Fight Forecast: Matches to make following UFC London
After UFC London, theScore's Alexander K. Lee picks which matchups should be made for the event's winners (and Anderson Silva).
Michael Bisping vs. Luke Rockhold-Chris Weidman winner
If a unanimous decision win over Anderson Silva doesn't get Michael Bisping a title shot, nothing will.
The knock on Bisping was that he always failed to step up when it counted. That reputation was hard to shake given his losses to Dan Henderson, Wanderlei Silva, Chael Sonnen, Vitor Belfort, Tim Kennedy, and current middleweight champ Luke Rockhold.
But "The Count" put on the performance of his life against Silva, who even at 41-years-old looked like one of the best fighters in the 185-pound division. It was Bisping's third straight win and it also gave him the record for most middleweight wins in UFC history at 14.
He's accomplished almost everything in his career outside of challenging for a UFC belt. Depending on who wins the anticipated title rematch between Rockhold and Chris Weidman, the timing is right for Bisping to get his shot at the championship.
Anderson Silva vs. Tim Kennedy
If Tim Kennedy's tweets are any indication, he's at least somewhat interested in a fight with Anderson Silva:
Excited about the main-event at #UFCLondon also about the potential to fight @SpiderAnderson for his next bout.
— Tim Kennedy (@TimKennedyMMA) February 27, 2016
Please please please please please let me fight @SpiderAnderson #UFCLondon
— Tim Kennedy (@TimKennedyMMA) February 27, 2016
For the love of God @danawhite let me have @SpiderAnderson
— Tim Kennedy (@TimKennedyMMA) February 27, 2016
Kennedy has been on the shelf for a while due to his issues with fighter compensation and his work on the television series "Hunting Hitler." It sounds like the UFC can get him back into the Octagon if they offer him Silva.
Despite the hiatus, Kennedy is still ranked No. 6 in the middleweight rankings. Silva spoke about making one last run to the title in the lead up to the Bisping fight and a win over Kennedy would keep that goal within reach.
Gegard Mousasi vs. Derek Brunson
The last thing Gegard Mousasi wants to be is a gatekeeper at this point in his career, but Derek Brunson is in line for a big fight and Mousasi fits the bill.
This match wouldn't just be a showcase for Brunson either. After dispatching of Thales Leites on Saturday, Mousasi admitted he took a risk-averse approach in the wake of a knockout loss to Uriah Hall last September. He put on a methodical striking clinic against Leites, though it was obvious he had no interest in pursuing a finish.
Mousasi would not be able to coast in a match with Brunson. Even though Brunson is actually two years older than Mousasi, he has far less MMA mileage and that would lead to him to pushing the pace.
"The Dreamcatcher" needs a win over an up-and-coming fighter to prove the loss to Hall was a fluke and not an indication of decline.
Makwan Amirkhani vs. Arnold Allen
Makwan Amirkhani and Arnold Allen both showed maturity in their unanimous decision wins on the UFC London preliminaries, so pairing up the two European prospects would show who is farther along in their development.
It might seem unwise to potentially derail one young fighter's hype train, but the fact is that neither Amirkhani or Allen have much of a foothold on the global scene yet. They can afford to take a loss and learn from it without their reputations suffering too badly.
More importantly, this would be a great fight between talented featherweights and the winner just might find themselves on a UFC main card in the near future.