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Matches to Make after UFC 185 (all fighters)

UFC 185 was crazy, and honestly I always get kind of desperate waiting for Bleacher Report's "Matches to Make", which usually have pretty solid matchmaking. Therefore, inspired by them, I shall post my opinions on who every fighter from UFC 185 should fight next. Let's get started.

Prelim Fighters

Winners:

Germaine de Randamie vs. Liz Carmouche-Lauren Murphy winner

Joseph Duffy vs. Drew Dober-Leandro Silva winner OR Sam Sicilia @ 145

Ryan Benoit vs. Patrick Holohan

Jared Rosholt vs. Ruslan Magomedov

Beneil Dariush vs. Joe Lauzon OR Bobby Green

Elias Theodorou vs. Roan Carneiro OR Josh Samman

Ross Pearson vs. John Makdessi-Abel Trujillo winner

Losers:

Larissa Pacheco vs. Elizabeth Phillips

Jake Lindsey - None (release)

Sergio Pettis vs. Shane Howell

Josh Copeland vs. Jared Cannonier

Daron Cruickshank vs. Elias Silvério

Roger Narvaez vs. Cezar Ferreira

Sam Stout vs. Erik Koch

Main Card

Henry Cejudo vs. Jussier Formiga

A lofty test for both fighters. Cejudo would test Formiga's wrestling and stand up, while Formiga would test Cejudo's BJJ. If Cejudo wins, we have a bona fide contender. If Formiga wins, he solidifies his place in the rankings and should get a title eliminator (if this fight itself isn't one already).

Chris Cariaso vs. Ian McCall

Basically, a fight for divisional relevance. Cariaso is durable and knows how to pick up decisions using his judge-friendly striking, while McCall is durable and knows how to pick up decisions using his judge-friendly well-roundedness. Both men have suffered decision losses to rising contenders in their latest fights, so let them slug it out in the name of relevance! I could also see the UFC matching up Cariaso against Dustin Ortiz, or even Ray Borg.

Alistair Overeem vs. Junior dos Santos

Overeem fought a very smart fight. He didn't look great, he got rocked various times, but ultimately he was the one dishing out the most punishment and got the nod from the judges after battering Roy Nelson's legs and body for 15 minutes. He now has a 2-fight winning streak, his longest in the UFC. Junior's fight against Stipe was an absolute slugfest, a potential FOTY for 2014, a hell of a lot of fun. However, JDS seemed to not have the same spring in his step, the same pro boxer-like movement we used to see from him. All the JDS standards were there: the stinging jab to the body, the check left hook, the powerful right hands, but it felt...almost awkward. A matchup between these two giants (which was already supposed to happen at UFC 146) would give us two great strikers that would either be fighting for a Top 5 ranking, or staying at #2 (much like Cejudo vs. Formiga).

Roy Nelson vs. Gabriel Gonzaga-Mirko Cro Cop loser

There really isn't much to say here except "god fuckin' damn it Roy". The most one handed of all one handed fighters, Nelson looked lost against Reem. He had success, as he always does, with his right hand. However, he strangely kept ducking for takedowns instead of going for the kill every time he did find a home for the right. It was quite frustrating to watch (which is becoming almost a theme in Big Country fights). A matchup against the loser of the upcoming Gonzaga-Cro Cop fight in April would probably be a fight for a job for both men (and a fun one at that).

Johny Hendricks vs. Robbie Lawler-Rory MacDonald winner OR Tyron Woodley

Give him the champ or give him the title eliminator. Regardless of what Dana White said, Johny Hendricks fought well. Much like Overeem, he fought a smart fight, repeatedly slamming Matt Brown and pounding him out en route to an easy decision. It's not the fight we wanted to see, but it's the fight most of us thought we would see anyway. Brown is a truly gifted brawler, and Hendricks wasn't gonna fall for that. Now, how active do you want to stay, Johny Hendricks? Do we want a #1 contender's fight against Woodley (which could easily headline a FOX show), or do we want to wait it out and go against the champ? Smart money is on smart Hendricks picking the latter, either going for the rubber match against Ruthless or against the young'n in the Red King (in a matchup that I've been awaiting for years).

Matt Brown vs. Tarec Saffiedine OR Rick Story

Brown tried, he really did. In the end, Hendricks was too much for him, too elite. I love Matt Brown, but he is not yet ready for the truly elite of the welterweight division, and at 34 years old, I don't know if he ever will be. Nevertheless, he's still gonna be fightin'. A fight against the "Sponge", originally scheduled for Fight Night 60, would be a way to see where both men stand in the division. Meanwhile, a matchup against the always tough Rick Story could either slingshot Story to top 10 status or prove that the Immortal has the chops to deal with strong, gritty wrestlers who won't succumb to his forward pressure and relentless pace.

Joanna Jędrzejczyk vs. Cláudia Gadelha-Aisling Daly winner

God damn, I love JJ. The Polish hammer! The European sniper! The blue-eyed bomber! I hate to say "I told you so", but I did (to everyone who would listen). Joanna stuffed 16 of 17 takedowns from the talented Esparza, out-landed her 53 to 4 in significant strikes according to FightMetric, and all in all made Carla look outclassed. Seriously, Carla did not even look like she belonged in the same conversation as Joanna. There is, however, an asterisk on Joanna's belt. Personally, I fluctuate in the result every time I see the fight, but most people believe that Cláudia Gadelha beat Joanna when they fought at UFC on Fox 13. Gadelha is an elite fighter, with much better striking than Carla Esparza and better BJJ, while also having a different array of takedowns than Esparza does, posing a real threat to JJ's title. If she defeats Aisling Daly, the loveable and unorthodox Irishwoman, she should be in line for the title shot (although, the UFC could also fast track Paige VanZant if she defeats Herrig, given the impressive amount of interest she has been able to create after only one fight with the organization).

Carla Esparza vs. Heather Jo Clark OR Joanne Calderwood

Safe matchmaking here. If you go with Clark, it's basically, a tune-up for Carla. Despite all the hate I feel for the Cookie Monster, she is a very talented one-dimensional wrestler (rec for passive-aggressiveness?). She would probably ragdoll Clark en route to a decision win, staying relevant. However, if she truly strives for another shot at the title, she must work on that god-awful striking. Keeping her chin up, her hands down, and her footwork nonexistent, Carla became a human punching bag for Joanna. She can't continue to do that, and much less against another talented kickboxer in Calderwood, who would make sure that Carla has worked on all those holes in her stand up.

Rafael dos Anjos vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov-Donald Cerrone winner

Wow. I will be honest, I always thought Showtime was a tad overrated, but NEVER in my right mind thought that he would lose to dos Anjos, much less in the way that he did. He got blasted from pillar to post, looked like a shitty one-dimensional striker, and lost his belt in a big way. Dos Anjos is the better fighter, no doubt about it. In comes the Dagestani. Already holding a victory over dos Anjos, Nurmagomedov is most likely the best fighter in the lightweight division. However, he has to prove that against the surging Cerrone at UFC 187, who is riding a 7 fight win streak and will be the toughest test of his career so far...or will he be? One could argue that Khabib's toughest test was dos Anjos, given that dos Anjos defeated Cerrone, and he passed that one with flying colors. Now, all he has to do is stay healthy, beat Cerrone, and go for that belt.

Anthony Pettis vs. Michael Johnson

Darn it, Pettis. I was really rooting for you. I met you when you watched UFC 183 right here in Puerto Rico, in the same hamburger place where I was (The Place); you were a nice guy, taller in person, and you took a picture with me and it was awesome. Was I a bad omen? We will never know. Eh, on to the next one. Or at least what I feel should be the next one, Michael Johnson. Johnson is an extremely well-rounded fighter. Originally just a wrestler, he has evolved into a fierce striker. He could pose serious threats for Pettis in terms of pressure. If he were to win, you have your next contender. If Pettis were to win, I would probably give him another fight before the title shot just to really see where he stands.

That's all folks! Thank you for reading. It's my first post here on MMA Fighting, I love the community, and I hope I managed to actually write a sensical matchmaking piece. Hasta la Vista, guys. Comment if you want more.