Tyron Woodley, one of the biggest winners in Macau on Saturday night
The UFC ventured into familiar territory once again as the The Venetian’s CotaiArena in Macau, China became the latest venue to host a UFC Fight Night installment on Saturday night.
While the card was filled with a plethora of Chinese fighters looking to make a name for themselves, it was the two featured bouts of the evening that drew the most attention, and took the limelight.
In the main event, top contender Michael Bisping dominated, battered and bloodied Cung Le en route to securing a TKO stoppage win. ‘The Count’ looked flawless in his performance, conjuring a whole range of well-timed combinations throughout the four stanzas. The Brit, however, didn’t back down from his usual antics, post-fight, as he issued an immediate call-out to former Strikeforce champ, Luke Rockhold.
In the co-featured tussle of the evening, Tyron Woodley made quick work of South Korean star, Dong Hyun Kim. Kim, who was fighting for the first time since his highlight reel spinning elbow finish of John Hathaway, attempted to do something similar during the opening stages of the fight, but instead, fell victim to Woodley’s counter-right and a host of follow-up punches for good measure, thereafter.
Elsewhere on the main card, Ning GuangYou claimed the delayed ‘TUF: China’ 145-lbs tourney honor as he bested model-turned fighter, Yang Jianping, while Zhang Lipeng improved to 2-0 under the UFC banner after decisioning ‘TUF: Nations’ vet, Brendan O’Reilly.
So with that, it’s that time again where we at MMASucka.com play “matchmaker” and derive match-ups that could materialize for the main card winners. Sitting on the matchmaker’s armchair is no easy task by any standards so if your solutions differ from ours, state them in the comments section below.
Let’s get started!
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- Name: Ning Guangyou (4-2-1)
- Who he should face next: Mark Eddiva (6-1)
I’m still adamant that the Chinese fighters from Saturday night aren’t ready for the UFC. Even against mid-tier opposition, mind you. But with that said, every fighter can be molded from the ground up and Guangyou is no different. If given the right fights, the 32-year-old can make a real run in the Las Vegas-based outfit. Team Lakay’s Mark Eddiva, from the Philippines, would be the ideal opponent next.
- Name: Zhang Lipeng (8-7-1)
- Who he should face next: Nam Yui Chul (18-4-1)
It’s still early days for Lipeng despite his 2-0 start to his UFC career. He notched an impressive victory over Brendan O’Reilly on Saturday night but as with his compatriot, Ning Guangyou, it would be sensible to assume that the UFC will bide its time in picking his next opponent.
Former ROAD FC champ Nam Yui Chul is still waiting for his next opportunity after dispatching Kazuki Tokudome in his promotional debut. And since a battle between two Asian fighters is a theme that the UFC is looking at in recent times for cards in Asia, look out for this one to materialize soon enough.
- Name: Tyron Woodley (14-3)
- Who he should face next: Matt Brown (19-12)
Woodley needed to make a statement following his unadorned performance against Rory MacDonald, and the American Top Team staple did just that by brutally stopping the steam-rolling, Dong Hyun Kim. However, Woodley needs at least another win to be considered the next number one contender. On that front, slugger Matt Brown is looking for a fight to propel himself right back into title contention as well and with Woodley’s often publicized Jekyll and Hyde results, this could go either way.
- Name: Michael Bisping (25-6)
- Who he should face next: Luke Rockhold (12-2)
Michael Bisping made matchmaker Joe Silva’s job a tad bit easier by calling out Luke Rockhold on Saturday night. Bisping has made more than 20 appearances in the octagon to date, but is yet to merit a title shot. However, after a dominant performance against Cung Le at a flimsy age of 35, Bisping finally looks poised to make a final run at the 185-lbs crown. Rockhold and Bisping, in fact, have been going back and forth on social media for sometime now, making this a perfect moment for the UFC to cash in.
This a match-up of great caliber that’s capable of headlining any UFC Fight Night card, and could have number one contender stipulations in the near future.
*For full UFC Fight Night 48 results, click here.
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