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The UFC came to Austin, Texas, United States for UFC Fight Night 126this past weekend. The event saw twelve fights, eight finishes, many new rising stars, and the comeback of Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone.
The burning questions solely focus on the future bouts for the top competitors from the main card to the FS1 prelims. Keeping that in mind, here are five matches to make.
#5 Donald Cerrone vs Kevin Lee
Cerrone is coming off a big main event victory against the very tough Hawaiian Yancy Medeiros, stopping him in the first round via strikes. In the post-fight interview, Cerrone would announce he's moving make down to lightweight (155), where he went 15-4 in the UFC.
Lee is currently ranked seventh in the lightweight division and is coming off a title loss to Tony Ferguson last October for UFC 216. Before that loss, Lee was on a five-fight win streak and is 9-3 for the promotion.
This is an excellent return fight for the "Cowboy" as with a win, it will put him quickly at the top of the division. A good opportunity for Lee as well, who would have a chance to beat a former title challenger and legend in Cerrone.
#4 Derrick Lewis vs Francis Ngannou
"The Black Beast" fought this past weekend in the co-main event and scored a comeback knockout win against Marcin Tybura. With an emphatic finish, Lewis earned himself a performance of the night (POTN) bonus and another opportunity at a big fight.
N'Gannou is coming off a title shot, where he came up short against heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic by unanimous decision. N'Gannou was 6-0 before that loss and was riding on some big hype.
This is the fight to make as Lewis himself said N'Gannou is an ideal opponent. The heavyweight showdown would guarantee a violent knockout and could easily headline an FS1 or a FOX card.
#3 Jame Vick vs Anthony Pettis/Mike Chiesa winner
Vick would finally get a ranked opponent this past weekend against the #14 ranked Francisco Trinaldo. As the fight wasn't too memorable, Vick did suffer a dislocated finger somewhere during the fight. Vick is 9-1 in the UFC which is one of the better records currently in the Lightweight division.
Chiesa is ranked ninth and Pettis is positioned at thirteen, with both coming off a loss respectively. Naturally, the winner of this fight takes a step forward while the loser will face a huge setback.
Vick has claimed that both Pettis and Chiesa have turned down fights against him, however good it may seem on paper.
#2 Curtis Millender vs Vicente Luque
Curtis Millender would make a huge impression in his UFC debut beating a 22-fight UFC veteran in Thiago Alves. With a spectacular performance and finish to the fight in round two by TKO, Millender has undoubtedly put himself on the map.
Luque the Brazilian native is 5-2 inside the UFC and coming off a win against the formerly undefeated Niko Price. Luque is on the verge of cracking into the top 15 and many believe is the real deal.
This might not be said a lot but Millender should get the fast build. When you come in and beat a guy like Alves in your debut, you should have to be continued to be tested. A win over the talented Luque could very well rank Millender in the immediate future.
#1 Carlos Diego Ferriera vs Dan Hooker
Ferreira made his comeback to the octagon after a two-year hiatus where he was flagged by USADA. Ferreira made a statement in his return when he beat a top up and comer in Jared Gordon by a dominant TKO in round 1.
Hooker is on a two-fight win-streak with both finishes against Ross Pearson and Marc Diakiese. Hooker, at the age of 28, is just reaching his prime and has been showing that recently.
Up next, he may get someone a bit higher up than Ferreira, which sounds like a very interesting proposition. Both fighters are combined 9-5, thus neither are really ahead of each other with a win needed to propel them further up the ladder.
