The UFC held one of the most exciting events in its history on Saturday when the small octagon was brought to New Orleans, Louisiana.
The main card saw five 1st round finishes, including Dan Henderson’s shocking 30 second knockout of Tim Boetsch.
Here at Last Word on Sports, we like to play matchmaker and see what would be the best match-ups for the winners of a card. Here’s LWOS Books UFC Fight Night: New Orleans.
Dan Henderson vs. Robert Whittaker
It would seem like an odd match-up at first, having the 44 year old Dan Henderson fighting the 24 year old Robert Whittaker, American vs. Australian.
The fight makes more sense when you look at what point each fighter is at in their career. Henderson just showed that he has some fire power left. He has also shown in his other previous fights that he does not have what it takes to beat the best middleweights and light-heavyweights.
Robert Whittaker is not an elite middleweight, but he’s only 24 years old and has plenty of time to develop into one. A win over a veteran like Henderson could give Whittaker both a taste of the spotlight and a marquee victory. We would also get to see if Henderson still has what it takes to hang with the younger talent as his only two wins in his past 7 fights have been against veteran fighters who are past their prime (Shogun and Boetsch).
Both fighters are also coming off of quick 1st round knockouts within the past month, meaning the fight could take place a lot sooner than later.
Ben Rothwell vs. Andrei Arlovski
This is a match-up that most fans were clamoring for after Rothwell submitted Matt Mitrione in less than two minutes. Rothwell has now won back to back fights in which he was the underdog, the other fight being a knockout of Alistair Overeem in the first round.
Arlovksi has also had his fair share of underdog performances lately, knocking out the heavily favored Antonio Silva and Travis Browne in the first round.
This fight would also be a rematch of their 2008 Affliction fight in which Arlovski won by knockout. Both fighters have had many ups and downs since that fight, and now both see themselves nearing the top of the heavyweight division, only a couple fights away from a title shot.
Dustin Poirier vs. Winner of Iaquinta/Green
Poirier was nearing the top of the featherweight division before getting run over by the hype train that was Conor McGregor. After two quick finishes at lightweight, Poirier has shown that lightweight may be a perfect place for him.
Do you believe @DustinPoirier is getting the credit he deserves for his performance? I mean, that was some ridiculous striking right there.
— Joe Ferraro (@ShowdownJoe) June 8, 2015
Wins over Ferreira and Medeiros haven’t propelled Poirier up the rankings. Even though he is ranked lower than these next two fighters, he would likely be going in as a close favorite against either Al Iaquinta or Bobby Green.
Poirier’s performances have been outstanding at lightweight, and beating either of these men in convincing fashion would allow Poirier to get a crack at the very top of the division.
Quick Bookings:
Brian Ortega vs. Dan Hooker
Anthony Birchak vs. Thomas Almeida
Francisco Rivera vs. Aljamain Sterling
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