UFC 117: Reaction and Matchmaking

Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen

Result: Anderson Silva defeated Chael Sonnen by submission (triangle choke) in the fifth round.

Reaction: Many thought that Sonnen was digging his own grave with all the trash talking he’d done leading into this fight. However, for four and a half rounds Sonnen backed up his talk by executing his game plan to perfection.

Sonnen blanketed and battered Silva to the point that it seemed only a matter of time until a new UFC middleweight champion was crowned. Then, Silva slapped on a triangle choke out of nowhere that erased all of Sonnen’s hard work.

Still, Sonnen’s performance earned him the respect of fight fans everywhere, and it may have been enough to earn him an immediate rematch. Although unlikely with Vitor Belfort waiting for his shot at the belt, Sonnen is certainly deserving of another chance to dethrone Silva.

Throughout the entire fight Silva was getting beat. Yet, the champion remained calm, waiting for his moment to strike. Silva showed why he remains the best middleweight in the world by winning a fight when defeat seemed so certain.

Next for Silva: With the rib injury that Silva fought through, an immediate rematch is enticing to see how a full strength Silva would deal with Sonnen. However, Belfort has been waiting for his shot at the champ for quite awhile and it will be hard for the UFC to pass on a chance to showcase Silva’s striking against Belfort.

Next for Sonnen: Sonnen would be the first to say a rematch with Silva should be next in store. Belfort has been awaiting his title shot, but a Sonnen vs. Belfort fight to determine the top contender wouldn’t be out of the question with Silva’s recovery time for his rib injury still unknown. If not, Sonnen may fight Wanderlei Silva to determine who will fight the winner of Silva vs. Belfort.

Jon Fitch vs. Thiago Alves

Result: Jon Fitch defeated Thiago Alves by unanimous decision.

Reaction: Fitch’s ability to smother his opponent all the way to a decision was on display again in this fight, a strategy that seems capable of defeating any welterweight in the world outside of Georges St. Pierre. Fitch could now receive the winner of St. Pierre vs. Josh Koscheck, and Fitch didn’t say he would reject a fight with Koscheck this time around.

Alves failed to make weight again for this event, which prompted Dana White to insinuate that Alves would be forced to move to middleweight from now on. Whether he can make weight at welterweight, it might not be a bad idea for Alves to test the water at middleweight after losing to the two best at welterweight in back to back fights.

Next for Fitch: While White seemed to pull back a little on his guarantee that Fitch would receive a title fight for beating Alves, a title fight against the winner of St. Pierre vs. Koscheck still appears to be the next course of action for Fitch.

Next for Alves: If Alves remains at welterweight, he may meet the loser of Jake Shields vs. Martin Kampmann or the winner of Dan Hardy vs. Carlos Condit. Since he has had trouble defending takedowns at welterweight recently, a move to middleweight could mean a test against Aaron Simpson to see how Alves deals with even bigger wrestlers.

Matt Hughes vs. Ricardo Almeida

Result: Matt Hughes defeated Ricardo Almeida by submission (modified front headlock) in the first round.

Reaction: Hughes showed that he still has something left in the tank with this win. After knocking Almeida to the canvas, Hughes latched on to Almeida’s neck until the Gracie-trained black belt went to sleep.

For Almeida, the loss was a failed attempt to avenge Renzo Gracie’s loss to Hughes. It was also a missed opportunity for Almeida to elevate himself into contender status.

Next for Hughes: Hughes stated, after the fight, that he would be taking some time off. When he returns, possibly in early 2011, he could be facing the winner of Paulo Thiago vs. Diego Sanchez.

Next for Almeida: When two well-known fighters are coming off of losses, Joe Silva often sees it as an opportunity for one of them to bounce back with a big win. For that reason, Almeida could face the loser of Nate Diaz vs. Marcus Davis next.

                                                            Clay Guida vs. Rafael Dos Anjos

Result: Clay Guida defeated Rafael Dos Anjos by submission (Jaw injury) in the third round.

Reaction: This fight showed why Guida is an ideal gatekeeper for the lightweight division. Grinding out a hardfought victory, Guida only loses to those who deserve to fight the division's elite.

Rafael Dos Anjos' loss showed that he needs to improve more before he can vault himself into a fight with a top five UFC lightweight.

Next for Guida: With the win, Guida will probably now get a shot to prove that he deserves to fight with the division's elite. A fight against the winner of Sean Sherk vs. Evan Dunham would be a good opponent to indicate who is ready for that level of competition.

Next for Dos Anjos: A fight against the winner of Melvin Guillard vs. Jeremy Stephens could be next, and it would give Dos Anjos a chance to avenge a KO loss to Stephens  from years ago.

Roy Nelson vs. Junior Dos Santos

Result: Junior Dos Santos defeated Roy Nelson by unanimous decision.

Reaction: This win earned Dos Santos a title shot against the winner of Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez. One important thing to take from this fight was Dos Santos’ ability to keep the fight standing. That is something that will be much harder to do against Brock Lesnar or Cain Velasquez, but it will be even more of a necessity for Dos Santos.

Nelson showed a good chin and a lot of heart in this fight. However, that doesn’t win fights against elite heavyweights. Nelson established himself as a fighter worthy of competing with the best, but showed that he will never be able to beat the best.

Next for Nelson: By taking his fight against Dos Santos to a decision, Nelson probably earned himself another fight against a top ten UFC heavyweight. Nelson could be fed to Shane Carwin or meet the loser of Frank Mir vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

Next for Dos Santos: Dos Santos has earned a title shot against the winner of Lesnar vs. Velasquez.

Dustin Hazelett vs. Rick Story

Result: Rick Story defeated Dustin Hazelett by TKO (Punches) in the second round.

Reaction: Story was able to finish his opponent in this fight, something he was unable to do in his previous two victories in the octagon. While he still has a long way to climb in the welterweight rankings, four straight victories in the UFC is nothing to scoff at.

If it wasn’t clear before, then it is clear now, that Hazelett has a non-existent stand-up game. Any opponent who is smart enough to keep the fight standing with Hazelett should have no problem coming away with a victory. It is somewhat sad to see the potential going to waste in a 24-year-old with outstanding jiu-jitsu.

Next for Hazelett: There are plenty of potential opponents for Hazelett at the bottom of a very deep welterweight division in the UFC. Fellow UFC 117 loser Charlie Brenneman is one of those potential opponents.

Next for Story: With four consecutive victories, Story has earned a step up in competition. Almeida or the loser of Chris Lytle vs. Matt Serra would make for a good test.

Phil Davis vs. Rodney Wallace

Result: Phil Davis defeated Rodney Wallace by unanimous decision.

Reaction: Another dominating performance by Davis showed that he is ready to be tested against a higher level of opposition. At 3-0 in the UFC, Davis is in position to be a rising star.

After a third consecutive loss, albeit an expected one, Wallace could be in danger of receiving his walking papers. Prior losses to Brian Stann and Jared Hamman showed that Wallace doesn’t belong in the UFC.

Next for Davis: After taking three fights in six months, Davis is due for a little rest. That makes a fight against the loser of Tito Ortiz vs. Matt Hamill a good opponent for late 2010 or early 2011.

Next for Wallace: If Wallace avoids the chopping block, a win or go home fight against Seth Petruzelli could be in order.

Johny Hendricks vs. Charlie Brenneman

Result: Johny Hendricks defeated Charlie Brenneman by TKO (Punches) in the second round.

Reaction: After beating Amir Sadollah in his UFC debut, Hendricks has gone on to improve his UFC record to 4-0. It is past time for this King Leonidas look-alike to get an opportunity to prove his worth against more talented fighters.

This fight was an opportunity for Brenneman to avenge a loss suffered to Hendricks back in their collegiate wrestling careers. After putting on a solid performance in the first round, Brenneman was hurt early in the second round and then knocked down several times before the referee had seen enough.

Next for Hendricks: Hendricks’ situation is nearly identical to the aforementioned Story’s. If Hendricks doesn’t meet Almeida or the loser of Lytle vs. Serra, then he could meet Story to decide who deserves the step up in competition more.

Next for Brenneman: A fight against DeMarques Johnson would give two recent losers a chance a get back on track.

Tim Boetsch vs. Todd Brown

Result: Tim Boetsch defeated Todd Brown by unanimous decision.

Reaction: Boetsch was successful in his return to the UFC in a win over UFC newcomer Brown. It wasn’t pretty, but Boetsch got the job done despite refusing to follow his corner’s instruction to take Brown to the mat.

Brown showed some solid stand-up in his UFC debut, opening a cut above Boetsch’s eye in the second round. In the end, Brown was simply not good enough and a takedown in the third round sealed the victory for Boetsch.  

Next for Boetsch: After a lackluster performance, Boetsch is unlikely to receive a fight against anyone like Thiago Silva, whom Boetsch was originally scheduled to fight at UFC 117. Instead, a possible opponent for Boetsch could be the winner of Cyrille Diabate vs. Alexander Gustafsson.

Next for Brown: An unspectacular UFC debut could lead to a quick exit from the promotion for Brown. If not, Vladimir Matyushenko needs a bounce back win and Brown wouldn’t provide much resistance.

Stefan Struve vs. Christian Morecraft

Result: Stefan Struve defeated Christian Morecraft by KO (Punches) in the second round.

Reaction: Struve produced a jaw dropping moment at UFC 117 with his comeback victory against Morecraft. Struve was beaten badly in the first round and it appeared for a second that a cut to Struve’s lip was going to lead to a doctor stoppage.

Morecraft sniffed blood early in the second and began swinging for the fences in an attempt to end the fight in spectacular fashion. That plan backfired horribly when Struve landed a punch that sent Morecraft to the ground to end the fight.

Despite the loss, Morecraft’s first round performance should give the young fighter something to build off of for his next appearance.

Next for Struve: Struve’s willingness to stand with anyone makes him exciting to watch. A Dutch slugfest against Gilbert Yvel could be next for Struve.

Next for Morecraft: Despite the loss, Morecraft showed a lot of potential in his UFC debut. A fight against Karlos Vemola or Anthony Perosh could give Morecraft a chance to bounce back.

Ben Saunders vs. Dennis Hallman

Result: Dennis Hallman defeated Ben Saunders by unanimous decision.

Reaction: This was a crushing loss for Saunders, who was looking to rebound from his loss to Fitch. With his second consecutive loss, Saunders will be desperate for a win when he next steps into the octagon.

Meanwhile, Hallman was able to bounce back from a knockout loss to John Howard in his last fight. With the win, Hallman suddenly becomes a major player in the welterweight division.

Next for Saunders: The UFC will probably want to avoid handing Saunders his third consecutive loss. Therefore, a fight against a UFC newcomer or bottom dweller of the division will likely be next.

Next for Hallman: With this win Hallman should face a big name in the welterweight division.   A fight against the winner of Lytle vs. Serra would be ideal.