UFC 143: Building the Rest of the Card

UFC 143 will be taking place in Las Vegas on Superbowl Weekend and is expected to be headlined by Georges St-Pierre as he defends his gold against Nick Diaz.

That fight has been announced by the UFC, however with much of their focus to this point being on their return to Japan a few weeks later, there are still some holes to be plugged.

Here are a few humble suggestions for Dana White and Joe Silva to consider.

Paul Sass vs. Mac Danzig

The first fight of the night, to kick off the Fuel TV or FX portion of the broadcast, sees triangle machine Paul Sass battle jiu-jitsu black belt Mac Danzig.

Danzig is a tough out for most guys, but hasn’t had a great deal of luck in the promotion since his victorious turn on The Ultimate Fighter. The UFC needs to see whether or not Sass, who has eight wins by triangle and three by heel hook in 12 career successes, is a one-trick pony.

Turning up the heat against a gritty veteran with a grappling background is a good way to do that, and would probably provide some excitement.

Alex Caceres vs. Edwin Figueroa

The man they call Bruce Leeroy, Alex Caceres, will continue his mixed martial arts journey at UFC 143 in a fight that’s been confirmed and likely will air on the prelims. He’ll face Edwin Figueroa, a scrappy Texan who has looked like a solid talent in his UFC outings.

Caceres is an interesting character, and that seems to have bought him time in the promotion. He hasn’t been greatly impressive in the cage, but is showing improvement. Figueroa, on the other hand, is only 1-1 but his loss was to notoriously destructive slugger Michael McDonald.

This one has the makings of an enjoyable scrap and likely won’t go the distance.

Jeff Curran vs. Damacio Page

Jeff Curran, owner of the best nickname in the game—"The Big Frog"—recently returned to the UFC to battle top-ranked bantamweight Scott Jorgensen. He wasn’t successful, but put on quite a show with aggressive jiu-jitsu that stifled a lot of Jorgensen’s offense.

Page is explosive and has only lost to high-end guys, and with both men fresh off losses it’s a fight that makes sense.

Given Curran’s penchant to be active no matter where he is in the cage, and Page, who was scratched from a bout with Kid Yamamoto in September, this serves as a similarly-styled matchup and would probably be one to watch.

George Sotiropoulos vs. Danny Downes

Once considered to be one of the top guys in the world at 155, George Sotiropoulos was a win away from a shot at the title. Then he started getting utterly dummied, and now may be a loss away from being back on the regional circuit.

Realistically, the Aussie is too good to suffer such a fate, and a matchup with Downes would probably prove that. Downes is scrappy, but he’s nowhere near Sotiropoulos in terms of skill. That said, he’s not just a warm body to throw in there, as he’s dangerous on his feet and incredibly hard to submit, so it’s not a lock that he’d be a stepping stone.

Both guys need a win, and while Sotiropoulos would be favoured, anything can happen in the octagon.

Court McGee vs. Tim Credeur

A matchup pitting a crafty veteran against a TUF winner, Court McGee and Tim Credeur makes sense at this juncture. McGee has a high ceiling and some good people behind him, and Credeur always puts on a good show after so many years in the octagon.

The UFC would most likely be looking for McGee to succeed here, but it's no foregone conclusion.

Credeur has a solid chin and no area of his game is particularly full of holes. He may be a little behind in the stand-up compared to McGee, but he likely edges him in grappling. Wrestling is a wash, so you basically have two similarly-styled, tough guys with something to prove.

Sounds like a pretty good scrap.

Leonard Garcia vs. George Roop

These two met in their WEC days, battling to a split draw at WEC 47. With both guys coming off losses—Roop’s being more contentious than Garcia’s—settling the score with some finality makes a lot of sense.

Both guys tend to put on exciting fights, their relatively pedestrian records representative of a commitment to giving people what they want instead of just trying to rack up boring wins.

Roop has improved dramatically since his return to featherweight, going 2-2-1 with a loss to wrecking ball Mark Hominick and a questionable decision to consensus No. 2 featherweight Hatsu Hioki.

Garcia always brings it, flailing wildly in hopes of scoring a highlight-reel KO. He is what he is and he won’t change it for anyone, and he deserves a chance to show he’s a better man than Roop. This one would be a barnburner, and it would iron out the featherweight class a little, so go ahead and book it.

Tyson Griffin vs. Cole Miller

Cole Miller has long been hovering around the top 10 at lightweight, and has elected to drop back down to featherweight to fight at his natural class now that the UFC is employing guys to fight there.

What better way to be greeted than by meeting a notoriously tough out who had the same plan only a few months ago?

Tyson Griffin is a rugged customer who has had a tough go of things recently, losing four of five. He still puts on great fights though, and some of those losses have been contentious. Given those facts, he still isn’t far from remaining relevant at 145. It’s a wash on the feet and a classic wrestler-versus-jiu-jitsu battle on the ground.

If Miller thinks he’s coming to featherweight to be the bigger man and get away from being held down at 155, there are few physically stronger guys than Griffin to test him. Sign them up to headline the preliminary portion of the event and see what happens.

Roy Nelson vs. Travis Browne

Travis Browne has looked impressive to this point in his UFC career, only really being tested by Cheick Kongo last year at UFC 120, a fight that ended in a draw. Many think he’ll be a force at heavyweight in the near future, so why not give him a chance to show his worth against one of the toughest tests in the division?

Roy Nelson has a great chin and solid stand-up, and is an exceptional grappler. In spite of his oft-mocked frame, he looked in better shape against Mirko Cro Cop and could provide the test that Browne needs as people look to see what he’s made of.

Should Browne prove successful, the UFC has him do so on the biggest card of the year and establishes a new contender with plenty of exposure. If Nelson wins, all of those eyes see that he’s not just a guy with a gut, but rather a guy who isn’t far off from top-five territory at heavyweight.

A great way to welcome fans to the pay-per-view segment of the evening.

Brian Stann vs. Demian Maia

While Stann is rumoured to be lobbying for a spot on the Japan card (a popular pastime among fighters these days, it seems), if he doesn’t land there he’s still due for a fight in February. Both he and Maia competed at UFC 136, and need to meet up to arrange contenders at 185.

We’ve never seen Stann against a grappler as good as Maia, and we haven’t seen Maia in there with someone as powerful as Stann on his feet—at least not since he started aggressively training stand-up. The fight pits both men against a guy who can test them where they’re questioned, and secure a top-six win for someone once the three rounds are up.

It also doesn’t hurt that Stann is a face the UFC is pushing thanks to his marketability and military service, so getting him on the biggest show of the year makes a lot of sense.

Erik Koch vs. Dustin Poirier

A good matchup to decide who’s next for the Jose Aldo/Chad Mendes winner, this one has all the makings of a featherweight war. Both men bring similar styles and intensity to the cage, and the fight itself has already been confirmed by the UFC.

Think back to the days when the mirror match was a prominent part of the Mortal Kombat series, and it’s basically coming to life in this one.

Two violent strikers who are tough as they come and still young in the game, Koch and Poirier will probably be Fight of the Night when UFC 143 happens on Superbowl Weekend.

Josh Koscheck vs. Carlos Condit

This one is already announced as being official, and it makes sense.

Condit wanted to stay active and fight someone tough; Koscheck fights almost bi-weekly and is as tough as they come. It’s easy to contend that he, much like his teammate Jon Fitch, could beat anyone at 170 other than GSP, but he’ll never get the belt after losing to the champion twice already.

It’s a sensible matchup for Condit, who has had trouble in the past with wrestlers but is much improved since then. He’s lethal on his feet and has the attitude of a man possessed once he’s locked in the cage. He’s pure excitement in all of his fights and will have the extra motivation of being one fight away from getting his hands on the winner of the main event.

In fighting Koscheck, we get to see just how far he’s come, and whether or not he’s truly ready for the challenge that awaits him should he be successful.

It also showcases the next man in line at welterweight in a prominent spot on the card, gaining momentum going into his title fight (should he win).

Georges St-Pierre vs. Nick Diaz

The biggest welterweight fight out there in the world today, the UFC has already locked down champion Georges St-Pierre to defend his belt against professional bad boy Nick Diaz. It’s intriguing for a few reasons.

One is how St-Pierre will react to an opponent willing to push him in and out of the cage. Diaz speaks his mind, and while GSP thinks he’s been disrespectful, Nick has openly stated he’s just doing it to get a title shot he felt he deserved all along.

Inside the cage, Diaz will be unrelenting as he fearlessly comes forward and puts the pace on St-Pierre in a way the champion has really never seen. GSP has a massive wrestling advantage, but Diaz is no picnic on the ground and could very well submit the champion if they’re down there too long.

The fact remains that GSP is the best in the business, and he probably will win this fight. However, the promotional ride to get there will be fun, with Nick sniping at a genuinely flustered GSP right up until one man’s hand is raised at the end of the night.

Fights like these are the ones that keep people watching.