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MOORE: Top Fights to Make After UFC 179 "Aldo vs. Mendes II"
Oct 27, 2014 - 11:55:27 AM MOORE: Top Fights to Make After UFC 179 "Aldo vs. Mendes II"

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By: Dan Moore, MMATorch UK Columnist

As pay-per-view events go, this one was horrible until the main event rolled around and saved it. Aldo vs. Mendes was that good, everyone watching simply forgot about the level of torture they'd endured over the previous couple of hours. If Hans Stringer makes it to the pay-per-view portion of another event anytime soon, I certainly won't be watching it. Despite all of that, we still need to know what's next for the winners and losers of UFC 179:


MAIN CARD WINNERS

Jose Aldo (25-1, 7-0 UFC) - Just as everyone was beginning to seriously doubt his credentials, he goes and puts on a world class performance like that. It takes two to tango, and Chad Mendes was equally superb, but Jose Aldo really stepped up, and proved without doubt he's a consensus top three pound-for-pound fighter. I'll conveniently forget about the end of the first round because everyone else seems to have.

He performed so well because Mendes came to fight. Aldo needs and thrives on legitimate competition. Of the three possible next contenders, he's already beaten two of them. Conor McGregor hasn't faced Aldo yet, and is the most likely next contender, but I still believe Swanson or Edgar deserves the next shot more. None of them present a challenge quite like Mendes did, but all three would be worthy opponents for one reason or another.

Next Fight vs. Winner of Frankie Edgar vs. Cub Swanson


Phil Davis (13-2 1 NC, 9-2 1 NC UFC) - I might be one of the very few who actually enjoyed this fight. Watching Davis dominate and rag doll Teixeira was extremely impressive. It wasn't pretty, but as a four-time NCAA Division 1 All-American, Davis should've been dominating fights like this since day one. His problem was all in the striking game, but now that he's made improvements with his timing and footwork he could be far more competitive against the elite.

There isn't one clearly identifiable opponent for him right now. He's not getting a title shot anytime soon, and if Gustafsson vs. Evans does happen in January, no one in the top six is available. Looking further down the list, only one name stands out. Ryan Bader is on a three-fight win streak and is another NCAA Division 1 All-American. I know Teixeira easily beat Bader last year, but right now it serves a purpose while everyone else is occupied.

Next Fight vs. Ryan Bader


Fabio Maldonado (22-7, 5-4 UFC) - It's blatantly obvious the UFC light heavyweight division is lacking serious depth, because Fabio Maldonado was ranked #15 heading into UFC 179. That is crazy because Maldonado is not very good. Granted he turned it around and finished Hans Stringer, but that distinctly average Hans Stringer was dominating him up to that point. Maldonado serves a purpose in Brazil, but if he ever fights anywhere else he should be routed to the bottom of the prelims.

Next Fight vs. Jan Blachowicz


Darren Elkins (18-4, 8-3 UFC) - If Elkins ever loses a couple of back-to-back fights, he's off to WSOF with the likes of Fitch and Shields. Don't get me wrong, he's very effective at what he does, but it's horrible to watch. He neutralised everything the supposedly dangerous Lucas Martins had to offer, but the UFC generally hates on fighters like Elkins when they win like he did. Make this fight next and we only have to suffer through one horrible fight instead of two.

Next Fight vs. Clay Guida


Beneil Dariush (9-1, 3-1 UFC) - Another fight that wasn't pretty to watch, but Dariush pulled off a minor upset to get the win. Ferreira gassed easily, and as the fight progressed he had nothing left to offer. This was a good win, especially as it came in Brazil, but Dariush did nothing to suggest he deserves a major step-up in competition next time out.

Next Fight vs. Winner of James Vick vs. Nick Hein


NOTABLE MAIN CARD LOSERS


Chad Mendes (16-2, 11-2 UFC) - This man is destined to be No. 2 behind Jose Aldo for as long as the Brazilian remains in the featherweight division. He can beat everybody else handily, and because of that he'll now go back to fighting non contenders until the UFC brass decides to give him a third attempt. If Aldo somehow loses the title anytime soon, he probably gets another shot a lot quicker.

As for his next fight, that should come against a loser from either Swanson vs. Edgar or McGregor vs. Siver. I believe Mendes is good enough to beat any of the aforementioned featherweights, so it doesn't really matter which one. The first option makes the most sense and could happen as early as next spring. Mendes is too good not to get another shot at the title within two-years, irrespective of who the champion is by then.

Next Fight vs. Loser of Cub Swanson vs. Frankie Edgar


Glover Teixeira (22-4, 5-2 UFC) - Teixeira has gone from beast mode to dominated in the space of two losses. Granted those two defeats came against two outstanding grapplers in Jon Jones and Phil Davis, but his aura of invincibility has disappeared forever. He needs to regroup and take a step back before he takes one forward. The loser of Mauricio Rua vs. Jimi Manuwa is one option worth consideration, but I prefer this match-up more.

Next Fight vs. Dan Henderson


WHO'S NEXT FOR EVERYONE ELSE

Hans Stringer

Almost got away with a win but proceeded to give up the second things got tough.

Next Fight vs. Loser of Igor Pokrajac vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima

Lucas Martins

Had a chance to really make a name for himself but he blew it.

Next Fight vs. Hatsu Hioki

Carlos Diego Ferreira

Matching up two stocky heavy hitters coming off a loss makes sense to me.

Next Fight vs. John Makdessi

Neil Magny

Not exactly a murderer's row of opponents, but 5-0 in 2014 is still very impressive. He deserves to fight someone ranked.

Next Fight vs. Ryan LaFlare

William Macario

Now 1-2 in the UFC, but worth keeping around considering he's only 23 years old.

Next Fight vs. Loser of Augusto Montano vs. Chris Heatherly

Yan Cabral

Back on track with a fairly easy win after suffering his first professional loss to Zak Cummings.

Next Fight vs. Paul Felder

Naoyuki Kotani

Out of his depth and clearly not good enough to fight at this level.

Released by the UFC

Wilson Reis

Two straight wins in the space of two months, and a future contender at Flyweight if he wins another two or three.

Next Fight vs. Ray Borg

Scott Jorgensen

Weight cut issues and a bad defeat could spell the end for Jorgensen. His salary outweighs his worth but he'll probably get another chance.

Next Fight vs. Darrell Montague

Andre Fili

Nicely back on track after the skid against Max Holloway last April.

Next Fight vs. Zubaira Tukhugov

Felipe Arantes

A decent fighter who will continue to win some and lose some throughout his UFC career.

Next Fight vs. Kajan Johnson

Gilbert Burns

Slick in everything he has done thus far. It's time to test Burns against a different style of opponent.

Next Fight vs. Chad Laprise

Christos Giagos

I didn't expect him to win but I also didn't expect him to lose that convincingly.

Next Fight vs. Jon Tuck

Tony Martin

Got out of jail after failing to make weight with a 0-2 UFC record. He looked good though, and survives to live another day.

Next Fight vs. Islam Makhachev

Fabricio Camoes

Failed to make weight and lost a very winnable fight after previous excusable losses to Jim Miller and Melvin Guillard.

Released by the UFC

I'm back with two more 'Fights to Make' articles post UFC Fight Night 55 and UFC Fight Night 56 early next month.

Follow me on Twitter: @MMATorchDan