UFC Fight Night 59 came to you live from the TD Gardens in Boston, Massachusetts. The main card kicked off with Gleison Tibau getting a pretty lackluster split decision over Norman Parke, with scores of 29-28 Tibau twice and one judge had it 29-28 Parke. The second fight of the broadcast saw a fairly competitive first round end via doctor stoppage due to a cut, after Uriah Hall caught Ron Stallings with a bunch and caused a gash over top of Stalling’s left eye. Hall defeats Stalling at 3:37 of the first round via TKO.
In the co-main event of the evening we saw more of a sparring match then the fast paced war we all expected between Donald Cerrone and Benson Henderson. Don’t get me wrong, it was a good fight, but I feel it had the potential to be a lot better. Every round was extremely close, and while some people saw the decision as questionable, Donald Cerrone walked away the victor on scores of 29-28 across the board.
The main event of the evening saw Conor McGregor do what we all thought he’d do, dominate and defeat Dennis Siver. It wasn’t ask quick as he predicted it, but right from the start it seemed like only a formality. McGregor was able to connect with Siver’s dome at will. He controlled the entire fight and eventually, in the second round, McGregor mounted Siver and reigned down blows, forcing Herb Dean to step in! immediately after the fight McGregor hopped the cage and got in the face of featherweight champion Jose Aldo. I think we can all sense what’ coming next?!
Now it’s time for MMASucka.com to play matchmaker. Below are the main card winners from UFC Fight Night 59 and who they should be matched up with next. If you have a different opinion or pick, feel free to leave it in the comment section below.
Let’s get to it!
The Fighter: Gleison Tibau (33-10)
Who he should fight next: Winner of Al Iaquinta (10-3-1) vs Joe Lauzon (24-9)
Tibau picked up a pretty uninspiring split decision win over Norman Parke. He needs an opponent who’ll push him and an opponent who has a chance at making his next fight an exciting one. Al Iaquinta and Joe Lauzon fit that bill perfectly. They lock horns January 31st at UFC 183 and the winner of their fight, like Tibau, will have won three in a row and be looking to crack the UFC’s top 15 rankings. This fight makes all the sense in the world!
The Fighter: Uriah Hall (10-4)
Who he should fight next: Costas Philippou (13-4, 1 no contest)
This fight sells itself. It was supposed to be the original matchup on the night, before Philippou was forced to pull out. These men have fought before and have great animosity towards each other. Hall called Philippou out in his post fight speech (and even suggested an April date) so lets give the man what he wants!
The Fighter: Donald Cerrone (27-6, 1 no contest)
Who he should fight next: Khabib Nurmagomedov (22-0)
At this point in time no other fight makes sense for either of these men. Donald Cerrone has won seven fights in a row now, while Khabib is right behind him at six wins in a row (in the UFC). Khabib could definitely be in line for a title shot, but he hasn’t fought since an April 2014 unanimous decision victory over Rafael dos Anjos and will likely need to take one more fight. The UFC has just announced Dos Anjos will take on champion Anthony Pettis in March so this match up makes sense for April or May.
The Fighter: Conor McGregor (17-2)
Who he should fight next: Jose Aldo (25-1)
This is a fight that needs absolutely no explanation. It’s been talked about for almost a year now and is exactly what we need. McGregor has now won five straight fights inside the octagon and is a bona fide superstar. Jose Aldo hasn’t tasted defeat since 2005 and is one of the best fighters in the world. This fight will be the most anticipated featherweight title fight in MMA history. Get your popcorn out and enjoy the show!
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