It’s always odd to watch MMA on a Saturday afternoon, during college football season nonetheless, but we at Inside Fights were watching diligently. Ryan Frederick was on the call for the PBP, which you can read here. After what was a solid card it’s time to step into the Silva/Shelby Shoes and figure out what’s next for the most intriguing winners and losers from the Manchester card.
Winners
Lyoto Machida vs. Luke Rockhold – Machida at 185 is an interesting style matchup but at the same time he’s in a tough spot. The former champion (Anderson Silva) is a close friend. Jacare Souza is a training partner. Thus if one of them holds the title then it makes it awkward. Machida recently said he’d fight Anderson, who’s always said he wouldn’t fight Machida, thus Black House is in an awkward spot. Rockhold makes more sense to me than Vitor Belfort, who Dana White has said he’d like to see face Machida.
Belfort, with a win over Dan Henderson, deserves a title shot at middleweight. He’s in the same spot as Chael Sonnen; he’s only lost to Silva and Jon Jones on his current win streak. Rockhold makes more sense, I think, as it gives Machida a great style matchup and a chance to let the division settle. Tim Boetsch could be here, too, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Francis Carmont gets Machida either. He’s such an interesting style matchup that anyone in the top 10 makes sense.
John Lineker vs. Scott Jorgensen – Jorgensen just had an opponent fall out in Ian McCall, of course, and Lineker isn’t getting a title shot until he comes in at weight. He needs Mike Dolce more than any fighter alive right now; Lineker is an elite flyweight who needs to either solve his weight cutting problem or move up to 135. If Dolce can’t do it no one can. I think he can make 125; he’s done it in the past in the UFC. There has to be something he’s doing that’s fixable; he’s not cutting ungodly sums like Rumble Johnson was.
Jorgensen is potentially elite at flyweight; it’s a fast turnaround but I wouldn’t be shocked if it was announced. Chris Cariaso might be the matchup that gets made, though, and I wouldn’t be shocked if that wasn’t made for the Chicago UFC on Fox card. Lineker would’ve gotten a title shot if he’d have made weight and unfortunately he didn’t. Now he needs to get his diet in check and get another win.
Al IaQuinta vs. Norman Parke – Both guys come from TUF and looked great this past weekend. Both need seasoning and usually prospects in this case face one another, ala Myles Jury vs. Michael Johnson. I wouldn’t be shocked if Johnson was announced against the Serra/Longo fighter, either. IaQuinta is a great prospect but he’s still some time removed from potentially being relevant in the division.
Luke Barnatt vs. the winner of Lorenz Larkin/Chris Camozzi – Barnatt is being brought along slowly but surely. He might be the best middleweight to come out of TUF 17 when all is said and done. It’s kind of a crazy thought, especially with how much hype Uriah Hall had coming out of it, but Barnatt has improved immensely since the show ended.
Nicholas Musoke vs. the winner of Chris Leben/Uriah Hall – Musoke is a natural welterweight who took the fight a weight upon short notice, apparently. He looked good at 185, though, and I wouldn’t be shocked if he stayed there either. I’m presuming he stays at 185 but if he goes down to welterweight I wouldn’t be shocked, either. The winner of Leben/Hall will have survived a cut but won’t be 100% safe. Musoke isn’t safe either, at this point. If he goes to 170 I think Kelvin Gastelum would make for an interesting matchup.
Losers
Phil Harris vs. Darrell Montague – There’s no shame in getting lamped by John Lineker. There’s no shame in getting lamped in your debut against a top guy like John Dodson, either. This fight makes a bit of sense; Harris is an odd case in that he makes for an interesting style matchup against a lot of guys. I wouldn’t be surprised if he got Ian McCall, when McCall returns from injury, as well. Flyweight is such an open weight class right now that when you lose the matchups can be interesting.
Mark Munoz vs. Costa Philippou – Munoz went from one win away from a title matchup to back in line after his friend, and training partner, turned the lights off on him. Munoz still has value, of course, and is still an elite middleweight. He’s just not the top guy we pegged him as after he manhandled Tim Boetsch. Philippou is another Top 10 guy on a free fall, right now, and I think the two match up in interesting ways.
Ryan Jimmo vs. the loser of Alexander Gustafsson/Little Nog – Jimmo probably will be out for a while and Gustafsson/Nog is this spring. If Jimmo is ready by the summer so should the loser of this ostensible title eliminator. It all depends on the severity of the injury.
Andy Ogle vs. Max Holloway – Ogle’s ceiling is established; he’s an over-achieving, hard working Brit who’ll never be a contender. But he’ll be in the UFC for a long time because he’s a good test of young talent and an exciting fighter. He’s the 145 pound equivalent to Stephan Bonner, more or less, and Bonner stuck around for a long time because he was just good enough to stay but not good enough to make waves. Holloway is still young and gave Connor McGregor all he could handle. We don’t know Holloway’s ceiling, not quite yet, and Ogle would be a good test of it.
No Contests
Ross Pearson vs. Melvin Guillard – Apparently this has already been scheduled for a rematch in Manchester next year.
