· Who’s Next? UFC 125 Edition
UFC 125 was titled "Resolution," but the event created a big mess for matchmaker Joe Silva. WEC champion Anthony Pettis had already been promised a title shot, but it's still unknown whether he will have to wait until after the draw between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard is solved. Chris Leben's title run was derailed, and Nate Diaz and Takanori Gomi were both defeated after picking up momentum in recent fights.
Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard III
It appeared as though Maynard would improve his record to 2-0 over Edgar early in the fight, but the UFC lightweight champion was able to storm back to earn a draw with the only man to ever beat him. While there are certainly other worthy contenders (including Pettis, George Sotiropoulos, and Jim Miller), the score between Edgar and Maynard is ripe to be settled. There wasn't substantial hype surrounding the UFC 125 card, but a rematch between the two could certainly pick up some steam.
Brian Stann vs. Demian Maia
Stann has finished his first two fights since moving to middleweight, an impressive feat as he went just 2-2 at light heavyweight. A former WEC champion, Stann has a great back story as a former Navy football player and U.S. Marine. Maia is still trying to recover from embarrassing losses to Nate Marquardt and Anderson Silva, but the former jiu-jitsu world champion is still one of the most dangerous fighters in the middleweight division. Seeing Stann's power matched up with Maia's grappling would certainly provide for an intriguing fight.
Thiago Silva vs. Phil Davis
Former NCAA champion Phil Davis has nothing left to prove against also-ran fighters in the light heavyweight division, and his impressive submission victory over Tim Boetch in November showed that he is ready for a top ten UFC fighter. Facing Silva, who just defeated his teammate Brandon Vera, would be an ideal matchup. Silva still has some rebuilding left to do after losses to Lyoto Machida and Rashad Evans, namely proving that he can hang on the ground with the elite at 205 pounds.
Dong Hyun Kim vs. Josh Koscheck
Kim asked for a fight with UFC Champion Georges St-Pierre after defeating Nate Diaz, but he will likely have to prove that he can finish a fight before earning a title shot. Kim has smothered many of his opponents with his wrestling, but there is little chance he would be able to have that same gameplan against the former all-American wrestler Koscheck. Koscheck needs a good test after losing to St-Pierre, and Kim is a rising prospect who has the confidence to hang in there with the big boys. If Kim wants a title shot, he will have to take out a former title challenger first.
Clay Guida vs. Ben Henderson
Joe Silva seems to be a fan of fights that can't be anything but exciting, as are most UFC fans. Guida and Henderson are similarly exciting fighters who are rarely involved in a boring fight. Both fighters have wrestling backgrounds but are not afraid to strike, and both fighters need a quality win to sneak into the title picture. Put this fight on free TV and let the rest of the puzzle pieces fall into place.
Nate Diaz vs. Takanori Gomi
The back story is already there: Diaz's brother Nick defeated then-top ranked Gomi in Pride before the decision was overturned due to a failed drug test. Now with Gomi in the UFC and Diaz reportedly willing to fight at both lightweight and welterweight, a matchup with Gomi would certainly gain a decent amount of attention. Gomi would likely be willing to stand with the younger Diaz, but it would be interesting to see if Nate would attempt to take Gomi to the mat to try out the same gogoplata submission that his brother landed on the former top lightweight.
Armchair matchmaker:
- Chris Leben vs. Alan Belcher
- Jeremy Stephens vs. Donald Cerrone
- Dustin Poirier vs. Erik Koch
- Josh Grispi vs. Raphael Assuncao
- Brad Tavares vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama
- Diego Nunes vs. Chad Mendes/Michihiro Omigawa winner
- Mike Brown vs. Nam Phan
- Daniel Roberts vs. Claude Patrick
- Jacob Volkmann vs. Joe Lauzon
- Antonio McKee vs. Bart Palaszewski
The list of possible cuts coming from this event is ominous; the UFC's recent willingness to part with fighters, regardless of their popularity, could mean that the following fighters may soon be looking for work elsewhere: Phil Baroni, Marcus Davis, Brandon Vera, and Greg Soto.
