UFC Fight Night 90 and TUF 23 Finale: Matches to Make for the Winners and Losers
UFC brought us two events prior to UFC 200. Ultimate Fight Night 90 and The Ultimate Fighter Season 23 finale came your way in the days before the massive pay-per-view.
On Thursday, the UFC crowned a new lightweight champion when Eddie Alvarez ousted Rafael dos Anjos inside the first round. The spectacular performance saw a dream realized for a young man from Philadelphia and helped to end the reign of the last remaining Brazilian champion.
Friday also had a title contest. Strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk bested rival Claudia Gadelha in a hard-fought five-round battle. The champion remains the shining star of the division.
The two weekday events were not light on action. Twenty-four combined fights took place between the two events, and there was a lot to break down. As with any event, the questions quickly shift to who the winners and losers should fight next. And that is exactly what we are here to pontificate about.
There is a bevy of options at the feet of the UFC matchmakers. Which way will they go? No one knows, but here are the matchups they should be eyeing as the 2016 campaign rolls forward. These are the matches to make for every winner and loser from the fight week's first two events.
Quick Picks for the Preliminary Fighters
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Alberto Mina def. Mike Pyle by KO at 1:17 of the second round
- Alberto Mina vs. Evan Dunham
- Mike Pyle vs. Leon Edwards
John Makdessi def. Mehdi Baghdad by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
- John Makdessi vs. Kajan Johnson
- Mehdi Baghdad vs. Darrell Horcher
Anthony Birchak def. Dileno Lopes by split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
- Anthony Birchak vs. Felipe Arantes
- Dileno Lopes vs. Ning Guangyou
Pedro Munhoz def. Russell Doane via submission (guillotine choke) at 2:08 of the first round
- Pedro Munhoz vs. Matt Hobar
- Russell Doane vs. Jerrod Sanders
Felipe Arantes def. Jerrod Sanders via submission (armbar) at 1:39 of the second round
- Felipe Arantes vs. Anthony Birchak
- Jerrod Sanders vs. Russell Doane
Gilbert Burns def. Lukasz Sajewski via submission (armbar) at 4:57 of the first round
- Gilbert Burns vs. Michael Johnson
- Lukasz Sajewski vs. Jon Tuck
Marco Beltran def. Reginaldo Vieira via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:04 of the second round
- Marco Beltran vs. Johnny Eduardo
- Reginaldo Vieira vs. Joey Gomez
Vicente Luque def. Alvaro Herrera via submission (d'arce choke) at 3:52 of the second round
- Vicente Luque vs. Nico Musoke
- Alvaro Herrera vs. Loser of Alex Oliveira vs. James Moontasri (7/23)
Gray Maynard def. Fernando Bruno Decision by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Gray Maynard vs. Hacran Dias
- Fernando Bruno vs. Thiago Tavares
Matheus Nicolau def. John Moraga by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Matheus Nicolau vs. Ray Borg
- John Moraga vs. Joby Sanchez
Josh Stansbury def. Cory Hendricks by majority decision (29-27, 29-27, 28-28)
- Josh Stansbury vs. Ion Cutelaba
- Cory Hendricks — CUT
Cezar Ferreira def. Anthony Smith by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Cezar Ferreira vs. Elias Theodorou
- Anthony Smith vs. Brad Scott
Kevin Lee def. Jake Matthews by TKO at 4:06 of the first round
- Kevin Lee vs. Beneil Dariush
- Jake Matthews vs. Yancy Medeiros
Li Jingliang def. Anton Zafir by KO at 2:46 of the first round
- Li Jingliang vs. Danny Roberts
- Anton Zafir — CUT
Main Card Tilts
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Alan Jouban def. Belal Muhammad by unanimous decision (28-27, 29-28, 29-27)
Jouban hurt Muhammad time and again, but Muhammad showed his resiliency. Both of their stocks rose with this fight.
Muhammad should hit the lower levels of the welterweight division for a bit. He still has a lot of growth to go through as a fighter. Jonathan Meunier, who lost his UFC debut at UFC Fight Night 89, could be the right choice.
Jouban wants a top-15-ranked fighter, per MMAjunkie. Give it to him. Tarec Saffiedine is currently ranked No. 13 in the UFC rankings and is coming off a loss to Rick Story. The matchup would produce fireworks, and that's what we want.
Joseph Duffy def. Mitch Clarke via submission (rear-naked choke) at 0:25 of the first round
Welcome back, Joe Duffy. He torched Clarke with a punch and followed it up on the ground with the submission finish. All in less than half a minute.
After back-to-back losses, it's time for Clarke to step back. Meeting Yan Cabral in late 2016 would be a fine grappling contest for a Fight Pass prelim. Meanwhile, Duffy gets a nice boost from this fight. Rashid Magomedov is 19-1 and without a fight, and Duffy would likely give him one. Of the available top lightweights, he seems like the best option.
Andrew Sanchez def. Khalil Rountree by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-26)
As the scores suggest, this was a one-sided fight. And being a general TUF finale, neither man is ready for anything substantial.
The UFC should give Rountree someone who will be making their UFC debut. Locate a talent of equal stature and see what happens. Don't waste anymore time thinking of someone already on the roster. Sanchez could probably do with the same treatment with the light heavyweight division being as shallow as it is. If there is one fighter the UFC could pull, it's Kevin Casey.
The middleweight holds a KO win over Sanchez on the regional circuit. It's a fine storyline going into a rematch for a Fight Pass scrap.
Tatiana Suarez def. Amanda Cooper via submission (d'arce choke) at 3:43 of the first round
Suarez shined on The Ultimate Fighter and shined in this fight. She is a legitimate talent to watch for in the coming months and years.
Cooper is a fine prospect but with a lower ceiling. The UFC should use her to get Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger a victory before sending her back to Invicta FC for more development. It's dismissive to say that, but the UFC has a better resource it needs to protect in Jones-Lybarger.
As is normally the case with a TUF champion, the thought is to slowly build them up, but Suarez may actually be deserving of being thrown into the deep end of the pool. Jessica Penne is a former title challenger and has back-to-back losses. Suarez is a good challenge for her, and a win for the newly minted TUF champion puts her right in the thick of things at 115 pounds.
Doo Ho Choi def. Thiago Tavares by KO at 2:42 of the first round
Tavarez got an early takedown, and things looked to be shaping up nicely for him to turn this into a dirty fight. And then Choi finished him. The Korean Supeboy has some lightning-quick hands.
Fernando Bruno also lost on this card, in the fight before this one, and it'd make sense to throw those two in the Octagon in Brazil at a later date.
Choi announced himself as a possible contender in an ever-growing division. Bleacher Report's Steven Rondina called for a fight against Cub Swanson. Go for it. Swanson isn't in a position to challenge, and a win over Choi only builds his case, too. This is a good fight with major implications in the division.
Joaquim Silva def. Andrew Holbrook by KO at 0:34 of the first round
The TUF 23 finale main card didn't take long to get exciting. Silva cracked Holbrook and then finished him. In spite of the performance, Silva shouldn't take big steps in the division just yet.
Holbrook's return contest should happen against Chris Wade. Both are talented and coming off losses, and it will help the victor regain a bit of traction.
Silva's next opponent needs to be a mid-level fighter. James Krause is the perfect type of opponent for Silva. Krause has a little name value thanks to The Ultimate Fighter and is coming off of back-to-back wins. It's a solid lightweight undercard fight to make for the fall.
Derrick Lewis vs. Roy Nelson
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Derrick Lewis def. Roy Nelson Decision by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
The fight was not exactly what we were expecting, but it had flashes of terrifying excitement when the two exchanged blows.
Nelson went in with a solid game plan, one that could have earned him a victory. However, he forgot to score with offense after the takedowns. Through 15 minutes, Nelson landed just four significant strikes to Lewis' 37, per Fight Metric. That was ultimately the difference, as Lewis slipped by on a split decision.
Nelson has now lost four of his last five, but he has shown improvements in his last two outings. A rematch with Stefan Struve would make sense for both men. Nelson knocked Struve out in 2010 in Charlotte. Struve would likely enjoy a chance to erase that memory, and Nelson would still be involved in a ranked matchup.
Lewis called for a rematch with Nelson in spite of the victory in his post-fight, in-cage interview with UFC announcer Jon Anik. That shouldn't happen. He's too exciting of a fighter to stagnate himself after this fight.
Who's next? It really depends on how UFC 200 plays out. There are some fascinating heavyweight fights on the card, and Lewis could be involved in a contender's fight with any of them. Fights with Travis Browne or Mark Hunt would be off-the-charts good.
If nothing can be made after UFC 200, the UFC should identify the winner of September's Andrei Arlovski-Josh Barnett bout for a fight with Lewis.
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Ross Pearson vs. Will Brooks
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Will Brooks def. Ross Pearson by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Don't look know, but there's another former Bellator champion entering the fray as a contender.
Brooks made a successful UFC debut against a game opponent. Pearson got in plenty of offense of his own, but Brooks' complete game would be enough to take the decision. It was a tough fight for anyone's debut.
This is exactly the kind of fight Pearson should be used for in the UFC. He's a quality fighter but lacks the overall talent to contend in such a deep division. Stick him in exciting fights against possible, if not probable, contenders.
Coming off a loss, Bobby Green would fit that mold for Pearson.
Brooks, ranked as Bleacher Report's No. 5 lightweight, should be due a top-10 fight. Although the top 10 in the UFC is a deep and talented pool, several are booked or coming off losses. Brooks should be pitted against whoever does not get the title shot—Khabib Nurmagomedov or Tony Ferguson. It would serve as a good title eliminator in late 2016.
Rafael dos Anjos vs. Eddie Alvarez
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Eddie Alvarez def. Rafael dos Anjos by TKO at 3:49 of the first round
And new!
Few believed Alvarez could take the belt, and even fewer believed he could do it with a first-round TKO. Alvarez hurt dos Anjos and never relented with his brutal follow-up shots. The victory dethroned the last Brazilian UFC champion to date.
Dos Anjos should fight the winner of the upcoming Edson Barboza vs. Gilbert Melendez fight. Melendez is several wins away from challenging for a title, and if Barboza wins, he told MMA Fighting's Guilherme Cruz he would refuse a title shot. That's the fight that makes the most sense with Alvarez as the new champion.
There are two names at the top of the lightweight contender list: Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson.
Stylistically, Ferguson would be the more exciting matchup. However, the title shot should go to Nurmagomedov. He is the No. 1-ranked contender on the official UFC rankings and is available to accept the fight. This should be an easy choice.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Claudia Gadelha
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Joanna Jedrzejczyk def. Claudia Gadelha by unanimous decision (48-46, 48-45, 48-46)
These two gave fans another fantastic fight—and this one lasted five rounds!
Gadelha came out strong. She looked the part of the better fighter in the first two rounds with solid striking and several takedowns, but then her cardio caught up with her. Meanwhile, Jedrzejczyk's speed and precise striking never wavered.
The champion pulled away and won another decision over the challenger.
In the post-fight interview with Anik, Jedrzejczyk stated she wanted to fight in New York City. That sounds like a great place to showcase her next fight. In Atlanta at UFC 201, Rose Namajunas will take on Karolina Kowalkiewicz. That should be a title eliminator and the winner earning the title shot.
Gadelha will have to grab a couple decisive victories before challenging again. Starting her comeback against Randa Markos would be a just beginning and a big opportunity for the Canadian.
Strawweight action continues to deliver each and every time.
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