By Michael Owens
The klaxon has sounded, the Octagon has been packed away and the UFC will move on to its next show in Las Vegas on Saturday. Before we turn our attention to Ronda Rousey’s next title defence, lets have a look on what could be in store for the men who had their hands raised in the Arena Jaraguá last night.
Lyoto Machida – ‘The Dragon’ was catapulted into light heavyweight title contention after a devastating KO of Thiago Silva way back in 2009. Although last night’s decision victory over Gegard Mousasi did not have the same wow factor, Machida has enough going for him to line up against either Chris Weidman or Vitor Belfort for the middleweight belt later this year. Mousasi is a very good fighter and Machida beat him convincingly. Add a KO win over Mark Munoz and his stature as a former champion in a higher weight class and Machida has the record, skills, stature and name recognition to be thrown in with the 185 pound division’s top man.
The only caveat is injuries. Machida said he might have broken his foot, so that might rule him out for a while. It’s also no guarantee that the winner of the Weidman/Belfort title fight with emerge from that contest completely unscathed. If everything works out just fine though, Machida is the man.
Ronaldo Souza – Assuming Machida will be fit to fight, he has to edge out Jacaré as the next title contender. The BJJ ace has a right to feel a little aggrieved by that – only Belfort, Weidman and Anderson Silva are ranked higher than him – but he can rest safe in the knowledge that Joe Silva will still have championship fights in mind for his future. In the mean time, he will need another opponent that he can beat to continue his momentum. It can’t be too much of a soft touch, but the UFC will be looking to match him up favourably as he is a marketable man in Brazil.
The solution is not immediately obvious. Michael Bisping would be a good match because a win for either man would be beneficial for the UFC in terms of finding a marketable challenger for middleweight gold. However, Bisping likely will have other Tim-Kennedy-shaped matters to contend with. I say bring in Thales Leites. He’s on a two fight win streak, a former title challenger and, most importantly, eminently beatable.
Erick Silva – We know by now that ‘Índio’ is not a top 170 pound contender. At least not for now. He is, however, and exciting fighter who will inflict significantly punishing violence on the majority of unranked opponents. Why not give him another soft touch or action fighter and allow him the chance to build up some momentum and carve out a niche as the welterweight banger he was hyped as when he came into the UFC in 2011? Hyun Gyu Lim still doesn;t have a fight after his war with Tarec Saffiedine, and he could act as a dynamic foil for Silva’s all-action approach to combat.
Nicholas Musoke – It’s a bit of a mystery how ‘Nico’ found his way on to last night’s main card, but he did and now he’s 2-0 in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He wasn’t hugely impressive, so someone from the middle of the welterweight pack will do to give us all an idea of where he belongs in the pecking order. Court McGee doesn’t have a fight right now, so he’ll do.
Charles Oliveira – After falling victim to some of the most unfavourable matchmaking a UFC youngster has ever received, ‘Do Bronx’ finally got back on the winning track last night. He’s paid his dues against the featherweight elite for now and deserves a chance to fight his way into the divisional rankings, which is where many people feel he belongs. Nik Lentz is free, and a rematch would clear up any argument about their first meeting, which was ended early thanks to an illegal knee from Oliveira.
