CONTACTABOUTFACEBOOKTWITTERPODCAST IPHONE APPANDROID APPAMAZON APPWINDOWS APPRSS
NEW FORUM

GOT THE MMATORCH APP YET?
iPhone & iPad
Android
Kindle Fire
Windows Phone
MMATORCH IPHONE APP

MMATORCH

All the MMA News • Plus Intelligent, Brilliant, Addictive Points of View!
Independently Covering MMA Since 1993 • No Big Corporate Bosses

Staff Columnists
MOORE: Top Fights to Make After UFC Fight Night 58 "Machida vs. Dollaway"
Dec 22, 2014 - 11:55:43 AM
MOORE: Top Fights to Make After UFC Fight Night 58 "Machida vs. Dollaway"
DISCUSS ALL THIS IN OUR NEW MMATORCH FORUM
...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!



Fox_Sports_1_logo_119.jpg


By: Dan Moore, MMATorch UK Columnist

UFC Fight Night 58 turned out exactly the way it was supposed to. Most of the Brazilian fighters on the card came away with a win, and the two stars of the show went home victorious. It was the perfect card to sum up 2014 for the UFC. We saw a couple of stars in one-sided match-ups, witnessed some good finishes, and experienced more than our fair share of mediocrity. Without further ado, here's what the UFC should do with the movers and shakers from Barueri, Brazil:

NOTABLE MAIN CARD WINNERS

Lyoto Machida (22-5, 14-5 UFC) -
Did anyone foresee the result of that fight differently? No? Me neither. Machida is so slick, and his movement is probably the best in MMA, bar one or two. That body kick was brutal, and every punch that came after it was another nail in the coffin for the demoralised Dollaway. Machida vs. Rockhold makes perfect sense to me (and pretty much everyone else in MMA); especially now that Machida should be good to go early next year. Hard to deny the winner of this one a title shot later in 2015.

Next Fight vs. Luke Rockhold

Renan Barao (33-2 1 NC, 8-1 UFC) -
A quicker and more comprehensive victory was expected, but ultimately he got the job done without any fuss. To me he didn't look as explosive as he has in the past, but he's still a fantastic talent. The fluidity in which he locked in the submission was superb and vintage Barao. Not a single ranked bantamweight has a fight lined up in 2015, so there's not a lot of traction in the division right now. I want to see Cruz vs. Dillashaw and Faber vs. Assuncao next, so that leaves slim pickings for Barao before he moves to the head of the queue for a title shot.

Next Fight vs. Yuri Alcantara

Erick Silva (17-5 1 NC, 5-4 UFC) -
He's the most consistently inconsistent fighter on the UFC roster, and with this win over Rhodes, he keeps up his win one, lose one record. He puts on entertaining fights and wins a ton of bonus money, but so far, wins over top quality talent elude him. Maybe it's time the UFC ease off and give him one more very winnable fight. After all, Nicholas Musoke or Albert Tumenov will surely provide a far greater test than Rhodes did.

Next Fight vs. Winner of Nicholas Musoke vs. Albert Tumenov

Rashid Magomedov (19-1, 3-0 UFC) -
Is everyone from Dagestan as hard as nails? I don't fancy getting into a bar fight over there anytime soon. I'm confident I would get my head kicked in within seconds. Magomedov was utterly relentless right to the end, and although made to work hard for his win by the undefeated Elias Silverio, he looked very good throughout. This man is destined to end 2015 as a top 10-15 lightweight, if not higher. It's time for a step-up in competition before moving onto even bigger and better things later next year.

Next Fight vs. Matt Wiman


NOTABLE MAIN CARD LOSERS

C.B. Dollaway (15-6, 9-6 UFC) -
Talk about stepping into the lion's den and leaving it with both arms ripped off. Every fighter should go into a fight confident they can prevail, but that logic must have been severely tested by Dollaway before he stepped into the Octagon against Machida. It's not like he hadn't seen what the Brazilian was capable of. Wins over Sarafian, Ferreira, and Carmont really don't cut the mustard. It's back to the drawing board for Dollaway once the injuries and ego have finally healed up.

Next Fight vs. Loser of Brad Tavares vs. Nate Marquardt

Mitch Gagnon (12-3, 4-2 UFC) -
Gagnon was outclassed from start to finish and held on for dear life for most of the fight. However, lessons have been learnt, and he's good enough to consolidate his spot in the top 15. Like Dollaway, he got to witness class personified, and that can only help him long term. There are plenty of opponents available for him to face next, so take your pick from Erik Perez, Joe Soto, or Francisco Rivera.

Next Fight vs. Erik Perez


WHO'S NEXT FOR EVERYONE ELSE

Patrick Cummins


He's now won three on the bounce after the debut loss to Daniel Cormier.

Next Fight vs. Jan Blachowicz


Antonio Carlos Jr

I've seen drunken bar fighters with better striking technique. He is as one-dimensional as it gets.

Next Fight vs. Justin Jones


Elias Silverio

His first career defeat was against a very tough and talented opponent. S*** happens.

Next Fight vs. Michael Chiesa


Mike Rhodes

Rhodes went into the fight with a 0-2 UFC record and was on a hiding to nothing.

Released by UFC


Daniel Sarafian

Should pay his friends rent for a month because he saved dos Santos from losing his job.

Next Fight vs. Antonio dos Santos


Antonio dos Santos

No real reason not to do it all again. Fans not caring about it won't stop the UFC.

Next Fight vs. Daniel Sarafian


Marcos Rogerio de Lima

2-0 in a division littered with mediocre talent outside the top 10.

Next Fight vs. Corey Anderson


Igor Pokrajac

I think it's time he called it a day, and so should he.

Released by UFC


Renato Moicano

That's how you prove yourself when given an opportunity as a late replacement.

Next Fight vs. Doo Ho Choi


Tom Niinimaki

This UFC run hasn't worked out well for the Finn. There's no reason to keep him on the roster any longer.

Released by UFC


Hacran Dias

Is this the stepping stone win to finally fulfilling the expectations of many when he first signed for the UFC?

Next Fight vs. Winner of Max Holloway vs. Cole Miller


Darren Elkins

Credit to him for taking such a tough fight on relatively short notice, but in hindsight, it wasn't such a smart move.

Next Fight vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri


Leandro Issa

The Brazilian survived a couple of scary moments to pull off a sweet neck crank.

Next Fight vs. Ian Entwistle


Yuta Sasaki

The submission specialist came up short when matched up against someone equally proficient on the mat.

Next Fight vs. Jose Quinonez


Tim Means

Not many foreign fighters go to Brazil and take a split decision win over a native.

Next Fight vs. Chris Clements


Marcio Alexandre Jr

Undefeated prior to UFC signing him and now 0-2 in the Octagon, which tells me everything I need to know.

Next Fight vs. Alexander Yakovlev


Vitor Miranda

Sneakier than a North Korean internet hacker with that last gasp head kick win.

Next Fight vs. Krzysztof Jotko


Jake Collier

Was heading for a comfortable 10-9 first round lead, but then his world ended in the blink of an eye.

Next Fight vs. Scott Askham


I'll be back next year with another ‘Fights to Make' article covering the blockbuster UFC 182 (Jones vs. Cormier).

Finally, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and prosperous start to 2015.

Follow me on Twitter and share your opinion, @MMATorchDan


DON'T GO YET... WE SUGGEST THESE MMATORCH ARTICLES, TOO!
D. FOX: Preliminary card preview for UFC Fight Night 82 "Hendricks vs. Thompson"
D. FOX: Preliminary card preview for UFC on Fox 18 "Johnson vs. Bader"
D. FOX: Jose Aldo won't get Conor McGregor next, and only has himself to blame

comments powered by Disqus
HERE ARE EVEN MORE ARTICLES THAT MIGHT INTEREST YOU

SELECT ARTICLES BY CATEGORY
SEARCH MMATORCH BY KEYWORD


MMATORCH CALENDAR OF EVENTS
CLICK HERE FOR LIST OF UPCOMING MMA EVENTS
CLICK TO SEE A UFC VIDEO BELOW

ARTICLES OF INTEREST ELSEWHERE
MMATORCH POLL - VOTE NOW!

Will T.J. Dillashaw and Urijah Faber eventually fight?
 
pollcode.com free polls

Do you think Daniel Cormier will defeat returning Jon Jones to legitimize UFC Light Heavyweight Title reign?
 
pollcode.com free polls

VOTE IN OR SEE RESULTS OF PREVIOUS POLLS

MMATORCH WEEKLY LIVECAST
Listen to the weekly MMATORCH LIVECAST on Blog Talk Radio


MMATORCH STAFF

EDITORS:

Wade Keller, supervising editor
(mmatorch@gmail.com)

Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)

STAFF COLUMNISTS:

Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey


Interested in joining MMATorch's writing team? Send idea for a theme to your column (for Specialist section) or area of interest (i.e. TV Reporter) along with a sample of writing to mmatorch@gmail.com.

MORE MMA SITES
CONTACTABOUTFACEBOOKTWITTERPODCAST IPHONE APPANDROID APPAMAZON APPWINDOWS APPRSS
THE TORCH: #1 IN COMBAT ENTERTAINMENT COVERAGE | © 1999-2013 TDH Communications Inc. • All rights reserved -- PRIVACY POLICY