UFC 130 Results: 8 Fights to Make After UFC 130

UFC 130 was a very middle-of-the-road Pay Per View in my opinion. A couple guys looked very impressive while others disappointed. The show also showed why everyone was so upset that the Edgar-Maynard was removed; the Rampage-Hamill fight outcome was something fans could see coming a mile away.

As a new segment, I'm going to begin doing something the mixed martial arts website, Sherdog, does after all the events, and that is present Fights to Make after each show. I always have my problems with Sherdog's fights so I finally decided to make my own.

For UFC 130, I have eight fights that I would like to see take place featuring the fighters that fought at UFC 130.

8. Miguel Angel Torres vs. Michael McDonald

Miguel Torres lost a controversial decision at UFC 130, as many MMA websites scored the fight in his favor, while the judges at UFC 130 gave a unanimous decision to Demetrious Johnson. Nonetheless, Torres will now need to look to bounce back. 

Twenty-year-old Michael McDonald is one of the hottest young prospects in the UFC and he also fought at UFC 130, but he earned a split decision win over Chris Cariaso. For McDonald to make the next big step in his MMA career, he needs to face a big opponent, and they don't get much bigger than a former WEC Champion in Torres.

7. Demetrious Johnson vs. Joseph Benavidez/Eddie Wineland Winner

Sherdog and I are in agreement with this fight because there isn't any other fight out there for Johnson to take, although there are many different was this fight could happen. If Dominick Cruz defeats Urijah Faber and Joseph Benavidez defeats Eddie Wineland, the next fight for Benavidez would be to receive a title shot against Cruz.

In that case, Johnson would most likely face Wineland or possibly even Urijah Faber. 

If Faber defeats Cruz and becomes Bantamweight champion, then Johnson should face the winner either way, seeing that Wineland is coming off a loss to Faber and Benavidez has said he will not face teammate Faber.

6. Matt Hamill vs. Ryan Bader

I will say first of all that I believe Tito Ortiz is done. Ryan Bader is faster, stronger and I believe his wrestling will overpower Tito. Therefore, I look forward and see this as the next step in Matt Hamill's career. 

Hamill looked very sloppy against Rampage at UFC 130, but that might be tied in to the fact that Hamill was hesitant to get inside on Rampage due to Jackson's striking ability. Bader is in no way the same caliber striker as Jackson, so it'll be interesting to see if Hamill would come back strong against a fighter like Ryan Bader.

5. Rick Story vs. Jake Ellenberger

Rick Story definitely impressed me last night in his bout with Thiago Alves, who I thought would come out and dominate. Story has a good mix of striking as well as a nice wrestling and grappling game. 

Nobody has been as impressive lately in the Welterweight division as Jake Ellenberger. Over the past two years, he has evolved into a great all-around fighter. Oddly enough, in Jake's last 10 fights, he is 8-2 with his only two losses coming from Carlos Condit and...you guessed it: Rick Story.

Ellenberger has improved so much since his early days in the UFC; therefore, I'd be very interested in seeing a rematch between the two fighters. Both men have called out Jon Fitch, but Fitch has been very outspoken about not being interested in any fight besides with B.J. Penn and Georges St-Pierre.

4. Brian Stann vs. Vitor Belfort/Yoshihiro Akiyama

I don't know why, but for some reason, when I think about the fight between Vitor Belfort and Yoshihiro Akiyama, I think injury, especially considering there's still two months before UFC 133. If one of these men gets injured, there is no better man to feel in than Brian Stann.

Stann put on a clinic at UFC 130 against Jorge Santiago, defeating him by second round KO. Stann's last two fights he has showed his striking is right up there with the top of the division, and his submission win over Massenzio also shows he knows what he's doing on the ground as well.

Stann already has showed me that he's going to be a true contender in the UFC Middleweight division, and a win over either Belfort or Akiyama would further that notion.

3. Frank Mir vs. Brendan Schaub/Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira Winner

Once again, Sherdog and I agree on this fight. The Frank Mir-Rodrigo Nogueira rematch is long, long overdue, and Schaub actually called out Frank Mir after Schaub's win over Gabriel Gonzaga.

I don't know what fight Dana White was watching last night, but I thought Frank Mir looked very impressive. He didn't throw a big strike against Cro Cop until the third round in their fight, while last night, Mir came out throwing vicious knees at Big Country. He also showed very good takedowns, including a beautiful throw in the first round.

Brendan Schaub and Rodrigo Nogueira will face-off at UFC 134: Rio in August, and the winner of the fighting might be headed right for a title eliminator bout with Mir.

2. Roy Nelson vs. Travis Browne

Roy Nelson last night showed that when he wins, his belly is his friend, but when he loses, it's his worst enemy. Nelson was completely gassed at UFC 130 by halfway through the second round. He was taken down repeatedly by Frank Mir and ate knee after elbow after knee throughout the bout.

Travis Browne, on the other hand, showed that bigger isn't always better, as he earned knockout of the night honors against Stefan Struve with a huge superman punch.

A bout between Nelson and Browne seems right for both men, as Nelson looks to get back to his winning ways while Travis Browne looks to climb up the Heavyweight division ladder.

1. Rampage Jackson vs. Lyoto Machida II

Rampage didn't fight at UFC 130; Quinton Jackson did. After months of him telling us that, "Quinton trains, Rampage fights," we didn't see that killer instinct that we're use to when Rampage use to fight. Hamill clearly showed he couldn't take Jackson down and couldn't trade with him, so why not get you a highlight knockout and show everyone that you deserve a UFC title shot?

Jackson didn't do that last night. Therefore, I don't think he should get one. Machida should have defeated Jackson in their first fight at UFC 123, but the judges felt otherwise. Machida is coming off a highlight knockout over Randy Couture, but I don't think that's enough to earn him a title shot neither.

Jackson-Machida II is the only fight that makes sense to me right now for both these men. Jon Jones is stupid in my opinion for not going ahead and having surgery on his finger so he doesn't have to worry about it in the future, and he also has put the UFC is an odd predicament. There is no true number one contender right now for the Light Heavyweight Championship.

Evans is probably the closest, but he has already committed to fighting Phil Davis in August. Former Champions Shogun Rua and Forrest Griffin are going to have their rematch in August as well. 

A bout between Machida and Jon Jones intrigues me much more than a bout between Rampage and Jones, but I hope that Dana would just tell Jones we don't have a fight for you right now and have Rampage and Machida fight in August or September, and by then, you would have a definite number one contender.