Building the Ultimate UFC 194 Fight Card
Damon Martin of Fox Sports recently reported that the UFC is targeting Dec. 5 as a potential date for Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate III.
The amount of bad blood and championship bravado between these four stars is superabundant, and it's a set of title fights worthy of AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The well-known adage "everything is bigger in Texas" encapsulates the potential headlining bouts for UFC 194.
As two of the biggest rivalries in the game, they would easily break every promotional record for a UFC event.
But it takes more than four to tango in order to create a jam-packed night teeming with scintillating action and meaningful divisional battles.
Based on vice president for talent relations Joe Silva's realistic matchmaking abilities, here is a final set of main card tilts that would round out this winter wonder in fashion.
Hypothetical A: T.J. Dillashaw vs. Dominick Cruz
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Showcasing three title fights in one night would be one of the most aggressive main card moves in UFC history.
Crazier things have happened as far as scheduling and matchups are concerned, but adding a bantamweight showdown between current champion T.J. Dillashaw and former kingpin Dominick Cruz could end up stretching the promotion thin leading into early 2016.
Nonetheless, the 135-pound weight class is always in need of international attention, and there's no better stage than UFC 194 to promote awareness.
Of course, any potential billing revolves around not only Cruz's ability to stay healthy leading up to December but also the UFC's willingness to reward him with a title shot after just one victory in nearly four years.
His overall track record would support such a move, but is there room for another UFC champion who may or may not fight more than once a year?
On the other hand, this could serve as an insurance policy if Jose Aldo happens to bruise his rib again.
Hypothetical B: Fedor Emelianenko vs. Anyone
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Everyone wants to see Fedor Emelianenko fight again.
Unfortunately, nothing has come of the former heavyweight champion's willingness to come out of retirement and test his skills in today's MMA.
While it's likely UFC President Dana White and Emelianenko can discard past contract issues to work out a deal now, it may be asking too much for the 38-year-old to get into fighting shape by early December.
That's only four months of conditioning and training for a guy who hasn't competed since he knocked out a washed-up Pedro Rizzo in 2012 for M-1 Global.
Needless to say, we are all dying to watch one of the greatest fighters of all time finally make his Octagon debut.
Whether it's against Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos, Alistair Overeem or a crate full of ferrets, it really doesn't matter.
Tim Kennedy vs. C.B. Dollaway
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A card like UFC 194 needs to start off with a bang.
While some people may be scrambling for a final chip bowl before the co-main event and main event come to fruition, others would marvel at a middleweight showdown to spark the night.
As an ultracompetitive veteran who hasn't fought since losing to Yoel Romero in Stoolgate at UFC 178, Tim Kennedy is the first fighter who comes to mind. His military background and ability to turn fights into bloody warfare make him an obvious choice to compete in front of a Texas crowd.
One possible opponent, based strictly on the middleweight division's current Top 15 list, is none other than C.B. Dollaway.
Kennedy explained that he's skeptical of taking another fight, based on the impurity of his division. He told Ariel Helwani of The MMA Hour (via Marc Raimondi of MMAFighting.com) it "has to be something special," in February.
But what's more special than the biggest UFC event ever?
It would be a momentous return to the cage against a guy as clean as they come in Dollaway.
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Edson Barboza vs. Tony Ferguson
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Edson Barboza and Tony Ferguson are two of the most underappreciated lightweights in the UFC.
Respectively ranked No. 6 and No. 9 in one of the deepest divisions around, Junior and El Cucuy have earned their keep.
But in order to weed through the chaos atop the 155-pound roster, the UFC should pit Barboza and Ferguson against each other to produce the next true contender.
Many analysts might suspect the Brazilian's tenacious kickboxing and innate speed would spell disaster for a wild man like Ferguson. But it could very well be Ferguson's suffocating pressure and scrambling ability that bring about Barboza's downfall.
Either way, this is a great opportunity for the UFC to showcase two of the better unknown fighters when it comes to casual fans and a fantastic matchup of styles capable of capturing Fight of the Night honors.
Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua vs. Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson
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Despite their individual falls from MMA grace, light heavyweight legends Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson carry significant weight around these parts.
While they are not quite in the company of former greats such as Chuck Liddell and Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira, neither man is anywhere near earning a title shot at 205 pounds. That means they are essentially fighting to pad remarkable resumes at this point, making their potential matchup at UFC 194 one of the last of a dying breed.
Rua has already accepted a challenge from Jackson after his victory over Nogueira at UFC 190, per a recent report by Damon Martin.
All the UFC has to do now is pull the trigger and figure out the most opportune time for these two fighters to face each other.
Jackson's power and ability to eat a punch should make him the odds-on favorite, but the Brazilian is more than capable of winning a decision if his kicks land early.
Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate III
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UFC 190 was Rousey's exclamation point on a perfect career.
Her 34-second knockout of top contender Bethe Correia resembled an Anderson Silva front heel kick or a Jon Jones standing guillotine.
What the UFC women's bantamweight champion has done over the past few years is nothing short of spectacular, laying waste to an entire division on her way to international superstardom.
But there's always going to be another name on Rousey's road to retiring undefeated, and the next lamb on deck just so happens to be resurgent veteran Miesha Tate.
Many people scoff at the idea of the UFC granting Tate the opportunity to fight Rousey for a third time, mostly due to her decisive losses in their first two meetings. But Cupcake has earned her way back to the top.
In a weight class drying up like dead weeds on a hot summer sidewalk (shoutout to American Dad), Tate's four-fight win streak has once again launched her to the front of the pack.
Unfortunately, Rousey will be waiting with a more dominant game than ever.
Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor
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Title fights are booked all the time, but only a handful possess an incomparable sense of worth.
Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman, Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson, and Georges St-Pierre vs. Johny Hendricks are just a few matchups on a short list of title fights that needed to happen (like Ronda Rousey vs. Cristiane "Cyborg" Justino).
UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo and interim belt-warmer Conor McGregor can be added to that list.
Their rivalry has entranced an entire division and onlookers of all shapes and sizes, particularly in their respective nations of Brazil and Ireland.
Unfortunately, due to Aldo's unexpected rib injury, their highly anticipated grudge match was wiped off the UFC 189 main card, and Chad Mendes replaced the champion on just two weeks' notice.
McGregor finished Mendes via second-round TKO and now has one more featherweight to defeat before he's considered the next great UFC champion.
As for Aldo, he needs to prove that his once-untouchable skill set is still as potent as ever and that the promotion's willingness to hand out fake gold in his short absence was a misguided slap in the face.
It will be arguably one of the greatest championship fights of all time and a matchup that will anchor the UFC's biggest pay-per-view ever.
For more UFC news and coverage, follow @DHiergesell.
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