(Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
UFC on Fox 14 came to you live from the Tele2 Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. The second largest UFC crowd, with more than 26, 000 fans live in attendance, were treated to a pretty good card overall. The main card kicked off with a bout between Akira Corassani and Sam Sicilia. It was Sicilia who was able to land a toe-curling right hand to the dome and Corassani, stopping him in his tracks. Corassani was out before he hit the ground.
Second fight to go down was between talented wrestlers Ryan Bader and Phil Davis. It was a fight that played out like almost everyone thought it would – and that’s not a good thing. When the scorecards were read it was Bader coming through with a split decision, yet nobody seemed to care. Moving on.
Gegard Mousasi did what we all thought and hoped he’d do – he beat Dan Henderson. However, he made it look good, scoring a first round TKO finish over the battle tested veteran. It’s not a victory that’s likely to shoot Mousasi up the rankings, but a win is always better than a loss.
And now to the main event! Anthony Johnson and Alexander Gustafsson went at it. As I said he would – Rumble Johnson knocked Alexander Gustafsson out and now earns the biggest fight of his career. Get ready folks, 2015 is the year of Rumble!
It’s time for MMASUCKA to play matchmaker. Listed below are the four main card winners and the opponents I believe they should fight next. Got a different opponent in mind, or just want to compliment me on my greatness? Go ahead- leave a comment, criticism or whatever suits you! Thanks in advance – now here we go!
The Fighter: Sam Sicilia (14-5)
Who he should fight next: The winner of Diego Brandao (18-10) & Jim Hettes (11-2)
Diego Brandao and Jimmy Hettes go at it in a weeks time, at UFC 183. The winner of that fight, like Sicilia will only be on a one-fight win streak and be nowhere near top 15 any time soon. It should be a fun fight and the timelines matchup well so it’s a good fight to make!
The Fighter: Ryan Bader (19-4)
Who he should fight next: Daniel Cormier (15-1)
Bader has won four fights in a row and Cormier is coming off his first career loss. So this fight doesn’t make much sense right? WRONG. The UFC already has their next contender for Jon Jones, so this matchup is all about the future. Cormier/Jones II can sell, whereas nobody wants to see Jones/Bader II. This fight almost guarantees Cormier gets back on the winning track, and if Bader some how pulls out the win then I guess maybe he is ready for a Jones rematch.
The Fighter: Gegard Mousasi (36-5-2)
Who he should fight next: The winner of Thales Leites (24-4) vs Tim Boetsch (18-7)
Mousasi’s win over Dan Henderson was impressive, but now a days a win over Hendo doesn’t exactly catapult you up the rankings. Top 15 fighters Thales Leites and Tim Boetsch go at it next weekend at UFC 183 and the winner of that fight will extend their current win streak. It’s a solid matchup and can be a nice addition to any UFC main card. Make I happen!
The Fighter: Anthony “Rumble” Johnson
Who he should fight next: Jon Jones (21-1)
This is the most obvious matchup out of them all. We all knew that Rumble vs Gustafsson was a number one contender fight. Well Anthony Rumble Johnson is now the number one contender. The guy is an absolute stud and needed less than three minutes to dispatch of Gustafsson. Rumble vs Jones will be the best fight of 2015 and I’m telling you now, you better not count Rumble out!
Check out Nate Grotenhuis on Twitter @BurgersMMA
