UFC 206 Results: Matches to Make for the Winners and Losers
UFC 206 put in its bid to be the Card of the Year for 2016. It was sensational.
Fans got a taste of just about everything including a possible Fight of the Year between featherweight contenders Cub Swanson and Doo Ho Choi. It was an instant classic.
Max Holloway got (interim) gold wrapped around his waist for a third-round TKO over Anthony Pettis in the main event. Meanwhile, Donald Cerrone kept rolling at welterweight with a blistering knockout over Matt Brown.
Exiting Toronto leaves everyone questioning what's next for the participants of UFC 206. B/R is here to give you the matches to make following that exceptional event. Note that these are the matches that should be made and not the fights that will be made. External factors such as being teammates and friends are not factored into the process.
So, who's next on the docket for the winners and losers? Let's take a peek.
UFC Fight Night 102 Quick Heavyweight Hitters
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Derrick Lewis def. Shamil Abdurakhimov by TKO at 3:42 of the fourth round
Francis Ngannou def. Anthony Hamilton via submission (kimura) at 1:57 of the first round
Before heading to UFC 206, let's take a pit stop in Albany, New York. Friday night saw two of the rising heavyweight prospects take care of business. And we'll only project their next fight(s).
It's a popular opinion to pit these two against each other right away. Draft King's Adam Martin is one of those holding that opinion. It would be a mistake.
The heavyweight division needs fresh faces. What does the UFC get out of a fight between them right now? It's not a title eliminator. It simply hurts the loser. That's bad form. While it would be an excellent fight, it wouldn't be the proper one to make.
Ngannou is still developing. He's very much still raw. Give him Travis Browne. Browne likes to stand and trade which fits into Ngannou's style, but Browne is much more well rounded and seasoned. It's a great test for Ngannou.
Lewis, on the other hand, should be looking at true contenders. There are a couple names at the top end of the division for him to face, but Alistair Overeem is the one to choose. A win over Overeem would move Lewis one step away from a title shot. Not to mention the stylistic matchup between the two is mouth-watering.
Book those two fights next and avoid a fight that eliminates an up-and-comer in an aging, stagnant division.
UFC Fight Pass Prelim Quick Hits
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Lando Vannata def. John Makdessi by KO at 1:40 of the first round
- Lando Vannata vs. Winner of Joe Lauzon vs. Marcin Held (January 15)
- John Makdessi vs. Jason Novelli
Rustam Khabilov def. Jason Saggo by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) 3 5:00
- Rustam Khabilov vs. Joe Duffy
- Jason Saggo vs. Drew Dober
Dustin Ortiz def. Zach Makovsky by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Dustin Ortiz vs. Tim Elliott
- Zach Makovsky vs. Roldan Sangcha-an
Fox Sports 1 Prelim Quick Hits
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Misha Cirkunov def. Nikita Krylov via submission (guillotine choke) at 4:38 of the first round
- Misha Cirkunov vs. Shogun Rua
- Nikita Krylov vs. Gian Villante
Olivier Aubin-Mercier def. Drew Dober via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:57 of the second round
- Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Andrew Holbrook
- Drew Dober vs. Jason Saggo
Viviane Pereira def. Valerie Letourneau by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Viviane Pereira vs. Jamie Moyle
- Valerie Letourneau should be cut.
Matthew Lopez def. Mitch Gagnon by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)
- Matthew Lopez vs. Alejandro Perez
- Mitch Gagnon vs. Marco Beltran
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Jordan Mein vs. Emil Meek
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Emil Meek def. Jordan Mein by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Jordan Mein had been away from the cage since January of 2015. He announced his retirement in August 2015 per MMA Fighting's Dave Doyle. He should go back into retirement.
Mein was once a big prospect in the division, but he simply never realized his potential. At UFC 206, he quickly faded and looked as if he didn't want to be in the cage. UFC color commentator Joe Rogan pondered on air if he actually wanted to return to fighting or if he just didn't know what else to do in his life. That's how poor Mein looked on Saturday.
The UFC should cut him. If he wants to continue fighting he can do so on the regional circuit and prove he truly wants to be in this realm of work.
Emil Meek, on the other hand, was a warrior. He got hurt in a scramble, but didn't let the apparent rib injury stop him. He continued to press forward and was the aggressor throughout.
He's got plenty of holes, but he's fun. As such, give him the winner of next week's fight between Mickey Gall and Sage Northcutt. Both of those youngsters are far off from any sort of real move up the ranks. A fight with Meek would make a lot of sense.
Tim Kennedy vs. Kelvin Gastelum
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Kelvin Gastelum def. Tim Kennedy by TKO at 2:45 of the third round
Tim Kennedy has hinted at possibly retiring before, and in an interview with MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani he said that it would take a lot to get him back into the cage. And that was if he won, which he didn't. It's difficult to pick a fight for Kennedy when it seems as if he is done as an active fighter.
Put a pin in Kennedy's career.
Gastelum spoke in the post-fight interview that he hopes to go back to 170. Which was disappointing because he looked outstanding against Kennedy. However, at the post-fight press conference he stated he was open to a fight against Vitor Belfort, per Fox Sports' Damon Martin.
Yes. Please.
That's a fun fight and one that means quite a bit in the middleweight division. Fax the bout agreements on Monday.
Cub Swanson vs. Dooho Choi
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Cub Swanson def. Dooho Choi by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Fight of the Year. Cub Swanson and Dooho Choi put on a show.
Unfortunately, there had to be a loser and that was Choi. Taking a step back will allow the UFC to book him in exciting lower-level contests in order to rebuild him as a contender. Start with Artem Lobov. The fight should produce fireworks.
Swanson picked up a third straight victory and is currently ranked as the No. 4 title contender in the division. This limits his options.
Ricardo Lamas, in a title eliminator, makes the most sense heading into 2017. They fought previously in 2011. Lamas won via arm-triangle. Much has changed since that date, and with the featherweight division in flux, it would make sense to do it all over again with a title shot up for grabs.
Donald Cerrone vs. Matt Brown
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Donald Cerrone def. Matt Brown by KO at 0:34 of the third round
The Donald Cerrone welterweight train keeps right on rolling. Matt Brown was the latest victim, but Brown had his moments, too.
Brown has dropped three in a row but all to top flight competition. It may be time to put Brown against the back-end of the division. A notable name and a fun stylistic matchup would be Siyar Bahadurzada. It's a quality contest for any event.
Cerrone said in his in-cage, post-fight interview he wants to fight in Denver in a couple weeks. That's too tight of a turnaround with few legitimate opponents available. Instead, the UFC needs to focus on his contendership status.
Originally, Cerrone was supposed to fight Robbie Lawler at UFC 205 in New York. Why not re-book that fight? It just makes good sense.
Max Holloway vs. Anthony Pettis
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Max Holloway def. Anthony Pettis by TKO at 4:50 of the third round
Max Holloway's next fight is easy to pin down. He is fighting Jose Aldo. When? Likely in Brooklyn in February but nothing is official.
There's little ambiguity in that matchmaking unless Aldo gets injured for an extended period of time or Conor McGregor suddenly wants to return to 145. As of today, it's clear as crystal.
Pettis made it known in his post-fight interview that the cut to 145 is too hard. He's headed back to lightweight. There are plenty of fun options for Pettis, but picking an opponent is more difficult than one may think.
Does he rematch Rafael dos Anjos? It'd be fun matchmaking but doesn't serve either fighter too well. And Pettis doesn't deserve any of the top contenders. That leaves one name shining in neon: Francisco Trinaldo.
Trinaldo is on a significant winning streak, but lacks any premiere names on the list. Pettis would give him that opportunity.
Stick that fight on a main card of a Fight Night event. Let's see if Pettis can return to form or if Trinaldo makes on giant step toward legitimate contention with his streak in tact.
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