Wednesday cards always feel a bit odd. They always start when most of us are working and by the time I get home from work the main card has already started. It’s a little annoying as plenty of fans have to take time off from work, et al, if they want to view the whole card OR DVR everything. We got our first Canadian TUF winner tonight, a pair of them actually, and one of the worst gates in modern UFC history as something like 1200 people showed up in a 15,000 seat arena. Canada is hot for MMA … but apparently Quebec City isn’t.
Now it’s time to put on my Joe Shelby hat and figure out who’s next for the most intriguing winners, and losers, from tonight’s card.
Winners
Tim Kennedy vs. Jacare Souza – I never have seen Michael Bisping get dominated like he did Wednesday night. Chael Sonnen has the best wrestling in MMA and Kennedy held him down like he was an Olympic caliber wrestler. This was some brilliant stuff from Kennedy as he looked elite against Bisping, who normally tunes up fools like Kennedy. Right now you have to consider Kennedy one win away from a title fight right now. Souza/Kennedy was a great fight in Strikeforce and a five round rematch in Brazil would make a ton of sense as a title eliminator. No one else makes sense right now; Kennedy has shown he’s ready to be one fight away from a title shot. It could also make sense for Kennedy/Souza as a co-main underneath the winner of the Machida/Belfort/Weidman triangle at the top of the division.
Patrick Cote vs. Dong Hyun Kim – Both fighters are on extended win streaks right now and another win for either and it’s a Top 10 fight. Thus it would make for a good matchup between the two on a professional basis and a good matchup inside the cage. Cote is 2-0 at welterweight and this looks like the best weight class for him. He didn’t have to cut any weight for 205, and minimal to make 185, but welterweight is a bit harder and his cardio has looked sensational since he dropped down. He looks like where he should’ve been years ago. Kim is fighting to get into the title mix and has looked sensational in his last two fights. If not Kim I could see Ryan LaFlare or Kelvin Gastelum, as well. Cote has name value and is a good heat check guy for entrance into the Top 10.
Chad Laprise vs. the winner of Rodrigo Damm/Rashid Magomedov –Laprise is moving back to lightweight after the show and that’s a proper weight class for him. He’d be a tiny welterweight and looks like a much more solid lightweight. He’s still young and should get some seasoning before being positioned as a potential contender (and draw in Canada). The winner of Damm/Magomedov feels about right and someone like James Vick could be in the mix as well. He’s not going to get anyone of note early as Laprise is a TUF winner and the UFC tends to have kid gloves with most of their TUF winners. Look for him to get someone with a win or two, tops, or making their debut.
Ryan Jimmo vs. Ovince St. Preux – Jimmo has alternated wins and losses ever since he came into the UFC and it he seems to have found where his level is: just slightly better than your average UFC light heavyweight. He came in with a good resume as one of the better 205ers outside of the UFC and has shown he’s very inconsistent at the highest level. Jimmo can finish guys when he gets the chance but his cardio is lacking because of how big he is for the division. Right now we need to find out where Jimmo’s ceiling is … but we have a really good idea. Jimmo maybe peaks as a Stephan Bonner type, a gatekeeper to anyone of note, and right now OSP is on the rise as a future contender in the next 12 months. Ilir Latifi might make sense in this slot, as well, as could the winner of Patrick Cummins/Francimar Barroso.
KJ Noons vs. Michael Prazeres – I’m not sure why this fight was at welterweight, or if Noons is going to stay there after last night, but for now I’ll consider him a lightweight. Noons is someone with some potential value in the UFC but hasn’t shown he can be elite. He can be pretty good, though, and he’s got a fighting style that could be of some note in the future. It doesn’t hurt that he has matinee idol looks, as well, and he’s the type that could be of use near the top. He has wins over a lot of impressive guys over the years, as well. Prazeres doesn’t have the name but feels like the sort of guy who Noons stops emphatically on the undercard of a UFC Fight Night. Look for Noons to get someone who’s tough but beatable before he gets a Top 10 fight sometime at the end of the year.
Elias Theodorou vs. Josh Samman – Theodorou came out and shocked nearly everyone who picked Wednesday’s card by getting a win when no one thought he would. Westcott was the guy who ran through the entire division and, as tradition dictated, looked like the “hotter” fighter coming into the show. We’ve seen this before a ton of times. Philippe Nover was supposed to be the next great lightweight … until Efrain Escudero ground a decision win in the TUF finale. Remember Uriah Hall this time last year? Kelvin Gastelum took the wind out of his sail. Now … Theodorou came out and pulled off the latest bigtime TUF Finale upset. Nearly everyone I know had Westcott.
Who didn’t pick him to win?
THIS GUY.
Theodorou looks like the type of guy the UFC wants to be on a poster. He’s a good fighter and a handsome guy; you can never have enough Luke Rockhold types. He blew the doors off a guy many thought would take the fight easily and looked like a killer in the process. As Canada’s other TUF Winner he’s going to get a slow build up. With GSP out the UFC is going to want someone who can take his place and Theodorou has the look of that guy. Does he have the talent? We don’t know. Josh Samman would make for a nice test as he’d push a hard pace on him. Samman would be a great test, depending on how long he needs to recover from the injury that took him out of his UFC on Fox fight this weekend.
Losers
Michael Bisping vs. the loser of Yoel Romero/Brad Tavares – Bisping has a rough cut to 185 and has spoken of moving back up to light heavyweight at some point in the future. I can see him moving up a weight class at this point … but right now he’s still close to a middleweight title shot. His popularity in the UK and his style put him a couple wins away from a title shot as long as he still looks like a top guy. Tim Kennedy just has improved to an impressive degree since coming over to the UFC from Strikeforce. If he stays at middleweight the loser of Romero/Tavares puts him where he needs to be in the division to make another run. I wouldn’t be shocked if Anderson Silva’s comeback fight at the end of the year is Bisping, either, as that could be a fun fight too.
Sam Stout vs. Gasan Umalatov – Stout’s been around the game for a while, been in the UFC since 2006, and has 18 fights in the UFC. I’m not sure if he stays at lightweight or not but this is the first time his chin has been cracked. Noons isn’t known for that one shot KO, either, and this has to worry Stout. He has been known to be able to practically take a 2×4 to the face and walk right through it. Couple this with the fact that he’s essentially become a heat check guy at this point in his career and he’s going to go much further down the card than he’s used to. Right now the UFC has to figure out how much he has left in the tank, if anything. Look for him to get someone debuting or with a limited resume in the UFC. He’s a fading veteran right now, nothing more, and the key will be to see what’s left. Don’t be surprised if Stout walks away, as well. He’s accomplished about as much as he can right now and everything else is downhill.
Akira Corissani vs Hacran Dias – Corissani got tossed into the deep waters of the division well before he was ready and got drowned. Dustin Poirier was in danger early, so Corissani has a bit of a moral victory, but eventually rallied to get the finish in spectacular fashion. Corissani has had a wild career so far and I think he gets a rebound fight against Dias. Dias got tossed to Nik Lentz in similar fashion and it’d make sense for the two. Rony Jason might be an acceptable matchup for Corissani, as well, as Corissani is never dull. He just probably won’t be an elite featherweight any time soon (or ever).
Leslie Smith vs. Germaine de Randamie – Smith came in on short notice and went to a decision with someone who’s not an easy out in the women’s division. I think she gets another chance in the UFC and de Randamie would make for a good test. Is Smith UFC caliber? I think so … and you can ask (and answer) the same question about de Randamie as well. This’ll make for a solid test for both of them.
