UFC Fight Night 106 Results: Matches to Make for the Winners and Losers
UFC traveled back to Brazil for UFC Fight Night 106 and put together an interesting night of fights.
Kelvin Gastelum announced himself as a legitimate middleweight with a dominating performance over Tim Kennedy in 2016. He started 2017 by announcing himself as a contender in the division by demolishing Vitor Belfort.
Who comes next for Gastelum?
In the co-main event, Shogun Rua took care of Gian Villante to remain a relevant contender in a shallow light heavyweight talent pool.
Where does the UFC put Shogun now?
Those questions and more are ready to be answered in the wake of UFC Fight Night 106. Let's get to work. Here are the matches to make for the winners and losers of UFC's latest trip to Brazil.
Preliminary Fights Quick Hits
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Paulo Henrique Costa def. Garreth McLellan by TKO at 1:17 of the first round
- Paulo Henrique Costa vs. Gerald Meerschaert
- Garreth McLellan should be cut from the UFC roster.
Jeremy Kennedy def. Rony Jason by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)
- Jeremy Kennedy vs. Mirsad Bektic
- Rony Jason should be cut from the UFC roster.
Michel Prazeres def. Josh Burkman via submission (north-south choke) at 1:41 of the first round
- Michel Prazeres vs. Beneil Dariush
- Josh Burkman should be cut from the UFC roster.
Joe Soto def. Rani Yahya by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27)
- Joe Soto vs. Michael McDonald
- Rani Yahya vs. Iuri Alcantara
Sergio Moraes def. Davi Ramos by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Sergio Moraes vs. Matt Brown
- Davi Ramos vs. Sabah Homasi
Kevin Lee def. Francisco Trinaldo via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:12 of the second round
- Kevin Lee vs. Michael Johnson
- Francisco Trinaldo vs. Marcin Held
Alex Oliveira vs. Tim Means
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Alex Oliveira def. Tim Means via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:38 of the second round
There would be no controversy this time. Alex "Cowboy" Oliveira bested Tim Means with a second-round submission.
Unfortunately, the fight didn't necessarily live up to the hype of their brief feud. Means never got his offense going, and Oliveira was able to finish in the second round. The hopes of a 15-minute back-and-forth firefight just never happened.
Means is a good draw for most coming off a loss, and March 18's battle between Leon Edwards and Vicente Luque could give Means his next opponent. Whomever loses that contest would slot in nicely opposite Means on a future card.
Oliveira remains unbeaten since February of 2016 where he was a late replacement against Donald Cerrone. His three wins and exciting style should garner someone of note. The winner of Thiago Alves vs. Patrick Cote (UFC 210, April 8) would be a fun fight for Oliveira no matter who wins.
Bethe Correia vs. Marion Reneau
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Bethe Correia and Marion Reneau fought to a majority draw (27-29, 28-28, 28-28)
While this was a draw on paper, nobody needs to see this one again. It wasn't very exciting, and Reneau pummeled Correia in the final frame.
As such, Reneau is probably more apt to get a bigger name for the next outing. Alexis Davis or Cindy Dandois would offer up an interesting stylistic battle for her. They meet at UFC Fight Night 108 on April 22.
Correia could be slotted against Lina Lansberg. The options are fairly slim at 135 right now. Perhaps the UFC could also sign someone from Invicta for Correia's next bout.
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Jussier Formiga vs. Ray Borg
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Ray Borg def. Jussier Formiga by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Ray Borg picked up a big win against the No. 3-ranked contender. Was it enough to put him in title contention?
Yes. He's a top flyweight contender with the win, and by virtue of not having the breaks beat off him by Demetrious Johnson like most of the division, he's next in line after Wilson Reis (April 15). The timing works well.
Formiga hits the end of the line. Also on the April 15 card, Tim Elliott meets Louis Smolka. The loser should take on Formiga. There's not a lot of matchmaking options unless the UFC goes on a signing spree soon. It's a fight that makes sense and keeps everyone active.
Edson Barboza vs. Beneil Dariush
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Edson Barboza def. Beneil Dariush by KO at 3:35 of the second round
Beneil Dariush was doing everything right and looked good but still got put to sleep. That's the danger of fighting Edson Barboza.
Dariush should certainly take some time off, but returning against Lando Vannata would make a lot of sense. Vannata is a rising prospect who recently suffered a narrow decision loss to David Teymur. The striking threat he poses is dangerous. Dariush would have a chance at redemption, and Vannata would have a shot at a ranked opponent.
However, I would give Dariush a fight against Michel Prazeres. Sure Prazeres won at UFC Fight Night 106, but he's not going to jump to Dariush's spot on the lightweight ladder. It's a better return matchup for Dariush and gives Prazeres his shot at a ranking.
Barboza, on the other hand, is back in contention.
How close? That's the question. Conor McGregor is not yet booked, and the interim bout between Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson was pulled from UFC 209. If the UFC re-books Nurmagomedov vs. Ferguson, Barboza should wait to see how that fight goes down.
However, if the UFC chooses not to re-book that fight, then it should look at an interim title bout between Ferguson and Barboza. The two had a war in December of 2015, and running that back for gold would be exceptional matchmaking.
Mauricio Rua vs. Gian Villante
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Mauricio "Shogun" Rua def. Gian Villante by TKO at 0:59 of the third round
Shogun Rua may be old, but he's back on a win streak. The TKO win makes it three straight for the former PRIDE and UFC champion.
Gian Villante is not a Top 10 light heavyweight, and it showed. He takes a lot of damage. And I mean a lot. The UFC needs to sign more light heavyweights, and if it feels particularly good about one, it needs to have him face Villante.
Villante will make a good opponent for a debuting contender who has good upside. He'll push them, but his obvious holes should give whoever it is a clear path to victory.
Shogun is back in contention. That's the story of the light heavyweight division. Three wins and you're in the mix. There's only one name that makes sense right now: Misha Cirkunov.
Cirkunov is the UFC's best prospect at 205, and giving him Shogun will be its best bet to shove him into legitimate title contention.
Vitor Belfort vs. Kelvin Gastelum
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Kelvin Gastelum def. Vitor Belfort by TKO at 3:52 of the first round
Kelvin Gastelum went through Vitor Belfort like a hot knife through butter, and Belfort didn't even look terrible during the fight. Gastelum is just that good.
Belfort has one fight remaining on his contract and wants to fight in Rio. Or, at least, that is what he told Brian Stann in the cage after the fight. It makes sense. Who should he fight? How about Tim Boetsch? If not Boetsch, then perhaps the Anderson Silva rematch we never got?
Either of those two bouts would be good for Belfort's swan song.
Gastelum is singing a different tune, one of contention. The difficult part is that the title picture is a mess thanks to a returning Georges St-Pierre getting the nod over Yoel Romero. A date has yet to be set for that fight.
A fight against Yoel Romero, Luke Rockhold or Jacare Souza would be sensational. It's all a matter of how the UFC books Romero. Does he wait for the winner of Bisping vs. GSP? Or does the UFC make the Jacare rematch? Or put him against Rockhold? Or the winner of UFC 210's Chris Weidman vs. Gegard Mousasi?
After the UFC answers that, Gastelum can then look to whoever is left over. He's only a win or two away from a shot at UFC glory.
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