The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the eight time in promotional background Saturday (June 3, 2017) with UFC 212: Aldo vs. Holloway. It was a solid night of scraps that found nine of 12 bouts ending within the distance, and with the fights now in our rear perspective, let us look at some possible matchups featuring a few of the opponents from the evening…
Max Holloway vs. Frankie Edgar
Holloway dethroned Jose Aldo to become to new king at 145 pounds, and for his first official name defense, I think that it would make most sense for him to take on Frankie Edgar, as that is a matchup fight fans are wanting to see for a little while now. Another potential candidate for a title shot in Cub Swanson, but his last loss came at the hands of Holloway at a very decisive fashion. That is not a battle that peaks the interest of fight fans, as Holloway would be expected to be a huge favorite. The Edgar battle is one where anything can happen, so everybody would like to see it. I think this potential featherweight title would would be an excellent fit to main event UFC 216 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Claudia Gadelha vs. Rose Namajunas
Gadelha made brief work of Poland’s Karolina Kowalkiewicz, beating her from rear-naked choke submission from the very first form of activity. She enjoys a two-fight winning series, and for her next outing inside the Octagon, I want to watch her shoot on Namajunas at a title eliminator. Both fighters earned rapid victories in their most recent bouts, so I want to see them make a fast turnaround to co-main event August’s UFC Fight Night in Mexico City.
Brian Kelleher vs. Bryan Caraway
Kelleher earned a first-round guillotine-choke submission over veteran Iuri Alcantara in what was a picture perfect promotional introduction for its 30-year-old, who employed his post-fight speech to request a Top 10 ranked opponent for a quick turnaround on the coming Long Island card in July. I think an opponent that makes sense is Caraway, that has not seen action since a split decision win over Aljamain Sterling only over one year ago. I believe that is a pairing which makes sense for both fighters and are a fantastic fit anywhere on the Long Island fight card.
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