFC Fight Night 64 competitors.
Prelim Fighters
1 of 9
Prelim Winners
| Fighter | Matchup |
| Leon Edwards | Alan Jouban |
| Bartosz Fabinski | Scott Askham vs. Antonio dos Santos Winner |
| Sergio Moraes | Peter Sobotta |
| Yaotzin Meza | Alex White vs. Mark Eddiva Winner |
| Anthony Hamilton | Viktor Pesta |
| Alexandra Albu | Maryna Moroz |
| Stevie Ray | Christos Giagos |
| Taylor Lapilus | Masio Fullen |
Prelim Losers
| Fighter | Matchup |
| Seth Baczynski | None (Release) |
| Garreth McLellan | Jake Collier |
| Mickael Lebout | Elizeu Zaleski vs. Nicolas Dalby Loser |
| Damian Stasiak | Robbie Peralta |
| Daniel Omielanczuk | Konstantin Erokhin |
| Izabela Badurek | Seo Hee Ham |
| Marcin Bandel | None (Release) |
| Rocky Lee | None (Release) |
Joanne Calderwood
2 of 9
Matchup: Tecia Torres vs. Angela Hill Loser
Coming off a win over Seo Hee Ham in her official UFC debut, Joanne Calderwood was a leader in the wide-open race for a shot at the women's strawweight championship.
However, the Scottish fighter's title hopes took a huge hit on Saturday. Early in the bout, Maryna Moroz pulled guard and locked up an armbar that forced Calderwood to tap. The submission marked Calderwood's first official MMA loss. Calderwood issued an explanation and apology to her supporters via Twitter:
"Life...my life is Mma,I give it everything and always that bit more but yet it's still not good enough to take away the hurdles.Sorry guys.
— Joanne Calderwood (@DRkneevil) April 12, 2015"
There are a lot of options for Calderwood's next bout in the developing 115-pound class. I see the loser of a June bout between Tecia Torres and Angela Hill as the best option, though.
Maryna Moroz
3 of 9
Matchup: Alexandra Albu
With her upset win over Calderwood at UFC Fight Night 64, Maryna Moroz immediately became a contender in the new women's strawweight division. And she knew it, as she called out champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk, who was sitting cageside on Saturday, as UFC president Dana White pointed out:
"#Repost @ufc: Aaanndd that just happened. Maryna Moroz calls out champ @joannajedrzejczyk #UFCKrakow 😮 pic.twitter.com/AxPG9VdRTo
— Dana White (@danawhite) April 11, 2015"
Moroz's armbar gave her five submission wins in six MMA appearances. Undefeated in her career, Moroz definitely has the potential to challenge for the strawweight championship, but giving her a shot now may be a bit too soon.
Instead, Moroz should be matched up with fellow UFC Fight Night 64 winner Alexandra Albu. A matchup between the two would draw well in Eastern Europe and could set the winner up for a shot at the 115-pound champion.
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Sheldon Westcott
4 of 9
Matchup: None (Release)
Following a loss to Elias Theodorou in The Ultimate Fighter Nations finale, Sheldon Westcott took 12 months to return to the Octagon.
Westcott's rust showed, as he was beaten by Pawel Pawlak in an upset. The Canadian kept it competitive, but he was taken down three times and landed half as many strikes as his opponent.
If he wasn't going to win on Saturday, Westcott at least needed to put on a Fight of the Night performance. He didn't, so there's a good chance Westcott is sent back to smaller shows.
Pawel Pawlak
5 of 9
Matchup: Wang Sai
Following a loss to Peter Sobotta in his UFC debut, Pawlak needed a victory at UFC Fight Night 64 in order to maintain a spot on the UFC roster.
It wasn't the most impressive win, but Pawlak did do enough to get his hand raised in front of his home crowd in Poland. Despite spending a good amount of time with his back against the cage, Pawlak was able to score three key takedowns and landed more strikes than Westcott en route to his win.
Pawlak is going to need a few more wins before he starts seeing big names. For now, a matchup with another TUF runner-up, Wang Sai, is a possibility.
Jan Blachowicz
6 of 9
Matchup: Rafael Cavalcante
In October, Jan Blachowicz put the UFC light heavyweight division on notice with an opening-round knockout win over Ilir Latifi. That earned the Polish fighter a big bout with ranked contender Jimi Manuwa in his home country.
While Blachowicz held his own, he wasn't able to execute his game plan. Unable to record a takedown on three attempts, Blachowicz was forced to stand with a better striker, and he fell in a decision as a result. Photographer Piotr Pedziszewski highlighted a recent photo showing Brice Buffer "announcing" Blachowicz:
"Sometimes I take cool photos, check out @brucebuffer announcing @JanBlachowicz at the UFC Krakow pic.twitter.com/kwOa1wSLOr
— Piotr Pedziszewski (@p_pedziszewski) April 12, 2015"
Despite the loss, Blachowicz isn't far from title contention in the shallow 205-pound division. A bout with Rafael Cavalcante would give him another chance to prove he's Top 15 material.
Jimi Manuwa
7 of 9
Matchup: Mauricio Rua vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira Winner
Jimi Manuwa suffered the first loss in his MMA career against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC Fight Night 37. On Saturday, Poster Boy looked to get back on track against Blachowicz in Poland.
It wasn't his most dominant performance by any means, but Manuwa got the job done and was able to get his hand raised. Manuwa's ability to keep the fight standing was key to securing his victory this past weekend. MMA Junkie noted Manuwa fought through an injury at FN 64, with surgery potentially pending to address it:
"Jimi Manuwa fought through torn meniscus at UFC Fight Night 64, anticipates surgery http://t.co/JjOms8OU16 via @MMAjunkie
— MMAjunkie (@MMAjunkie) April 12, 2015"
Having only lost to former title challenger Gustafsson, Manuwa remains a legitimate contender in the light heavyweight class. This win over Blachowicz should earn him another shot at a ranked opponent.
Unfortunately, it looks like Manuwa is going to be out a while until he recovers from a knee injury. For that reason, he might be matched up with the winner of an August bout between Mauricio Rua and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, but there's a good chance he might not even be prepared to return by the time that victor is ready to return to action.
Gabriel Gonzaga
8 of 9
Matchup: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Stefan Struve Loser
Gonzaga's conditioning failed him on Saturday, leading to a knockout loss in a bout he was clearly winning through two rounds. The defeat was Gonzaga's third in a row. SportsCenter highlighted Cro Cop's third-round TKO of Gonzago:
"Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic defeats Gabriel Gonzaga via TKO in 3rd round of UFC Fight Night 64 main event. pic.twitter.com/QjyeFAxmkE
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 12, 2015"
At 35 years old, this slump could cause Gonzaga to consider calling it quits. There's also the possibility that the UFC decides to part ways with him, but that is unlikely considering the lack of depth in the heavyweight division these days.
If Gonzaga does decide to continue competing, he'll likely be paired with another big name on a long losing skid. That could mean a matchup with the loser of an August bout between Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Stefan Struve, who have both lost two in a row already.
Mirko Cro Cop
9 of 9
Matchup: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Stefan Struve Winner
It looked like Cro Cop had seen his last Octagon appearance more than three years ago, but the veteran returned to the UFC roster looking to avenge a loss to Gonzaga on Saturday.
At 40 years old, Cro Cop started slow and certainly didn't look like the fighter he once was. However, he persevered and came away with his first UFC win since a June 2010 meeting with Pat Barry. MMAFighting.com noted Cro Cop's win:
"Mirko Cro Cop turns the tables on Gabriel Gonzaga (and Father Time) (@ChuckMindenhall) http://t.co/vzT18TEva8 pic.twitter.com/zP3WcDgoCH
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) April 12, 2015"
It's hard to envision Cro Cop beating a Top 10 heavyweight at this stage in his career, so I wouldn't expect the UFC matchmakers to push him up the ladder. Instead, a potential rematch with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira should be considered if the Brazilian beats Stefan Struve in August.
Statistics via UFC.com.
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