The UFC returned to Cincinnati for the first time in seven years as the Las Vegas-based outfit’s 40th installment in its ‘Fight Night’ series hit the U.S. Bank Arena on Saturday night in front of a capacity crowd of just over 6,000.
Some magnificent knockouts were on display on a six-bout main card, capped off by a riveting main event that saw Matt Brown defeat Erick Silva in a ‘Fight of the Year’ worthy Welterweight match-up. Brown had to weather an early storm after eating a hard body shot and surviving a neck crank attempt, but as the fight resumed on the stand-up exchanges, it was all one-sided as Brown peppered his Brazilian counterpart with shots and pressure before finishing him off with ground-and-pound in the third frame.
In the co-main event, Costas Philippou put all his retirement doubts to rest after obliterating Strikeforce veteran Lorenz Larkin with a one-punch knockout. With the win, Philippou snapped a two-fight losing skid and hung on to his status as one of the division’s top 185-pounders.
Moving down the main card running order, Daron Cruickshank impressed once again as he toppled Erik Koch with a first round TKO victory, ‘TUF 16’ alumnus Neil Magny bested a lackluster Tim Means in a cagey 170-lbs affair, Soa Palelei posted yet another stoppage win in his resume, while Chris Cariaso handed former PXC champ Louis Smolka his first career defeat with a split decision triumph.
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: Chris Cariaso (17-5)
- Who he should face next: Winner of Ian McCall (12-4-1) vs. Brad Pickett (24-8)
Chris Cariaso has quietly amassed a three-fight winning streak but if he wants to get into title contention, he must be given a stern test in his next outing. Cariaso’s trio of defeats under the UFC banner, to date, have come against top tier opposition in Jussier Formiga, John Moraga and Michael McDonald. So if he wants to make a run at the belt and prove to the UFC brass that he belongs at the top, he needs to start racking up victories against the division’s elite.
In my humble opinion, Ian McCall and Brad Pickett fit that bill perfectly. The two are set to lock horns at UFC Fight Night 46 in July and if I were Cariaso, I would be looking on with great intent.
- Name: Soa Palelei (21-3)
- Who he should face next: Winner of Matt Mitrione (7-3) vs. Stefan Struve (25-6)
It’s pretty to difficult to sought a spot for Soa Palelei in the heavyweight rankings. With all due respect, Nikita Krylov, Pat Barry and Ruan Potts are all credible fighters by a long shot, however, despite posting stoppage wins, the Australian still hasn’t faced a top tier opponent to cement his place in the upper echelon of the division.
That may be attributed to his lack of stern tests thus far, given the extensive record he has conjured. He isn’t hovering anywhere close to a title shot either, so a fight with the winner of Matt Mitrione vs. Stefan Struve (which goes down at UFC 175) would provide an opportunity to assess his status in the organization and ultimately to see if he deserves to progress up the ladder, or not.
- Name: Neil Magny (10-3)
- Who he should face next: Kenny Robertson (13-3)
Magny and Robertson aren’t going to be challenging for a UFC belt soon and with both fighters finding it hard to string victories together, it makes sense to have them paired up next. This would be a chance for the winner to stay on the ‘W’ column or the very least, shadow some consistency.
A classic striker vs. grappler match-up, submission ace Robertson will be looking to make this a grappling affair while Magny will look to leverage on his substantial reach to outpoint his counterpart.
- Name: Daron Cruickshank (15-4)
- Who he should face next: Winner of Myles Jury (14-0) vs. Abel Trujillo (12-5, 1 N/C)
The UFC’s 155-lbs division is filled with so much talent that there are a myriad of exciting match-ups people can come up with. Cruickshank is already proving to the masses that he can stand with any UFC-level fighter in the promotion. But, it’s fair to say this is only the start of a long road for the flashy 28-year-old.
To continue improving and working up the ladder, Cruickshank needs to test himself against more solid fighters who have established themselves under the UFC flag. In that regard, either Myles Jury or Abel Trujillo (this bout goes down at UFC Fight Night 44) would be the perfect foe.
Cruickshank has dazzled under the spotlight because of his immaculate striking abilities, but as he nears the contenders’ pit of fighters, we may have to see more skills out of his arsenal.
- Name: Costas Philippou (13-4)
- Who he should face next: Thales Leites (23-4)
Philippou snapped a two-fight losing streak at Lorenz Larkin’s expense and while the 34-year-old remains as one of the division’s biggest draws, it wouldn’t be sensible to rush him back against the big boys just yet. Easing him back into title contention is a better approach and with Thales Leites boasting three wins on the trot since his return to the organization, this match-up couldn’t have arrived at a better time.
And mind you, this isn’t a step down in quality of opposition for Philippou. Leites has salvaged well on his recent run and is deserving of a career changing opportunity. With each win, the Brazilian is rising up the 185-lbs pecking order and right now, he is certainly a force to be reckoned with at least at the mid-tier level.
- Name: Matt Brown (19-11)
- Who he should face next: Winner of Robbie Lawler (22-10, 1 N/C) vs. Jake Ellenberger (29-7)
With the winner of Rory MacDonald vs. Tyron Woodley at UFC 174 likely getting a title shot next, I think it’s safe to say that Matt Brown is still a win or two away from challenging for the belt.
The 33-year-old has said multiple times in the past that he wants to face Carlos Condit, but with Condit most recently suffering a defeat against the aforementioned Woodley, it may be in Brown’s interest to look for other targets as we approach mid-2014.
Jake Ellenberger has always been a contender at 170-lbs, and with Robbie Lawler still in the title picture despite his recent title defeat to Johny Hendricks, there’s plenty at stake when the two lock horns later this month at UFC 173. And Brown, for one, should be keeping the closest eye on what transpires on fight night, with both fighters shaping up to be very intriguing opponents for him.
For full UFC Fight Night 40 results, click here.
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