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By: Rich Hansen, MMATorch Columnist
On Saturday night, the heavyweight and lightweight divisions of the UFC gained some much appreciated clarity. Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos dispatched of Antonio Silva and Mark Hunt respectively, and their expected victories are expected to set up a trilogy fight before the end of 2013. For Silva and Hunt, it's back to the drawing board.
In the lightweight division, T.J. Grant showed the world of doubters(*) out there that he is the real deal at 155, and he cemented his role as the number one contender in the division by decimating Gray Maynard in the first round. Grant was a two to one underdog in Vegas, due in large part to the fact that his two best victories in the division were against Matt Wiman and Evan Dunham. With Anthony Pettis taking the bird in the hand at 145, Grant vs. UFC champion Ben Henderson will happen like in August or September of this year.
* - I don't use the word ‘haters' except when making it clear I don't use the word haters.
So while the immediate fighting future for Velasquez, dos Santos, and Grant are clear, there are still a lot of intriguing fighters who should be looking at compelling fights the next time they step into the cage. Let's take a look ahead at what may be laying in the weeds for some of the fighters from the UFC 160 card.
Mark Hunt: Starting with everyone's favorite huckleberry Mark Hunt. The dream is over, ladies and gentlemen. Junior dos Santos spun Mark Hunt's world back in place; he's simply a solid middle card fighter with really dangerous power. Hunt has no reason to hang them up now, as his earning power is at the highest it's ever going to be. Hunt loves to scrap, and there are plenty of guys in the division who should be glad to get in there with the Super Samoan.
Next fight: Mark Hunt vs. the loser of Brendan Schaub vs. Matt Mitrione. What, you thought Hunt was going to get another top 5 fighter? A prospect with champion potential? Hunt's role is now as sports-entertainer, and fights with Schaub or Mitrione would be a ton of fun. Also possible are the loser of Alistair Overeem vs. Travis Browne, or the loser of Pat Barry vs. Shawn Jordan.
Antonio Silva: It's really easy to try to make a joke at the expense of Bigfoot Silva, what with how thoroughly decimated he was by Cain Velasquez. Twice, mind you. I won't go there. After all, this is a guy with (T)KO victories over Alistair Overeem, Travis Browne, and oh yeah Fedor Emelianenko. What I will say, though, is that he's clearly not the top of the top of the top of the mountain. He's a gatekeeper to that level, and should be booked as such.
Next fight: Antonio Silva vs. Stefan Struve. Kinda has to happen, no? I wouldn't mind seeing Silva vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, if Nogueira loses to Fabricio Werdum. A fight with Mark Hunt would be fun as well.
Glover Teixeira: Teixeira did exactly what he was supposed to do at UFC 160 by easily taking apart the one-dimensional James Te Huna. It should be noted that is a compliment, because Teixeira can only beat the guys put in front of him, and Te Huna, whilst not at Teixeira's level, has dangerous hands. There are so many ways to go with Teixeira, and it's impossible to say with any certainty what to do with him. The champion is injured. Dana White promised a title shot to Lyoto Machida, before boring the entire world yet again in defeating Dan Henderson (I blame Henderson more than Machida, personally). Dana White says Alexander Gustafsson might get the next shot. Glover Teixeira is proclaiming that he wants the title shot. The UFC might go for the biggest name and give the title shot to the winner of Henderson vs. Rashad Evans. Jon Jones might be cajoled into fighting Anderson Silva next. And since Teixeira is in the mix, it's hard to make a pick. The one thing that is as close to certain as it gets, barring unforeseen injuries, is that whomever Teixeira fights next it'll be the toughest opponent of his career.
Next fight: Glover Teixeira vs. Phil Davis. Other possibilities include (and there are a lot of them) the winner of Dan Henderson vs. Rashad Evans, Ryan Bader, or Shogun Rua if Shogun defeats Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Teixeira and Davis are a step behind Gustafsson, Machida, and the winner of Evans-Henderson in the ladder for a title shot, so a fight between them will crown a full fledged contender. Teixeira was originally going to fight Bader, so they might go back to that well. And Teixeira vs. Shogun almost happened a year ago, so that could be in the back of their minds as well. A final note: Teixeira won't fight Machida unless it's for a title, so I am guessing the same would be said for Nogueira as well, which is why I left him out of the equation. Personally, Teixeira vs. Nogueira is the fight I'm most excited to see.
Donald Cerrone: Cerrone seems like he's destined to always be the eighth best (or so) lightweight in the world. And compared to the eighth best fighters in the other divisions, he's probably the best pound-for-pound. As a result, he's a gatekeeper to the top. The last two chances he had to break through that glass ceiling, Anthony Pettis and Nate Diaz put him back in his place. Cerrone admirably responded with resounding victories after those two defeats, constantly keeping his name in the equation, which is one step behind in the mix, of course. I don't think Cerrone needs to be booked against anyone ahead of him in the rankings, because there's nothing in it for the opponent. Hypothetically, what does Josh Thomson gain if he beats Donald Cerrone? Nothing. What does he risk if he loses to Cerrone? Oh, only freaking everything! So Cerrone needs to fight someone relevant (read: NOT Stephens or Noons) who is close to him in the rankings.
Next fight: Donald Cerrone vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov. You didn't see that one coming, did you? Stop, collaborate, and evaluate. That fight would kick all sorts of ass, and I would love for it to be the main event on a Fuel show, just so it gets five rounds. Nurmagomedov gets a shot to beat a top-10 opponent, and Cerrone gets to be the first guy to beat the potential next-best-thing. Other possibilities for Cerrone include Diego Sanchez or Rafael dos Anjos. Any of those three guys should make for an amazing fight.
As for Khabib Nurmagomedov, he needs a high level name next time out. Obviously I like the idea of him fighting Cerrone next (For those with short term memory loss, see above). Other possibilities for Nurmagomedov include Ross Pearson or Diego Sanchez.
Gray Maynard: When you get the piss beaten out of you like Gray Maynard, it's really easy to over-react and say the dude is cooked. Maynard was effective on his feet... until he wasn't. Kind of how the all-in move in poker works every time until the last time, I get that. It's possible that Maynard is toast. It's also possible he was so flat-footed because his strategy was bad or ring rust was too much to overcome. This was his first fight in eleven months after all (assuming you could call that thing Clay Guida did with him a fight). As a result, I'm not going ot bury Maynard yet.
Next fight: Gray Maynard vs. Pat Healy Since Healy's lost fight was not a win (flame away, potheads), this wouldn't be winner vs. loser. Well, it would be loser vs. bonus-loser (flame away potheads, rules are rules). Maynard vs. Healy would kick all sorts of asses. Other possibilities for Maynard include TUF 5 fights with Matt Wiman, Nathan Diaz, or Joe Lauzon (if he defeats Michael Johnson).
Mike Pyle: So, there are three camps, and I think the split is 40%, 40%, 20%. Camp one says Pyle lost to Rick Story. Camp two says Pyle beat Story. Camp three, where I reside, says the fight was a draw. Regardless, Pyle is deserving of a step up in competition his next time out, and Story's going to fall back. Watching Story get slower and less effective and more desperate as the third round marched forward, I couldn't help but to think that no fighter has a more accurate nickname than Mike "Quicksand" Pyle.
Next fight: Mike Pyle vs. the winner of Tyron Woodley vs. Jake Shields. Other possibilities include Gunnar Nelson or Dong hyun Kim. Admittedly, I'm not too stoked by Pyle vs. Kim, but the rankings make that a possible fight.
Rick Story: Story is as dangerous as hell, until his ass hits the stool at the end of round one. I want to see Story booked against someone will bang with him.
Next fight: Rick Story vs. Jordan Mein Mein can fight anywhere, but I think he'd be perfectly content trading with Story. Other possibilities for Story include the loser or Matt Brown vs. Thiago Alves, or Nathan Marquardt.
Other fights to make;
James Te Huna vs. the loser of Thiago Silva vs. Feijao Cavalcante
KJ Noons vs. Abel Trujillo Although Noons is just as likely to fight for Ray Sefo next. As for Trujillo, the odds of him fighting for parole could always be in his future.
Dennis Bermudez vs. Maximo Blanco
Robert Whittaker vs. Stephen Thompson As fast as Whittaker's stock rose, Wonderboy's is falling just as fast.
Max Holloway vs. Jimy Hettes
Colton Smith vs. Nick Catone
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
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