Sunday, October 30, 2011

What's next for the winners and losers of UFC 137

Carlos Condit vs. Josh Koscheck
Being on the short end of the odd situation that UFC 137 has created, Carlos Condit is now looking for a new opponent. While a rematch with Rory MacDonald is destined to happen sooner or later, "Ares" is currently matched up. With the decisive win over Matt Hughes, Koscheck put on a striking display and he always loves to hear from Joe Silva. These two welterweights will hype one hell of a fight for the colossal super bowl weekend card.

Matt Mitrione vs. Pat Barry
 Both these strikers are coming off losses against Cheick Kongo, and both in situations where either fighter easily could have been victorious. Mitrione will grow from his decision loss to Kongo, and Barry will provide a great test for the young southpaw.

Cheick Kongo vs. Roy Nelson
 Both in shaving off mass, and expanding his repertoire in his win against Mirko Cro Cop, Roy Nelson has looked hungrier than we have seen him in a while.  He takes a punch better than anyone in the division, and shoving one of the hardest hitters in Chieck Kongo in his face will not only test the Las Vegas native, but in terms of looks, it will be mismatch of the century.

Scott Jorgenson vs. Demetrious Johnson
These two explosive 135 pounders are both extremely tough and resilient. Mighty Mouse wouldn't let the much bigger Cruz put him away in his recent title fight. Scott Jorgenson won a decision over Jeff Curran while neutralizing Big Frog's ground game and winning the stand up. The victor between the two established bantamweights could very well pose the next threat to the belt.

Donald Cerrone vs. Gray Maynard
Cowboy is one of the most exceptional students of MMA and has improved drastically every single fight. He is now starting to become a serious threat to the lightweight division and luckily there is lots of talent in that department. Seeing how well Cerrone fares against the former number one contender will provide an idea of where he stands in relation to the belt.

Jeff Curran vs. Mike Easton
Although "Big Frog" just dropped a decision he, amazingly after 35 wins, remains to be an extremely well versed fighter. Placing a young and extremely explosive wrestler in Mike Easton could be an interesting fight, and to see how Easton's brute strength fares against Curran's submissions will make for a great matchup.

Hatsu Hioki vs. Diego Nunes
While Hatsu Hioki was victorious against George Roop, it is clear he still has more to prove. His ground game is strong, yet tentative at times, and his striking has been average. Placing him in front of the unorthodox thai kickboxer in Nunes will challenge Hioki's ability to beat a high level UFC fighter.

George Roop vs. Jonathan Brookins
While George Roop was held down for most of his fight with Hioki, his striking looked good and he was frustrated that he couldn't strike the entire fifteen minutes. Jonathan Brookins is a stronger wrestler than Hioki with solid hands and could pose a number of threats to George Roop. If Roop wants to improve he needs to learn to deal with takedowns, and a fight with TUF 12 winner will provide a clear evaluation of both featherweights.



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