It’s time to pull out my crystal ball once again and put on my Joe Silva hat to play matchmaker after another UFC event. The UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller event took place last week in Nashville, Tennessee, and I wanted to take a look at who should fight who next from the main card:
- Jim Miller survived the initial onslaught of Melvin Guillard to quickly submit him in the first round. All of Miller’s losses have come against top guys in Edgar, Maynard, and Ben Henderson. A lot of people are calling for Miller to fight Nate Diaz, but I’m not one of them. Yes, Diaz outclassed Donald Cerrone, but Cerrone hadn’t really beat any top guys either. I can’t see Diaz going from losing two straight as a welterweight then beating a washed up Takanori Gomi and then Cerrone to fighting someone like Jim Miller. I’d rather Miller fight the winner of the Anthony Pettis/Joe Lauzon fight that will happen at UFC 144 in February.
- Let Melvin Guillard fight Donald Cerrone since Guillard isn’t with Greg Jackson’s camp anymore(if he would fight him). Cerrone is the type of fighter that Guillard will need to beat if he ever wants to contend for a title in the UFC.
- Josh Neer said he would like to fight someone like Brian Ebersole after his win over Duane Ludwig. Ebersole has won three straight in the UFC so that fight makes sense to me.
- I’d have Mike Easton up against a veteran like Ivan Menjivar. Menjivar is scheduled to fight John Albert in a couple of weeks. So Easton against the winner of that fight makes sense.
- Pat Barry against the winner of the Mark Hunt/Cheick Kongo fight. If Hunt wins it would pit two former kickboxer’s against one another in what would be an exciting fight. If Kongo beats Hunt, it would set up a rematch between Barry and Kongo which featured arguably the greatest comeback from the brink of losing KO in the the UFC when Kongo knocked out Barry in June 2011.
- Jared Papazian should drop down to the newly created UFC flyweight division, and I think that’s what his intentions have been the entire time.
What are your matchups?
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Gotta completely disagree about Diaz/Miller. Personally, I like a Diaz-Barboza fight for entertainment value but Diaz deserves a fight with Miller much more .
You talk of Diaz not being worthy, but who are the top guys Miller has beaten? Gleison Tibau? Duane Ludwig? Charles Oliveira? Hell, his best two wins are Mark Bocek (in a decision that could have easily gone the other way), and Melvin Guillard.
Diaz holds wins over Guillard and Gomi at LW.
Miller realistically isn’t that far ahead of Miller. A fight between the two makes a lot of sense next.
“Miller realistically isn’t that far ahead of Miller.”
Miller realistically isn’t that far ahead of Diaz…
Yea…Barboza can’t go from Etim to Miller(like Jon Anik suggested) or to Diaz…needs more seasoning IMO…
I have it Miller, Pettis(if Pettis gets past Lauzon), then Diaz because Diaz is 3-3 in his last six lightweight fights and was 2-2 as a welterweight(or 5-5) in his last ten…I mean I know he’s riding high after dominating Cerrone(like I said he would)…You’re correct that Miller hasn’t beaten anyone ranked that highly…but his only losses are to top guys…unlike Diaz. I mean I’d watch Diaz/Miller no doubt…
I just have Pettis slightly ahead of Diaz.
You’re not the only person to pick the Diaz-Cerrone fight correctly, but congratulations sir.
Sh1t, if we’re breaking it down by ranking in the UFC, I’d go Guida, Pettis, Miller, Diaz…
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