Rich Hansen's Take
HANSEN: Top Fights To Make After UFC 167 "St-Pierre vs. Hendricks"
Nov 18, 2013 - 9:55:36 PM HANSEN: Top Fights To Make After UFC 167 "St-Pierre vs. Hendricks"

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By: Rich Hansen, MMATorch Columnist

Seriously, you can tell me for hours that the featherweight division is the best in the world, and that the best fights happen at lightweight. Light Heavyweight might be the glamour division in the UFC, and the heavyweight champion of the world might be the sweetest phrase in the entire world. Me? I'll take the welterweights ten times out of ten, thank you very much.

UFC 167 was littered with elite welterweights. Georges St-Pierre, Johny Hendricks, Robbie Lawler, Rory MacDonald, Tyron Woodley, Josh Koscheck, and Rick Story were top of the line welterweights who saw their standing in the company altered, reinforced, or even yanked away from them. What's next for these welterweights, and the rest of the fighters on the UFC 167 card? Let's take a look at what could be on tap.


Georges St-Pierre: This is the easy one, despite the controversial nature of his victory and the complex thoughts swirling inside the man's head. St-Pierre, since winning the title for the second time in April 2008 has run off nine successful title defenses against nine different contenders. Johny Hendricks last night was the first fighter to pose a legitimate claim to the belt after the fight was over. If St-Pierre fights again, it must be against Johny Hendricks.


Johny Hendricks: While it may be a fait accompli to say that Hendricks gets the rematch and that's all there is to that, it's not quite that simple. After seeing St-Pierre's somber and dejected countenance in the hours after the fight, no sane man can really rule out the possibility that St-Pierre is ready to walk away from the fight game. So what's next for Hendricks if GSP is out? To me there are two options: either the winner of Carlos Condit and Matt Brown, or Robbie Lawler. If Condit beats Brown, that's the fight to make. Their first fight was an epic, and had it been a five round fight Johny Hendricks would not have earned himself last night's title shot. I want to see it again. If Condit somehow loses to Brown, then I fully expect to see Hendricks vs. Lawler in this hypothetical post-GSP universe.


Robbie Lawler: So what of Robbie Lawler then? His next fight depends on the actions of the fighters higher in the food chain. If GSP fights Hendricks in the spring or summer, then Lawler is going to fight Carlos Condit or Matt Brown. If the UFC doesn't go in that direction, how about a rematch with Nick Diaz? Oh, that's right, he's retired. You didn't see the air quotes, but they're there. A fight with Hector Lombard would be nice, but their relationship at ATT might put the brakes on that idea.


Tyron Woodley: I sure wish I knew which Tyron Woodley would show up from fight to fight. Is he the guy who was stymied by Jake Shields for fifteen minutes, or is he the guy who starched Jay Hieron and Josh Koscheck? Doesn't really matter though, because it's easier (and more preferable) to remember the KO's than the Shields fight. I say we give Woodley Jake Ellenberger if he is able to get by Tarec Saffiedine in January. If Ellenberger loses that fight, then Woodley could be looking at a fight with Dyong Hyun Kim or Rick Story.


Rory MacDonald: Remember when MacDonald was an aggressive fighter? I do. He might be the perfect MMA fighter in Joe Rogan's universe, but in mine he's a confused kid who's afraid of a firefight. MacDonald was ridiculously passive on Saturday night, and Lawler was more than willing to accept the invitations that MacDonald gave him. MacDonald needs to fight someone who is willing to engage. Sink or swim, pal. Demian Maia might not engage in a kickboxing match, but he'll come forward in a hyper aggressive attempt to get as many takedowns as possible. Another possibility would be the loser or Carlos Condit and Matt Brown. Condit would be a rematch of a fight we still talk about, and Brown would force MacDonald into a fight or flight situation. If Ben Askren signs with the UFC, this should be the matchup he gets in his debut.


Rick Story: The only man to beat Johny Hendricks legitimately, Rick Story completely outclassed Brian Ebersole on Saturday night. With some fighters you know where their ceiling is. With Story, it is obvious where is floor is. On his worst day, Rick Story is a top 20 welterweight, and he deserves to fight guys who will give him the chance to move up the ladder. Fights with guys like Adlan Amagov, Jason High, or Brandon Thatch might not move him up the ladder like a win over Carlos Condit would, but they would certainly solidify his slot on the roster. I think Story would be a logical fight for Amagov, so let's go with that one.


Rashad Evans: If Evans gets booked against anyone other than Daniel Cormier, then I will have lost a lot of faith in the UFC's ability to add two plus two and get four.


Donald Cerrone: I'm going to believe Cowboy and treat him like a featherweight. It's pretty easy already to figure out where he fits in the division. One just has to look at his mauling of Dennis Siver at lightweight a couple years ago to figure out where he would fit in the 145 lb. field. In my world, Cerrone fights Conor McGregor in six months from now when McGregor is ready to back up his talk. If you don't think that would be a massive main event in Dublin, you haven't been paying attention. Now, if McGregor's rehab is too lengthy for Cerrone, then how about a fight with Cub Swanson? Swanson wants a big fight, Cerrone would fit the bill. Too high for Cerrone? How about Clay Guida?


Other fights to make:

Ali Bagautinov: A fight with John Lineker makes sense to me. If they think both Bagautinov and Lineker are contenders, then fights with either Ian McCall or the winner of Chris Cariaso vs. Kyoji Horiguchi could work.


Thales Leites: Tim Boetsch comes to mind. Both guys are on the fringe of top-10 status in the UFC. Other names that make sense include Lorenz Larkin, Brad Tavares, or Derek Brunson.


Erik Perez: I could see him fighting Yves Jabouin in Mexico City this spring. The winner of Alex Caceres vs. Mitch Gagnon makes sense (especially if it's Caceres). Bryan Caraway could be in the cards, depending on what management thinks of Caraway's ceiling.


Evan Dunham: Evan Dunham brings fun fights. So put him in with Jorge Masvidal and let them earn an extra $50 grand apiece. If we ever have a Matt Wiman sighting, that would rock the casbah too.


Sergio Pettis: Admit it. You thought I was going to do 1000 words on Pettis at the top. Pettis needs to be on a slow path, and I think he is going to be handled properly. If he stays at 135, then a fight with Yaotzin Meza could be in the cards. If he drops to flyweight yet again, and he sure seems like a natural flyweight right now, then Louis Gaudinot or Phil Harris could be in the cards.