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UFC on Fox 7 kicked off last night, which featured a pivotal lightweight championship between Ben Henderson and Gilbert Melendez. Both of these warriors went toe-to-toe, but the judges ultimately awarded Henderson with the split decision. It was a back-and-forth affair that saw Henderson land more strikes in total, which may have resulted in the win. Let’s now take a look and see what awaits the main card fighters for the event.
Ben Henderson: the ability to come back after being down in rounds one and two, and would control the pace for the last three rounds. He also landed some great kicks, which ultimately helped him get the nod. For him, he is going to fight the winner of the Gray Maynard vs. T.J. Grant bout, which was announced by Dana White at the post-fight press conference. Both of these challengers would be excellent for Henderson, which would take place sometime later this year.
Gilbert Melendez: Tough loss for Melendez as he put up on heck of a fight, and some would even argue that he won the bout. He will have to go back to the drawing board, and he may very well face Josh Thomson, yet again, in his next bout. Both fighters have a history with each other, putting on wars under the Strikeforce banner.
Daniel Cormier: Cormier didn’t get the finish liked he hoped, but he certainly proved he can hang with a former world champion for three rounds and not get submitted. In the bout, Cormier established control and would force Mir up in the clinch position over and over again. Cormier described that he was tired in the fight, which may be partly because of the UFC nerves because this was his first bout under the big promotion.
For him, he will more than likely get another heavyweight, as Jon Jones is current set to battle it out with Chael Sonnen. A bout with Travis Browne would be perfect for Cormier at this point in his career. Browne has proven to be an elite heavyweight in the division, and a win for Cormier would solidify his status as being one of the best heavyweights in the world.
Frank Mir: Despite loosing against Cormier, who has shown to be exceptional as of late, Mir looked pretty good and looked to be in phenomenal shape. Credit Team Jackson for this, and it truly shows that Mir still has a lot left in the tank if he wants to continue his career. The permanent move to Team Jackson will serve him well, and maybe a potential match up with Gabriel Gonzaga seems like the most appropriate match for him right now. Both are known for their world-class Jiu Jitsu games, which would make for an intriguing ground battle from start to finish.
Josh Thomson & Nate Diaz: Both of these fighters put on an exciting bout, where Thomson was able to land a head kick that ended Diaz’s night. This was a sterling performance from Thomson, and he will more than likely fight Gilbert Melendez next. As mentioned above, both have a history with each other, so the story line is already there if the UFC wants to use it.
For Diaz, he stated, before this fight, that he was moving back up to welterweight, but this doesn’t look to be a great move, as he will have a distinct strength disadvantage. This was on full display when he faced Rory MacDonald. The most logical bout that makes sense for Diaz is to stay at lightweight and possibly challenge Diego Sanchez. Sanchez already has a history with Nate’s brother, Nick Diaz, so the story line would be compelling in the regard.
Matt Brown & Jordan Mein: Matt Brown put a beating on the competent striker Jordan Mein, which proved he certainly is improving with every fight. Now on a fight five winning streak, he will more than likely get a bump up in competition. Maybe a bout with Josh Koscheck is a good move on his part. A win would certainly be his biggest to date, and would prove he hang with one of the best wrestlers in the division. For Mein, he will need to regroup and come back stronger. He had Brown hurt early in the fight, but wasn’t able to capitalize. A bout Brian Ebersole or Dan Hardy would be a good comeback fight for him.
