UFC Fight Night 50, as expected, turned out to be a fun night of fights. The event started out slow with three decisions, and a controversial decision going to Rafael Natal over Chris Camozzi. Slowly but surely, the fights picked up the pace and ended up being all finishes after the three decisions. Overall UFC Fight Night 50 was a good night of fights and lived up to expectations, which were high due to a stacked Fight Night card.
UFC Fight Night 50 took place at Foxwoods Casino in Mashantucket, CT on Sept. 5, 2014. It aired live on FOX Sports 1 in the U.S. and streamed live on UFC Fight Pass in Canada.
UFC Fight Night 50: What’s next for the main card winners?
In the highly anticipated main event, Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza was expected to defeat fellow top middleweight Gegard Mousasi, and he did handily by submission. Jacare was dominant in every area for the first two rounds, until he submitted (guillotine choke) Mousasi. In the co-main event, Alistair Overeem, although a high favourite going into the fight, he was questioned by many fans because of his known weak chin, took on non-ranked Ben Rothwell. His chin didn’t serve him well tonight, as he was stopped in the first round by TKO. Also on the main card, Matt Mitrione made quick work of Derrick Lewis and Joe Lauzon defeated Michael Chiesa due to Doctor’s Stoppage. Chiesa had a very deep cut on his eyebrow which caused the fight to be ended, which indeed was the right decision.
So with that, it’s time for MMASucka.com to play matchmaker again, and like always, we will decide who the main card winners should fight next in our opinion. If you have a different opinion, let us know in the comment section below.
Let’s get started!
Name: Joe Lauzon (24-9)
Who he should face next: Ross Pearson (16-7)
Joe Lauzon is coming off of a Fight of the Night victory over tough opponent Michael Chiesa, and you have to give him credit after all he has gone through this year. His newborn son was diagnosed with cancer, but is now cancer-free, if you did not hear. There are many matchups that could be made at lightweight right now, but the matchup for Lauzon right now that works the best is rising star Ross Pearson. Coming off a controversial decision loss to Diego Sanchez in June, he came back last month and finished Gray Maynard. He actually knocked Lauzon off of the rankings, Pearson sitting at #14 in the lightweight division. The winner of Lauzon vs. Pearson would likely get a high profile fight next, possibly an opponent just under the top 5 or in the top 10.
Name: Matt Mitrione
Who he should fight next: Stefan Struve
Matt Mitrione made very quick work of Derrick Lewis on Friday night. Since he is unranked (and likely still will be) he doesn’t deserve a top 10 opponent in our opinion, but definitely a fight that would at least put him into the rankings is what he needs. He was set to face Stefan Struve at UFC 175 but Struve pulled out last minute due to medical issues. Assuming he is alright now, this is the matchup to make as the winner would definitely deserve a top 10 opponent and get them closer to the top.
Name: Ben Rothwell
Who he should fight next: Winner of Antonio Silva vs. Andrei Arlovski
Ben Rothwell deserves a high profile fight after a quick finish over top heavyweight Alistair Overeem. Although I would like to see a fight between him and Stipe Miocic, he is most likely to fight Junior dos Santos next so I believe the winner of ‘Bigfoot’ Silva and Andrei Arlovski makes the most sense. It would skyrocket Rothwell into the rankings even more if he wins, and would get him very close to title contention.
Name: Ronaldo Souza
Who he should fight: Winner of Chris Weidman vs. Vitor Belfort
Jacare Souza is a scary man. If people had their doubts, he proved them all wrong tonight. He is a legitimate contender in the middleweight division and would give the current champion Chris Weidman a run for his money. Jacare definitely deserves the title shot, but the only thing from stopping him from getting it right away is timing. Weidman is set to face Vitor Belfort for the title in December, so it would be a long wait for Souza to fight the winner of that fight. If he is fine with waiting, he deserves a title fight next. If not, the winner of Tim Kennedy and Yoel Romero at UFC 178 makes the most sense.
