UFC Fight Night 58 came to us live Saturday night from the Ginasio Jose Correa in Barueri, Brazil. The event was broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 and featured two former champions, Lyoto Machida and Renan Barao, picking up stoppage wins. It’s now time to look ahead and see what match-ups make sense next for the main card competitors. LWOS books the fights for the main card winners and losers below:
Lyoto Machida: Machida looked phenomenal again, disposing of CB Dollaway in a mere 62 seconds with a devastating body kick. His middleweight title fight loss to Chris Weidman wasn’t too debilitating because the fight was so close and so fun, so Machida is still in the title picture, and he remains a win or two away from fighting for the belt again. All the other top middleweights are booked to fight each other coming up in January – Weidman vs Vitor Belfort, Jacare Souza vs Yoel Romero, and Anderson Silva vs Nick Diaz – except one: Luke Rockhold. Machida vs Rockhold would be another amazing fight in the ridiculously talent-rich middleweight division.
CB Dollaway: Dollaway had won four-of-five coming in, and he had been clamoring for a rnked opponent. Unfortunately for him, that opponent was Machida, who was miles ahead of him in the stand up game. Not many people were expecting Dollaway to win this one, so the loss shouldn’t be too damaging. Up next, he should face the loser of Costas Philippou vs Uriah Hall. Those two square off in January at UFC Fight Night 59 in Boston.
Renan Barao: Barao looked alright in his first fight since losing the bantamweight title to TJ Dillashaw back in May, but he did pick up a win by submission, so it’s tough to say he looked bad. The win over Mitch Gagnon didn’t earn him a rematch with Dillashaw – Dominick Cruz is still ahead of him in the title shot line. But he should fight Raphael Assuncao next for a chance to fight the Dillashaw vs Cruz winner with he belt up for grabs.
Mitch Gagnon: Like Barao, Gagnon also looked alright in this fight, except unlike Barao, he lost. Similarly to Dollaway, not many people had Gagnon pegged to beat Barao, so he doesn’t lose too much in defeat. Next, he should meet Alex Caceres in the octagon. Both are fun fighters to watch, and a bout between them would be fun to watch.
Patrick Cummins: Cummins picked up his third straight UFC win Saturday night with a 15 minute drubbing of TUF Brazil 3 winner Antonio Carlos Jr. Cummins has shown dominant wrestling and top control in his last three, but not much else. Someone who could test his stand up a bit more is Anthony Perosh. Perosh has recorded a couple surprise knockout wins over the last few years, and if Cummins take him down, Perosh has a stong jiu-jitsu game that could challenge him.
Antonio Carlos Jr: The loss to Cummins was the first career loss for Carlos Jr, and it was his first fight since winning TUF Brazil 3. It was also just his fifth career fight, so he still has plenty of time to continue to grow and develop. If Igor Pokrajac, who lost on the undecard, isn’t cut by the UFC, he should be Carlos Jr’s next opponent.
Rashid Magomedov: Magomedov looked great in his win over Elias Silverio, and his (T)KO finish at 4:57 of the third round was the latest stoppage in a three-round fight in UFC history. Up next, he should square off with TUF Nations winner Chad Laprise. Combined, they have one total loss and a 5-0 UFC record. Both are top prospects on the rise, and a fight between them would be top notch.
Elias Silverio: The loss to Magomedov was the first of Silverio’s career. He got beaten to the punch all night long, and you could see Magomedov break his will the later the fight went. It’s always interesting to see how a fighter responds to defeat for the first time, and the man to test Silverio next should be Ramsey Nijem. Nijem has strong grappling and wild striking, and a fight versus Silverio would be great.
Erick Silva: The enigma that is Erick Silva struck again on Saturday night with a first round blitzing of Mike Rhodes. Silva is 5-4 in the UFC, with all five wins coming within one round. But he’s alternated wins and losses since his UFC arrival in 2011, so if you’re superstitious, you’re expecting him to lose his next fight. Speaking of, he should fight Ryan LaFlare next. Both are top 15 welterweights looking to break into the top 10, and a win for one over the other would do just that.
Mike Rhodes: Rhodes is now 0-3 in the UFC, but he’s still a good prospect. If he doesn’t get cut, he should face off with Alexander Yakovlev. Both are winless in the UFC, and both love to stand and trade.
Daniel Sarafian and Antonio dos Santos: What was an entertaining fight ended up ending prematurely due to a freak injury suffered by dos Santos when he dislocated a finger while trying to block a Sarafian punch in the second round. Neither of these guys are moving up the ranks too fast, so there’s no reason not to run this one back. The rematch should be next.
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