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UFC 199: Fights to make for the main card fighters
- Updated: June 5, 2016
What in the heck do you do with middleweight today? That’s the question that has to be at the forefront of everyone’s mind (well, that and who is Brock Lesnar fighting?). Michael Bisping’s KO win over Luke Rockhold just blew the doors wide open at 185 and re-ignited title aspirations for the aging veteran crowd, improbably including Vitor Belfort and Dan Henderson. That means I’ve got some work to do.
I’m here to try and sort through the post-fight possibilities to get you the best potential fights out there. The UFC went ahead and ran with my Werdum/Rothwell and Arlovski/Barnett ideas, so you know I’ve got to be doing something right. I’m following the Silva/Shelby tried and true method of winner vs. winner, loser vs. loser, and similarly tenured fighters fighting one another. I’ll break tempo where I feel I have to, but otherwise, that’s the plan.
MICHAEL BISPING: So yeah, what do you do with Michael Bisping right now? The easiest answer is, you put him on the receiving end of Jacare’s title shot. Jacare is pretty clearly next in line and he’s got a great chance to take the win (although not if mecha-Bisping shows up again). But, it’s not like Jacare is the most interest-generating title fight. Does the UFC really waste a better selling PPV featuring either Belfort, Henderson, or Anderson Silva, just to give Jacare his shot? They may have to. Belfort just got TKO’d, Silva’s been injured, and Henderson’s cold streak is still pretty close in the rear view mirror. Still, if Henderson doesn’t retire, I say book that fight. It’s dumb and he hasn’t earned it, but Bisping has the chance to sell a couple huge rematches and that’s one of them. If he beats Hendo, then stick Jacare in there, but make the PPV fight first. Michael Bisping vs. Dan Henderson 2.
LUKE ROCKHOLD: Rockhold losing big frees up two possible options. Do the rematch with Chris Weidman as a no. 1 contenders fight, or Vitor Belfort rematch. I’m really not all that keen on giving Belfort another run back up to the belt (although weirdly I am just down to watch him fight Bisping unearned), so I think this is the time for the UFC to give Rockhold a chance to heal up and then do Rockhold vs. Weidman 2, with a title shot on the line. If that doesn’t work, and given my above fight, this would also be a chance to book Rockhold vs. Jacare 2, but it seems cruel to make Jacare jump through more hoops.
DOMINICK CRUZ: He pretty obviously should fight the winner of Assuncao vs. Dillashaw. No other fight makes sense right now. Dominick Cruz vs. Assuncao/Dillashaw winner.
URIJAH FABER: Assuming Faber does stick around just a little bit longer, it’s a bit tough to figure out just what exactly to do with him. Honestly, I know the fight doesn’t make sense anymore, but if Kid Yamamoto is absolutely set on competing again in the UFC, that was one of those fights that we never got but made sense for years. Still, Faber probably crushes Yamamoto right now. The next best option I have would be a featherweight showcase fight with BJ Penn, if Penn isn’t about …
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