Looking ahead for UFC 191 Fighters

With another two weeks before any more big time MMA events, us fans are going to have to find some way to occupy our time. Today we will be looking at potential next matchups for the fighters who competed at UFC 191. Let's begin:

Demetrious Johnson: The flyweight champion retained his belt again, with a more dominant display over John Dodson that their first fight. The manner of his victory makes a third fight between the two unlikely, and leaves Johnson with very few potential challengers in his division. If Mighty Mouse is unwilling to move up to bantamweight, then the only option seems to be waiting for the winner of Novembers Henry Cejudo Vs. Jussier Formiga bout.

Cejudo is being touted as the next flyweight challenger, but his displays in the UFC so far have not really been as dominant as expected. He is 3-0 in the UFC, and 9-0 overall, but has no UFC finishes or wins over top competition. Formiga is 4-2 in the UFC but was TKO'd by top contenders Dodson and Joseph Benavidez. At this point Johnson is almost in Ronda Rousey territory when it comes to superiority over his division. The best bet would appear to be putting Johnson up against the Cejudo/Formiga winner and hoping that a new challenger materialises in the meantime.

John Dodson: It can't be easy being John Dodson right now. The second or third best flyweight in the world, he has lost twice against the champion, and is now in what we call Joseph Benavidez territory. He still has a win over bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw in his back pocket, so if he were to move up a division the story for a rematch writes itself. The lack of contenders at bantamweight means that one good win would most likely be enough to see him get a shot. Other than this, I think the only other attractive fight is Vs. Benavidez, in a battle for the flyweight silver medal.

Andrei Arlovski: If Arlovski's horrible performance against Brendan Schaub on his octagon return was down to nerves, then he must have had serious butterflies before his bout with Mir. Both fighters looked slow and hesitant, and even in victory Arlovski managed to kill any momentum he had in moving towards a title shot. We largely forgot about the Schaub fight when Arlovski went to town on Travis Browne earlier this year, so he needs to get in the octagon again and remind us why it didn’t seem so ridiculous a week ago that he could be a top heavyweight in 2015. For this he should get back in against the winner of Ben Rothwell/Stipe Miocic on October 24^th. If this goes ahead then the winner, should they look impressive, should be next in line for a heavyweight title shot after the inevitable Velasquez/Werdum rematch in March.

Frank Mir: It doesn’t seem that long ago that Frank Mir lost four in a row, now that his comeback has been halted. Though the fight with Arlovski was close, neither looked good nor neither looked like a top 10 heavyweight. Since Mir will most likely never win a title again, he should be put in a couple of fun fights and enjoy the impressive legacy that he has already built for himself. After a quick turnaround to fight Arlovski, Mir should take a break then fight either the Rothwell/Miocic loser, or else either Stefan Struve/Matt Mitrione in what should be reasonably winnable matchups.

Anthony Johnson: Rumble did what we all expected at UFC 191, knocking out Jimi Manuwa, albeit after deciding to show off his wrestling a little first. Rumble has said he is willing to step in as a replacement for either DC/Gustaffson or Rashad Evans/Ryan Bader at UFC 192 on October 3^rd. This sounds good to me, and if there are no injuries then either Rampage Jackson (if he resolves his legal issues), or the winner of Glover Teixeira/Patrick Cummins in November would be suitable opponents.

Jimi Manuwa: Manuwa has fallen short both times he has gone against a top opponent, being KO'd by both Rumble and Alexander Gustafsson. There in no shame in losing to the last and current title challengers in your division however, and Manuwa should still get a chance against a name opponent in his next bout. I would put him up against another rebounding fighter in Ovince Saint Preux. The winner could still have a bright future, whereas the loser will be a long shot to ever become a top dog in the division.

Corey Anderson: Anderson put on a wrestling clinic against Jan Blachowicz at UFC 191, and will find himself in the top 10 sooner rather than later if he keeps winning. Since most of the top names are occupied at the moment, I would suggest a fight against someone who will do their best to neutralise the wrestling of Anderson, so we can see what else he can do. Fabio Maldonado is fighting Tom Lawlor on November 7^th, and I would match Anderson up against the winner.

Jan Blachowicz: The stock of Blachowicz fell in a big way on Saturday, as he both gassed and proved unable to stop the takedowns of Corey Anderson throughout their fight. Though he survived to lose a 30-25 decision, this is probably more due to lack of killer instinct on the part of Anderson than anything else. Blachowicz should fight someone in a similar position, and my pick is Rafael Cavalcante, who was also wrecked by a wrestler in his last fight.

Paige VanZant: Paige dominated Alex Chambers as expected, but showed little improvement from her last fight, especially defensively. She leaves herself far too open to be facing the elite of the strawweight division, but unfortunately for her the division is so shallow that she could be finding herself in the title mix sooner than she would like. Still, she can’t keep being given such easily winnable fights, especially if she is to be built as a real contender. A fight against someone like Randa Markos or a rematch against Tecia Torres (should she get past Michelle Waterson), would give us a good idea of where she’s at right now.

Alex Chambers: Chambers is in a pretty unenviable position right now. Small for strawweight, 36 years old and was just on the receiving end of a very one sided beatdown. She will never be a contender, but she has a couple more fights to show that she still belongs in the UFC. She will most likely be used as a rebound fight for another fighter coming off a loss, so I say put her in there with Maryna Moroz and see what happens.