This is the third piece in a series of Fantasy Matchmaking. The first piece teased Tony Ferguson vs Max Holloway, with the second looking at Chael Sonnen vs Conor McGregor. This piece will look at an all British showdown, a potential karate-style masterclass and an intergender fight that has some heat.
Michael Bisping vs Darren Till
This is certainly one for the British fans to shout about. Former middleweight champion, Michael Bisping had been in the UFC for 11 years before his retirement. Along this run, he fluctuated weight classes, won The Ultimate Fighter and became Britain’s first-ever UFC champion. He was also inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019.
Darren Till has been in the UFC for a lot longer than people may think. A member of the roster since 2015, Till was set to be the second British UFC champion when he took on Tyron Woodley in September 2018. Although this fight and his next ended in defeat, the hype around Till has never really gone away. He returned to the octagon, this time at middleweight to defeat Kevlin Gastelum at UFC 244 and is looking to make a title run at 185lbs.
Why this fight is such so exciting is because it would be easy matchmaking. Two brash Brits, each of which aren’t afraid to talk trash. Both men have supreme confidence in themselves and both love a scrap. Not massive fans of going to the ground, we could guarantee that this one would stay on the feet. With Bisping’s karate style and Till’s Muay Thai style, this one would have been a clash for the ages.
Nate Freeman‘s Fantasy Matchmaking Pick – Stephen Thompson vs Michael Page
This fight is one for fans who love sophisticated, God-tier striking. It would be a technical masterclass of striking by both fighters, with lots of flashiness thrown into the mix as well.
For a storyline, however, the two fighters could not be more opposite outside of the cage. Michael Page is a brash, stylish fighter who loves nothing more than making a fool out of his opponents both in and out of the cage. Stephen Thompson, meanwhile, is humble and very true to his martial arts roots of respect and simply fighting for competition.
If Page were in the UFC or if Thompson were in Bellator, this would be a good fight to make based on their spots in their careers as well. Should Page to come to the UFC, they would likely feed him to a fighter between the top-five and top-ten. If Thompson were to go to Bellator, he would automatically be on the cusp of a title shot. Either way, the fight makes total sense for both and would likely be one of the most entertaining fights that fans could ever see. Top-quality matchmaking should it ever happen.
Ronda Rousey vs Vince McMahon
The former UFC and WWE champion, Ronda Rousey is clearly talented. A bronze medalist in Judo at the 2008 Olympics and an MMA record of 12-2 tells you this. Following back-to-back losses in the UFC, Rousey joined the WWE to go into the realm of sports entertainment and on the most part did well. She headlined a number of PPV shows, including the prestigious ‘Wrestlemania‘.
Rousey hasn’t competed in the WWE since 2019 and last week blasted professional wrestling. She called it ‘fake’ and claimed that they were ‘ungrateful’.
The CEO of WWE, Vince McMahon is unlikely to have taken to this too kindly. Yes, professional wrestling involves fake fights, we all know this. Yes, they are scripted. And yes, MMA stars are different because they have an actual fight inside the octagon, where they are really trying to hurt each other. We don’t watch professional wrestling to actually watch two people really fight. We watch it for the gimmicky storylines, the fun skits and to follow the careers of those getting the latest ‘push’ from the company.
If McMahon really thinks that WWE is true fighting (which we all know he doesn’t), maybe himself and Rousey could step in the octagon together? Let’s not joke, however, the likelihood of this is nil. There is a potential, however, that these comments were merely to hype up a potential return to the WWE for Rousey, painting her as the heel. Where will this story go? Who knows but her comments are sure to have caused some outrage. This certainly feels like pro-wrestling matchmaking.
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