With UFC 141 in the books, and Brock Lesnar retiring, it’s time to play Joe Silva and figure out the five most intriguing matchups for some of the winners (and losers) coming out of UFC 141. As always you can read our play by play of the event here.
Alistair Overeem vs. Junior Dos Santos – Overeem looked like an absolute killer against Lesnar. That liver shot that ended the fight could’ve killed many people and it’s no wonder Lesnar crumpled from it. Junior Dos Santos is a bad, bad man and this looks like it could be an insanely good matchup. Dana White had stated that the winner of Lesnar/Overeem would fight for a title and this is the only fight that makes sense for “The Reem” right now.
Nate Diaz vs. the winner of Joe Lauzon/Anthony Pettis – The lightweight division is a bit open now that Jim Miller, Clay Guida and Melvin Guillard have all lost as well as Maynard/Edgar has completed. With Henderson/Edgar on the way, a new #1 contender needs to be crowned. I’d love to see this as a title eliminator and a title defense for this spring/early summer lined up.
Johny Hendricks vs. the winner of Carlos Condit/Nick Diaz – Johny Hendricks just destroyed the #2 welterweight in the world. Who could’ve predicted that GSP would be out of the title picture and Jon Fitch wouldn’t be around to capitalize on it? Hendricks is on a strong winning streak and a dismantling of Fitch, who hadn’t been knocked out in almost a decade, should qualify him for a title shot. If not I can see him fighting the winner of Diego Sanchez/Jake Ellenberger in a title eliminator.
Donald Cerrone vs. Cole Miller – One of the fights Cerrone has wanted over the years has been Miller because the two apparently don’t like one another. It seemed odd that he’d want that fight when he was in title contention; now he’s off that path for a short while and this could be a good rebound fight for him. Clay Guida remains as well as he’s another wannabe contender who fell short, looking to get back on the path.
Jimy Hettes vs. Chan Sung Jung – Jung and Hettes both are coming off insane beatdowns of known fighters. Jung may have beaten a top fighter but he’s not one yet. Hettes still needs some seasoning before he takes on the best of the division or at least a Miguel Torres type. Jung could be a fun fight and one that helps Hettes continue to climb. Torres’s return to the UFC could also have Hettes in its crosshairs as well.
