Like your standard ‘Matches to make next’, but with an emphasis on fantasy and a disregard for probability. Basically, fights that should happen, but probably won’t.
Michael Bisping: Two birds, one stone; strike while the Iron Mike is hot
Strike while both irons are hot, actually. Rerun the most gif’d fight of all time – it’s time for Michael Bisping vs. Dan Henderson 2. Bisping’s shot at redemption and a potentially winnable fight, or give the people what they want: 45-year old Hendo with that elusive UFC gold around his ageing waist. Worst case scenario, Dan Henderson as champion isn’t an ideal look in 2016. On the plus side, it won’t last long.
It’s win-win.
Dominick Cruz: Yeah, it’s another rematch. This time it’s a superfight!
Again, seize the opportunity while it’s there. Instead of charging Demetrious Johnson with wiping out an entire division, give the 125lbs king a chance to avenge one of two losses on his resume. DJ arguably gave Cruz one of the tougher fights of his career, make it at a catchweight and you get to test those murky waters without sacrificing any major stars.
If the people are fine with this, maybe they’ll be fine with accommodating some real tests for Cris Cyborg at those in-between weights?
Brock Lesnar: He didn’t even fight at UFC 199, yet he WAS UFC 199.
If you can’t make the Fedor Emelianenko fight (and they really need to), then there’s another XXXXXXXL pair of gloves waiting to make their comeback. Shane Carwin wants this fight, let’s forget about his medical issues and wheel him back in there. Those calling for Mark Hunt have either forgotten Lesnar’s predilection for crumpling under fire, or simply want to ruin our fun.
Actually, scrap that idea, it’s Fedor or nothing. Get it made.
Max Holloway: And make it for the belt.
Yeah, winner of Aldo–Edgar is the obvious shout. Only difference is that it should be for the featherweight title. If McGregor wants to piss about at lightweight, welterweight or any where else that isn’t 145lbs, let him. Just don’t let him hold the title to ransom.
No, he hasn’t held the division up in terms of passage of time. Yes, we waited forever and a day for Aldo to defend his belt, but if the Irishman is going to continue to fight at different weights, those are fights that could have seen the title defended. Let’s see Holloway in a five-rounder vs. either of the division’s elite, and let’s up the stakes.
Urijah Faber: Never say never.
Every inch of me wants to write last night off as Faber’s last shot at a title in the UFC, but then I dream up a scenario:
WHAT IF TJ DILLASHAW WINS THE BELT BACK??
And then it’s 8th time round for the Alpha Chin, while we sit through another failed quest for glory.
How about just sticking him in there with TJ now? Get it over and done with. Failing that, a move back to featherweight and an ‘it-should-have-happened-years-ago’ match up with the MMA meerkat, BJ Penn. It looks bad on paper, it’ll look worse in real life, you’d watch it.
