On Saturday afternoon, UFC Fight Night 64 emanated live on UFC Fight Pass from the Tauron Arena Krakow in Krakow, Poland. The main event saw Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic avenge his loss from nearly eight years ago to Gabriel Gonzaga in brutal fashion. Below, LWOS books the fights for the main card winners and losers of UFC Fight Night 64:
Mirko Cro Cop: Cro Cop looked old and bit tentative against Gonzaga, but his finishing instincts were as sharp as ever. He had Gonzaga hurt in the third round, and he unleashed a brutal barrage of elbows to open up a huge cut on the Brazilian and pick up the win. Will Cro Cop ever be UFC champion? Highly doubtful. Is he still fun to watch? If Saturday is the norm, then yes. It’s rare the UFC matches up a fighter coming off of a win with a fighter coming off of a loss, but I’d like to see Cro Cop’s revenge tour continue. Up next, he should take on Roy Nelson. The two first met in October of 2011 in what was Cro Cop’s last UFC fight until Saturday. Nelson won the bout by third round knockout. Nelson is on a two fight win streak, and Cro Cop has won three straight, but this is a fun fight that makes sense anyways. Book it.
Gabriel Gonzaga: The last time Gonzaga fought Cro Cop, he picked up the biggest win of his career and earned a UFC title shot. Ever since then though, he’s been a sub-.500 fighter, he’s lost three straight, and he was even briefly cut from the UFC. Gonzaga’s glory days are long gone, but like Cro Cop, he can still provide some entertainment. Up next, he should take on fellow Brazilian Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva. Combined, Gonzaga and Bigfoot are 0-6-1 in their last seven fights. Match them up, and hopefully the loser, and maybe winner too, will retire after the fight.
Jimi Manuwa: Manuwa looked good considering he fought Jan Blachowicz with a torn meniscus, ACL and MCL. Next weekend in New Jersey, Ovince Saint Preux takes on Patrick Cummins. Both are wrestlers with improving stand-up, and both would test Manuwa’s takedown defense. Manuwa should face the winner of Saint Preux vs Cummins.
Jan Blachowicz: Blachowicz never really got out of first gear, as he was more content to sit back and counter than push his own pace at any time in the fight. Blachowicz’s fights are fun, and another man who will test him on the feet and give him another fight is former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Rafael Feijao. Feijao has had a disappointing UFC run so far, going just 1-2 over the past nearly two years.
Pawel Pawlak: Pawlak showed improved takedown defense in his sophomore UFC effort, and it helped him pick up a win on his home soil over Sheldon Westcott. Pawlak is still very low on the welterweight pecking order, but he’s on the way up. So is undefeated American wrestler Colby Covington. Pawlak’s wrestling defense will be tested even more by Covington, a man who the UFC appears to have high hopes for.
Sheldon Westcott: This was Westcott’s first fight since he lost in the finals of TUF Nations a year ago. He’s been dealing with injuries, and after his impressive run on the show, a lot of people were expecting more from him. Ring rust could have played a big factor, and Westcott did look fairly gassed in the third round. His ceiling remains decently high though, so see if he can bounce back against a lower level of competition, like Gasan Umalatov. The Russian is 1-2 in the UFC with his only win coming against a faded Paulo Thiago.
Maryna Moroz: Moroz submitting Joanne Calderwood is arguably the biggest upset of the year so far. Calderwood closed as a 9-to-1 favorite, but it didn’t matter to Moroz, who beat up Calderwood on the feet before submitting her. Up next, Moroz should take on the winner of Tecia Torres vs Angela Hill. The TUF 20 veterans take on each other in two months at UFC 188 in Mexico City.
Joanne Calderwood: As stated above, Calderwood’s loss to Moroz was both shocking and unexpected. Calderwood always puts on a show, especially against fellow striking-minded women. She should take on the loser of Torres vs Hill. Both ladies favor the stand-up game like Calderwood, and a fight between her and either Torres or Hill would be awesome to watch.
