Playing matchmaker for UFC 172′s biggest winners and analyzing the upcoming rematch between champion Jon Jones and Alexander Gustaffson.
On a night that featured four submissions, the grand return of a fan favorite and another dominant title defense by the pound-for-pound champ of the light heavyweight division, UFC 172 was in a word “spectacular.”
Now, in the aftermath, we look at what’s next for the night’s biggest winners and what possible matchups lurk for them on the horizon.
Jim Miller (24-4) def. Yancy Medeiros (9-2) by rd. 1 guillotine choke
Perennial lightweight contender, Jim Miller, made short work of unranked Yancy Medeiros by swarming the younger fighter late in the first round and sinking in a beautiful guillotine choke to put the Hawaiian native to sleep.
In his post-fight interview Miller called out fellow lightweights Khabib Nurmagomedov, Josh Thomson, Rafael Dos Anjos, Donald Cerrone and TJ Grant, who are all ranked ahead of him at No. 9.
I’m inclined to agree with Miller that a fight with either of those makes sense right now and can help put him position for another contender run but who fits best here?
In my mind Grant should be Miller’s next opponent.
Fighting the Canadian makes sense on both ends, as Grant is coming off a long injury layoff and needs a middle ranked opponent to test his mettle against and Miller needs an opponent with some skins on the wall to prove his worth at 155.
Luke Rockhold (12-2) def. Tim Boetsch (17-7) by rd. 1 kimura submission
Former Strikeforce middleweight champion, Luke Rockhold, looked impressive in his third UFC fight with an unorthodox kimura submission victory over Tim Boetsch.
“The Barbarian” attempted a takedown early on Rockhold but quickly found himself in a bad position when the Santa Cruz native locked his legs over his head and yanked on his right arm for the tap.
It was another solid win for Rockhold as he continues to move closer to a title shot and now more than ever I feel it is time for a rematch between him and Tim Kennedy.
Tim Kennedy, two weeks ago, earned himself a solid decision victory over middleweight gatekeeper Michael Bisping and is currently riding a four-fight win streak.
The two have already fought before in 2012, when Rockhold defended his Strikeforce belt against the former Green Beret.
A rematch between the two can help both claim a No. 1 contender spot to face the winner of the Chris Weidman/ Lyoto Machida title fight which happens in July.
Anthony Johnson (17-4) def. Phil Davis (12-2) by unanimous decision
Welcome back “Rumble!”
Before this fight, I bet many people had Phil Davis penciled in for the victory.
In fact, Johnson came in as a +200 underdog but the former welterweight turned light heavyweight simply dominated the slower Phil Davis enroot to lopsided decision victory.
Johnson had spent the previous two years outside the UFC after being released due to a failed weigh cut against Vitor Belfort at UFC 142 in 2012.
Now Johnson looks bigger and meaner than ever and a dark-horse for light heavyweight contendership.
With a victory over previously No. 3 ranked Phil Davis, Johnson should be facing only tougher competition and Glover Teixeira, who I will get into next, is the right guy to fight next.
Teixeira lost in the main event of UFC 172 against champ Jon Jones but still put up a decent fight.
A battle between the two 205ers can help Teixeira regain his contender status and Johnson to obtain his first.
Jon Jones (20-1) def. Glover Teixeira (22-3) by unanimous decision
Well that went more or less the way I predicted.
While it was by no means a lop-sided victory, Jones never looked behind in the score cards during the main event and simply out-struck and outhustled the challenger Glover Teixeira.
Credit to the Brazilian for a valiant effort but Jones was simply too fast and too athletic for him and Teixeira found himself punching air most of the night.
Now, we already know Jones will draw Alexander Gustaffson, in a rematch of their war at UFC 165, but the question is when?
According to a few sources, the UFC is planning to possibly have the fight in Gustaffson’s home country of Sweden when the promotion makes its return to the country on Oct 4, later this year.
The rematch will be sure to sell as the first fight was one of the best of 2013.
If I had to pick a winner right now I would say Jones takes the rematch based on how well he did toward the end of their first fight but Gustaffson is clearly his biggest challenge in light heavyweight division, with his similar combination of reach and atheletcism and will not back down easily.
Wherever Dana White and the Fertitta brothers plan to have the bout, UFC fans should have the sequel to this epic fight penciled in on their calendars because one thing is for sure when these top 205ers meet again; there will be blood.
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