Luke Rockhold
(ALSO SEE: Joe Silva’s Shoes: What next for UFC on FOX 15’s losing fighters?)
UFC on FOX 15’s main card featured breakthrough performances in three of four bouts. The most meaningful was Luke Rockhold’s (14-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) submission of Lyoto Machida (22-6 MMA, 14-6 UFC) in the main event.
In the FOX-televised headliner at Newark, N.J.’s Prudential Center, Rockhold dominated Machida in a way few others have, and in doing so, he made his case for the next middleweight title shot.
In the co-main event, Ronaldo Souza (22-3 MMA, 5-0 UFC) also strengthened his argument for a title shot at 185 pounds with an expected first-round submission victory over replacement opponent Chris Camozzi (19-10 MMA, 6-7 UFC)
Two of the UFC’s youngest fighters also got wins when 23-year-old featherweight contender Max Holloway (13-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) and rising 115-pound star Paige VanZant (5-1 MMA 2-0 UFC) topped their respective competition.
After every event, fans wonder whom the winners will be matched up with next. And with another night of UFC action in the rearview mirror, it’s time to look forward, put on a pair of Joe Silva and Sean Shelby’s shoes, and play UFC matchmaker.
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Paige VanZant
Maryna Moroz
Should fight: Maryna Moroz
Why they should fight: VanZant largely lived up the hype when she steamrolled veteran Felice Herrig for her second consecutive UFC victory.
With VanZant and women’s strawweight champion Joanne Jedrzejczyk the only fighters in the weight class with more than one win, a natural inclination might be to pair the two together in a title bout.
However, that would be a mistake – not because VanZant would likely be a considerable underdog, but because it’d be a waste of her potential to rush her to the top with just six pro fights.
VanZant is clearly a talent worth keeping tabs on. She has superstar potential if her career is groomed properly. The matchup with Moroz (6-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) suggested in UFC Fight Night 64’s post-fight matchmaker piece would work well.
Moroz impressed in her UFC debut with a shocking 90-second submission win over contender Joanne Calderwood. VanZant is a solid followup fight.
Max Holloway
Chad Mendes
Should fight: Chad Mendes
Why they should fight: With 12 UFC fights at just 23 years old, Holloway has the experience of a veteran paired with the progression in skill, confidence and fearless attitude only great fighters seem to have.
“Blessed” took a huge step up in competition against Cub Swanson and passed the test with flying colors. He picked apart Swanson on the feet before the action hit the floor, where he locked in a third-round submission for the win.
There’s minimal real estate between Holloway and the title after he took out a top fighter with such force. Anyone outside the top five would be a step back in competition, but most fighters in the category are occupied.
Mendes (17-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) stands alone in terms of available competition. It’s hard to determine whether that fight would be of interest to Mendes and the UFC, but Holloway would certainly be game.
The Hawaiian has won his past six fights, but he hasn’t crossed paths with a powerhouse wrestler who has knockout power. Mendes showed he’s a force to be reckoned with when he recently stopped Ricardo Lamas in the first round at UFC Fight Night 63.
While Mendes has said he would prefer to face the winner of UFC 189’s title fight between champ Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor, he also said he’d like toavoid an extended layoff.
If Holloway gets a fight with Mendes, it’d be a win-win. He’d test his skills against a former title challenger, and a win would immediately place him in line for a championship fight. A loss would reveal where his skills stand compared to the very elite and help him determine what he needs to work on in his mid-20s.
Joe Silva’s Shoes: What next for UFC on FOX 15’s winning fighters? | MMAjunkie
