UFC Fight Night 43 was the first of two consecutive events over the weekend. It was the UFC’s first venture into New Zealand as well, with the entire card streaming exclusively on UFC Fight Pass.
Of the ten bouts held on a line-up filled with debutants and veterans alike, only four went the distance.
The main event featured a Middleweight tilt between former Strikeforce champ Nate Marquardt and home turf favorite, James Te Huna. To the fans’ dismay, however, it was Marquardt who put a stamp in his return to the 185-lbs pile with a slick first round Armbar submission victory. That triumph also snapped a three-fight losing skid.
The co-main event, meanwhile, saw a stodgy affair eventuate between fan favorite Soa Palelei and wrestling ace, Jared Rosholt. Palelei’s gas tank seemingly took the 36-year-old out of the contest within minutes of just the first stanza, allowing Rosholt to take over with relative ease thereafter. Rosholt was content to ride out a victory with his wrestling prowess and ground control, eventually scooping the judges’ scorecards unanimously.
It wasn’t a fight that pleased the masses, but Rosholt got the job done efficiently.
Elsewhere on the card, Charles Oliveira added a piece of history to his burgeoning resume by becoming the first fighter to stop Hatsu Hioki, while on the main card’s opener, Robert Whittaker outpointed Mike Rhodes for his third victory under the UFC banner.
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: Robert Whittaker (12-4)
- Who he should face next: Neil Magny (11-3)
It wasn’t that hard to foreshadow this match-up given how both fighters have racked up consecutive victories. Magny fought on the prelims of the very same card, stopping Rodrigo Lima decisively with punches in the second frame. Magny’s style of fighting also somewhat mirrors that of Whittaker’s, with both fighters ostensibly preferring to trade shots on their feet in their bouts. For both fighters, their stance in the Welterweight division is still unclear, so this will be a genuine test to see who deserves to progress up the ladder, and who does not.
- Name: Charles Oliveira (18-4, 1 NC)
- Who he should face next: Nik Lentz (25-6-2, 1 NC)
Following his mouth watering submission victory over Hatsu Hioki, Charles Oliveira wasted little time in calling out Nik Lentz. The two first met at UFC Live 4 back in June 2011, in a bout that resulted in a No-Contest after ‘Do Bronx’ inadvertently caught Lentz with an illegal knee. Both fighters have unfinished business with one another, and a score that’s yet to be settled. Expect this one to be in the works in the near future.
- Name: Jared Rosholt (11-1)
- Who he should face next: Ruslan Magomedov (12-1)
He might have grinded out a victory over a much experienced opponent on Friday night, but even with three wins in the promotion, Rosholt still has work to do before he can safely cement a place in the top ten rankings. However, with that said, we can’t take away the fact that he has the raw talent to hang around the UFC ranks for a while. Ruslan Magomedov, on the other hand, is part of a recent wave of Russian fighters surging in North America, and after emerging victorious in his octagon debut just last month, this is a perfect match-up for him to be groomed in as he advances up the Heavyweight pile.
- Name: Nate Marquardt (33-13-2)
- Who he should face next: Costas Philippou (13-4, 1 NC)
A swift return to Middleweight proved to be the right decision for one Nate Marquardt, who looked absolutely dismal at 170-lbs. The former UFC title challenger is still a huge and formidable talent in the ranks and as he looks to get back into the contenders’ pit, there’s no better opponent befitting of facing him next than Costas Philippou. Philippou most recently shattered Lorenz Larkin with punches for a dominant victory at UFC Fight Night 40, snapping a two fight losing skid in the process. Now, with victories under their belts, Marquardt-Philippou would be worthy of a headlining spot of just about any UFC Fight Night card.
For full UFC Fight Night 43 results, click here.
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