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By Rich Hansen, MMA Torch Packer-loathing Columnist
“UFC 151 will be remembered as the event Jon Jones and Greg Jackson murdered.”
- Dana White, in the immediate aftermath of the cancellation of UFC 151
You know, in hindsight Jon Jones' decision to murder UFC 151 for absolutely no reason at all sure did turn UFC 152 into a hell of an entertaining event. I mean, yeah, shout out to the people who got shafted out of UFC 151 and all. But hey, Vegas sure is nice this time of year. Could be worse. It could have been UFC 156 in Billings, #amirite? Yes, I'm hashtagging again. Sue me.
So with UFC 152 mercifully behind us, and before we agree to never EVER think about Summer 2012 again, let's take a look at who is up next for most of the fighters who fought in Toronto on Saturday night.
Jon Jones: Jones is going to fight next against whomever the UFC puts in front of him (as long as he's given two or more weeks of notice), so rather than predict who that will be (and since we have no idea when it'll be, either), let's just talk a little bit about what we learned on Saturday night (that was a massive run-on sentence, right? Yeah, I thought so. I just failed seventh grade English. Shit.). With all due respect to Lyoto Machida, who never had Jones in trouble despite taking a round from the champ, Jones was in deep against Vitor Belfort. More to the point, that armbar was in deep, yet Jones persevered, steadfastly refused to tap, showed the heart of a champion, the courage of a lion, exhibited many other overused clichés, and pulled out the armbar, and the fight. It's evident that he doesn't just win because he's a freak; he wins because he's a champion.
Vitor Belfort: It's safe to say that Belfort's latest foray into the 205 lb. division is over, and he's going to go back home to 185. No one can legitimately say for a second that they expected Belfort to win on Saturday night, but those who thought he had a path to victory were not likely expecting it to come from his grappling game. And damned if he didn't almost shock the world. Vitor lost nothing from this defeat, and is in the same position he was before, if not better; in the mix for a title shot at 185. Of course, since Anderson Silva is going to be fighting at catchweight next (GSP), and since there are like four guys ahead of Belfort in the ooze that consists of the mix, he night be about 42 years old until he gets another title shot.
Up next: Vitor Belfort vs. Brian Stann
Other possibilities for Belfort include Jake Shields or Michael Bisping
Demetrious Johnson: Mighty Mouse shocked the hell out of me, proving that it is somehow possible to win a fight by avoiding fighting. So now we know what Mighty Mouse and Ghandi have in common.
Up next: Demetrious Johnson vs. Nathuram GodseI really hope someone gets that reference, but in case you don't, here, go ahead and cheat. You're a big phony.
Other possibilities for Johnson include Jussier de Silva or John Dodson
Joseph Benavidez: There should be a law; come out to Stranglehold, you win the fight. Period. End of discussion. Apparently that rule only takes place when your dad is Fritz Adkisson. Unfortunately, Benavidez was unable to follow Kevin Von Erich's formula to victory, and he had nothing for Johnson's speed. Benavidez is still the most dangerous flyweight in the world, and should be able to get a rematch with one win. After all, flyweight is shallower than any other division.
Up next: Joseph Benavidez vs. Ian McCall. This is the fight a lot of fans wanted to see coming off of the first McCall vs. Johnson fight. Now's the time to do it.
Other possibilities for Benavidez include Chris Cariaso or John Moraga (I suppose)
Michael Bisping: To me and my little brain, there are two incontrovertible facts about Michael Bisping and his place in the middleweight division. 1.) He's a top-five talent. B.) He displays that talent routinely but doesn't have the notches on his belt to deserve a shot at the title. Defeating a top-12 middleweight in Brian Stann is a nice start, but he either needs to beat 2 top-5 guys, or the presumptive #1 contender. I think his next fight is going to be a title eliminator, which means... (wait for it)
Up next: Michael Bisping vs. the winner of Chris Weidman vs. Tim Boetsch The winner of that fight would be the undisputed #1 contender, and not even Ed Soares could argue otherwise.
Other possibilities for Bisping include Vitor Belfort, the winner of Alan Belcher vs. Yushin Okami, or Jake Shields.
Brian Stann: Stann punch hard! And, um, Stann punch hard!
Up next: Brian Stann vs. Vitor Belfort Stann can KO anyone with one punch, and he's still marketable. As a result, he's a candidate to be paired up against guys who are way better than he is. Quite the predicament, no?
Other possibilities for Stann include Mark Munoz, Wanderlei Silva, or the loser of Hector Lombard vs. Rousimar Palhares
Matt Hamill: I'll be generous and chalk that one up to ring rust. Hamill has four losses on his record, and those are to Bisping (technically), Franklin, Rampage, and Gustafsson. Those losses show where the very thick glass ceiling is above his head, but it also shows that he wins when he's supposed to win. You know what that makes Hamill, doncha? That's right, he's a gatekeeper!
Up next: Matt Hamill vs. Vinny Maghales
Other possibilities for Hamill include the winner of Stanislav Nedkov vs. Thiago Silva, or Ryan Jimmo
Cub Swanson: Admit it. After he lost to Jens Pulver and Jose Aldo in a combined 0:43, you didn't think there was a chance in hell he'd worm his way into the primordial stew known as The Mix, now did you? Well, after consecutive KOs of George Roop, Ross Pearson, and Charles Oliveira, each more spectacular then the previous, there he is, in the mix. Sure, he has lost to Jose Aldo, as well as to contenders Chad Mendes and Ricardo Lamas, but he's also dangerous to anyone in the division, including those three guys.
Up next: Cub Swanson vs. Erik Koch. Koch lost his title shot due to bad luck and bad timing, but good luck and good timing are why he was in position for a title shot anyways. I mean, it certainly wasn't because he beat Jonathan Brookins, right? Swanson and Koch have been lined up twice before, so it's a fight that is clearly on the UFC's radar. This would make for a great UFC 155 prelims main event.
Other possibilities for Swanson include Chan Sung Jung or the winner of Dennis Siver vs. Eddie Yagin
Charles Oliveira: That's a lot of vicious losses for someone who's not yet 23 years old. Jim Miller took Oliveira's leg back to Whippany, Donald Cerrone rained down about 42 trillion punches on him, and Cub Swanson KO'd him with one punch. Lest we forget, Oliveira's best victory is either Jonathan Brookins or Darren Elkins. So while the ceiling is really high with Oliveira, the question marks are getting bigger and bigger.
Up next: Charles Oliveira vs. Iuri Alcantara
Other possibilities for Oliveira include Jimy Hettes, or Junior Assuncao. Can you tell I really don't want him getting KO'd next time out?
Vinny Magalhães: Reverse spoiler alert; I already wrote that a fight with Matt Hamill makes sense. Magalhães is veteran enough where he doesn't need to be spoonfed weak opponents in order to pad his record. He doesn't need to be fighting top-10 guys, but he deserves a chance to prove himself against top-20 guys.
Other possibilities for Magalhães include James Te Huna or Ryan Jimmo
T.J. Grant: While I wasn't surprised in the least that Grant disposed of Dunham, seeing him do it in a very exciting manner, mainly standing, was a real eye-opener to me. I'm not a Dunham guy. Never have been, never will be. Eventually you are what you are; in your 30's and above average. But Grant is a legit top-12 lightweight now, although I don't know if the UFC exactly sees him as such. And even if they do have high hopes for Grant, since 155 is so bottlenecked he is still stuck behind Nate Diaz, Anthony Pettis, Donald Cerrone, Gray Maynard, and maybe Clay Guida for a title shot. So, if they do in fact see Grant as a legit guy, then he needs to beat a legit guy to keep on pace. And if they see him as an anonymous gatekeeper who has hit his ceiling, then they're going to try to job him out against someone he needs a big win. So, that means...
Up next: T.J. Grant vs. Eddie Alvarez. Either they like Grant and want him to get a high-profile win, or they try to job him out against someone who needs a decent win. Both scenarios fit for Alvarez. Look, I get all tingly for Eddie Alvarez vs. Anthony Pettis too, but Pettis is going to be facing Cerrone, and then winning the UFC lightweight title, so that's out. I don't think they're going to go with Grant vs. Alvarez, but that's neither here nor there.
Other possibilities for Grant include the winner of Gray Maynard vs. Joe Lauzon or the winner of Mark Bocek vs. Rafael dos Anjos (which would be nothing more than a make busy fight while the division recovers from its current logjam that dates back to freaking Abu Dhabi)
Evan Dunham: He is what he is; aging, above average, and not, repeat not a prospect. Remarkably unremarkable across the board, Dunham has his moments, but he's as consistent a $900 car.
Up next: Evan Dunham vs. Jim Miller
Other possibilities for Dunham include Clay Guida or the loser of Thiago Tavares vs. Dennis Hallman
Other fights I'd like to see:
Marcus Brimage vs. Max Holloway or Nam Phan
Jimy Hettes vs. George Roop or Jonathan Brookins
Seth Baczynski vs. Dan Miller or Matt Riddle
Kyle Noke vs. the winner of Dan Hardy vs. Amir Sadollah, or the winner of Dong Hyun Kim vs. Paulo Thiago
Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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