The second UFC event in as many days took place Saturday as UFC Fight Night 56 headed to Ginasio Municipal Tancredo Neves in Uberlandia, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
The FOX Sports 1-televised event saw a true changing of the guard in the main event as Ovince Saint Preux (17-6 MMA, 5-1 UFC) likely ended Mauricio Rua’s (22-10 MMA, 6-8 UFC) time as a top light heavyweight with a 34-second knockout win.
While the main event was easily the most meaningful contest on the card, some respectable action built up to the headliner as Brazilians Warlley Alves (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC), Claudio Silva (11-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC), Dhiego Lima (10-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) and Juliana Lima (7-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) were all victorious on home soil.
After every event, fans wonder whom the winners will be matched up with next. And with another night of UFC action in the rearview mirror, it’s time to look forward, put on a pair of Joe Silva’s and Sean Shelby’s shoes, and play UFC matchmaker.
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Juliana Lima
Should fight: Justine Kish
Why they should fight: The UFC women’s strawweight division is still in its infancy, and until the weight class crowns its inaugural champion at The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale next month, Lima’s options are limited in terms of available opposition.
Lima, who picked up a decision win over Nina Ansaroff on Saturday, will likely get matched against one of the “TUF 20” cast member, and since its already known 15 of the 16 fighters on the show will compete at the finale, that leaves one fighter out of the equation.
Kish (4-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will not compete at the finale due to an ACL injury that forced her off the reality show. She’ll still be part of the UFC roster, though, and once healthy, it’s logical to match her against Lima given the small pool of fighters in the division.
Dhiego Lima
Should fight: Claudio Silva
Why they should fight: Just minutes apart from one another, Silva and Lima earned decision victories in front of fans in their native Brazil.
Both men are early in their UFC careers, and that means the matchmaking options are limitless. However, with more than 70 active fighters in the UFC welterweight division, and unless fans are begging to see a specific fight, scheduling mostly comes mostly down to timing and availability.
Seeing as Silva and Lima appeared to come out of their contests largely unscathed and are already on the same timeline, a matchup would make sense.
Claudio Silva
Should fight: Dhiego Lima
Why they should fight: See above
Warlley Alves
Should fight: Winner of Ben Saunders vs. Joe Riggs at UFC on FOX 13
Why they should fight: Elevated to the co-main-event slot after a series of injuries, Alves had the opportunity to show the world why he’s one of the most highly touted prospects in the welterweight division. He got the win, but it certainly wasn’t as stylish as the Brazilian had hoped.
The 23-year-old picked up a controversial unanimous-decision victory over Alan Jouban to stay perfect in professional competition, but he exposed several flaws in his game in the process.
He’s clearly not yet ready to face the top talent in the UFC, but luckily for him, there’s a surplus of welterweights, including the winner of Saunders (17-6-2 MMA, 5-3 UFC) and Riggs (40-14 MMA, 4-4 UFC), who meet at UFC on FOX 13. Either would be a suitable test. Both men are veterans of the sport with tons of experience, but they’ve proven beatable, as well.
Alves is young and still has plenty of time to fill in the holes in his game. If he can do that against an opponent like Saunders or Riggs, there’s a bright future ahead for the “TUF: Brazil 3” champion.
Ovince Saint Preux
Should fight: Glover Teixeira
Why they should fight: In the span of 10 days, Saint Preux went from a co-main-event slot against largely unknown Brazilian Francimar Barroso to a shocking 34-second knockout victory over an MMA legend in “Shogun.”
Saint Preux could have used the spotlight of a career-defining win to call out a top contender, but instead, he strangely requested a match with either Fabio Maldonado or Anthony Perosh. While both men are respectable competitors, “OSP” should set his sights higher with the momentum of a win over Rua.
A more realistic matchup for Saint Preux at this stage in his career is Teixeira (22-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC). Despite the fact the Brazilian is coming off back-to-back losses and looked less than spectacular in his most recent showing, against Phil Davis, he’s still one of the most dangerous fighters in the light heavyweight division.
If Saint Preux could defeat Teixeira even half as impressively as he did Rua, a title shot could be within his grasp.
For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 56, check out the UFC Events section of the site.
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MMAjunkie’s Ben Fowlkes breaks down Saturday’s main event:
