With UFC on Versus 5 in the books, a tremendous entertaining card and one of the strongest of the year, of which you can read our live play by play here. With the dust settled, and Chris Lytle walking away victorious into the sunset, it is time to play Joe Silva and see where five of the main fighters on this card will end up next.
Dan Hardy vs. Amir Sadollah – With Hardy keeping his job despite four losses in a row, with one being excusable because it was to Georges St. Pierre, Dan Hardy is on his last straw. He needs a good matchup and hasn’t shown he can hang with anyone at the elite level lately. Sadollah is coming off a bad loss to Duane Ludwig. If Hardy can’t get past a prospect like Sadollah then his future is headed straight to BAMMA or Bellator.
Ben Henderson vs. Clay Guida – There’s no longer a true #1 contender to the UFC lightweight title with Henderson’s stunning defeat of Jim Miller. He and Guida are two of the three guys (Melvin Guillard being the other) with the claim for the winner of Edgar/Maynard. With Guillard already booked to take on Joe Lauzon, Henderson and Guida makes most sense with the winner getting a title shot. Make it five rounds and you have a potential Fight of the Year waiting to happen. It would be interesting if Henderson wins because he lost a potential title shot along with the WEC title to Anthony Pettis, who lost that shot with a loss to Guida. Henderson, with a win, could get a title shot quicker than Pettis because of the quirkiness of Edgar/Maynard.
Jim Miller vs. Anthony Pettis – Both were aiming to get in line for a title shot at the winner of Edgar/Maynard with a win and came up short in defeat. The lightweight division is a shark tank and this would make for another tough match for Pettis after coming up short against Clay Guida. Miller/Pettis would be a tough fight for him and would end up being a pretty fun one, as well.
Donald Cerrone vs. winner of Melvin Guillard/Joe Lauzon – Between now and the time Gray Maynard/Frankie Edgar 3 takes place; a #1 contender will probably have found a way to be named. With Guillard on the same card as that fight in early October, Guillard will either have a long wait for a title shot or a fight between to firmly establish it. One imagines a fight on the New Year’s card between Cerrone and the winner of that fight would make for a good way to establish the next lightweight #1 contender.
Ed Herman vs. winner of Alan Belcher/Jason McDonald – Herman fancies himself a top 10 fighter in the division. The winner of Belcher/McDonald could make the same claim. With Belcher/McDonald a month away, this could happen by the end of the year and line up one of the three for a future shot at Anderson Silva.
