Conor McGregor hoists the Irish flag up high as he capped off a brilliant night in Dublin with a victory
The dust has settled on an extravagant pit-stop in Dublin, Ireland, where the O2 Arena played host to ten fights in front of a jubilant crowd.
The atmosphere was eccentric, none so more for the Irish fighters who were competing on home soil. And the Irishmen did not disappoint their countrymen’s ruptures, as they went a perfect 5-0 on the night.
Conor McGregor etched ever closer to stardom under the UFC stage lights, trumping “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 14 winner, Diego Brandao, in the main event. McGregor, a former two-time champ under the Cage Warriors banner, is slowing earning a place among the UFC’s elite whilst established himself as one of the outfit’s most marketable international stars.
In the co-main event, McGregor’s team-mate and another potential star on the horizon, Gunnar Nelson, kept his unblemished record in tact by dispatching Zak Cummings in the second stanza. The Renzo Gracie-Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt product continues to startle his opponents with a combination of his unorthodox striking style and grappling prowess, leaving us to wonder if there’s anyone in the 170-lbs ranks capable of figuring out the 25-year-old’s weaknesses.
Elsewhere on the card, Ian McCall topped Brad Pickett via decision in an important 125-lbs affair while the highly touted Norman Parke destroyed Naoyuki Kotani’s UFC home-coming with a second round TKO rout.
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: Norman Parke (20-2-1)
- Who he should face next: Diego Sanchez (25-7)
You could be forgiven for not noticing Norman Parke’s unbeaten start to his UFC career or the fact that he’s racked up a nice run of four wins. And while the Irishman blames his lack of finishes for that regard, a tussle against a fighter of Diego Sanchez’s caliber next could finally propel Parke to the type of exposure he deserves and a spot in the top 12 as well. Besides, the 27-year-old made matchmaker Joe Silva’s job a tad bit easier by dropping Sanchez’s name out right off the bat in his post-fight interview. And with both fighters matching up pretty evenly in all facets of the game, it wouldn’t actually be bad idea to grant Parke his wish.
- Name: Ian McCall (13-4)
- Who he should face next: John Lineker (24-7)
McCall quickly cemented a place on the list of candidates for Demetrious Johnson’s 125-lbs throne, after throbbing Brad Pickett immaculately with a lopsided decision victory on Saturday night. While his ambitions to face the champ for a third time are bold, it’s safe to say ‘Uncle Creepy’ is still at least a fight away from that no.1 contenders’ spot. Former Jungle Fight champ John Lineker, meanwhile, has piled up an impressive 5-2 run in his stint with the UFC thus far. After finally sorting out his weight issues (for this fight, at least) in his ‘Fight of the Night’ performance victory over Alptekin Özkiliç, the hard-hitting Brazilian would be a perfect foe for McCall next.
- Name: Gunnar Nelson (13-0-1)
- Who he should face next: Ryan LaFlare (11-0)
Ryan LaFlare was Gunnar Nelson’s original opponent before he was removed from the running order and replaced by Zak Cummings. As such, while it’ll be sensible to have both men booked against each other once again, it’d be a perfect chance for Nelson to topple over LaFlare’s number 14 spot in the UFC rankings too. Furthermore, with the duo holding unscathed and almost identical records, this will be an intriguing match-up on paper that’s sure to wet the appetites of fight fans.
- Name: Conor McGregor (15-2)
- Who he should face next: Winner of Dennis Bermudez (13-3) vs. Clay Guida (31-14)
McGregor looks to be the next big thing in the UFC but in order for the 26-year-old to start progressing up the ladder, ‘Notorious’ needs to set a date with fighters in the top ten rankings first. Dennis Bermudez and Clay Guida fit those bills perfectly, and with those two set to slug it out at UFC on FOX 12 next week, McGregor might want to keep his eyes peeled on possibly facing the winner next.
For full UFC Fight Night 46 results, click here.
