Matchmaking The UFC Middleweight Division (August 2024)

fellas considering we've just had two back-to-back middleweight Main Events we've obviously drus dupy taking on Isa and Canon a just taking on Kyo Brom I thought I'd go through the middleweight Division and matchmake some of the fighters in the division in fights that first of all I think would be really fun to see as a fan and just fights that we want to see and then fights that makes sense um that we just need to see overall and there's only four middleweights right now in the rankings that actually have fights booked and they're all against each other as well so there's only two fights right now in the middleweight ranking so there's a lot of Fighters that don't have fights so I'm going to be matchmaking the middleweight division in facts that like I said I think could be fun to see as a fan and that I just think everyone would want to see so we'll start off with a tattle picture so for drus dupy obviously just came off that really good performance over Israel asna I think the title fight that trus dupy should have next is against Shan Strickland there's numerous reasons why I think Strickland should be next I think the majority of MMA fans agree that Strickland should be next I mean first of all if you look at all of driers D's fights Strickland is definitely come closest to beating him I mean it's not like Dr has finished him like he did with Wht grada SAA Strickland took him to a very very lost decision a lot of MMA fans thought that Strickland should have won that fight so I think it's only fair if we give Strickland the opportunity and it was one of the best middleweight title fights we've had in a while especially when adisan was champion midweight title fights didn't have the best reputation but draus dup versus Strickland if you take away the dodgy decision at the end it wasn't even that dodgy but if you take away the controversy over the decision it was a really good back and forth fight between them and if that's what we can expect every single time we see driers versus Strickland sign me up next reason as well you know they've got a big buildup the buildup to the first fat was amazing they seem to be cut talking to each other on Twitter a lot so it looks like the buildup to that f is going to be really interesting as well so overall drias dup versus Sean Strickland should be the next title fight in my opinion in the middleweight Division and on top of that if you look at the middleweight division right now there's no one else for driz but Strickland adisan just lost whittig is going to be facing chamay imov is going to be facing allena Strickland is literally The Only Name at the top that he there for drick is d e so Shan Strickland get his let him get his title shot again against driers dupy I think it should be a really fun build up and it should be a really fun fight based on the first time we saw it and we're going to be seeing sha Strickland get the opportunity to fight for a Bel again so sha Strickland dricker dupy let's run it back um I've heard some rumors that it's going to be in South Africa if that's the case that's going to be massive for the UFC and I'm expecting it to be early 2025 maybe UFC 311 or something like that but drias Strickland I think that should be the next title fight in the middleweight Division and obviously Whitaker and chamay they're going to be taking each other on UFC 308 so I can't put them in different fights but I still think there's a big fight for both of them out there and I think the winner of Robert whiter and hamach Chay should face the winner of sha Strickland and driers dup C in other words I think they should just get a title shot Robert Whitaker if he can beat hamach Chay is going to be on a three-fight winning streak against well he would have beaten undefeated hamat chamv he would have beaten IKR alisov and he would have beaten pow Costa three solid win since he's lost to driers duple C and if he can beat chiv like I said that's the cherry on top give him his title shot he's always been one of the best middleweights for chv if he can beat Robert Whitaker he's beting one of the greatest middleweights of all time one of the greatest welterweights of all time Inman and also Kevin Holland in his last three and he's undefeated as well and he's a big star up and coming so I think if Cham can get the win of a Robert Whitaker I think we have to give chamv his title shot so the winner of Whit chamv against the winner of Strickland and Dria so if it's Whit versus Strickland it's one of the only fights in the higher end of the middleweight division that we haven't actually seen yet and I think there's lots of questions to be asked about this fight and I think it should be a really fun fight to see between Strickland and and whiter especially from like a technical standpoint as well I think that'll be a really interesting title fight all we going to be seeing whiter run it back against drier's dup SE obviously we saw them fight at UFC 290 drier's got the the massive upset finish and if Wht can put together a three fat win streak and dri is canete Strickland let's see him in another rematch against Robert Whitaker I don't mind that and if chamay wins chamay versus Strickland might be one of the funnest like the funniest buildups to a title fight ever you've got Shan Strickland and chamay completely contrasting personalities and to be honest completely contrasting fight Styles as well I think that'll be a fun fight as well and chamay versus drias dup C I think is the toughest fight in the division for hamat chv but it's also quite interesting considering if he is undefeated and he can go past Robert Whitaker there's no you know there's no denying that he is next in line for a title shot so the winner of Robert whiter and hamat chamv I think that's going to be a great fight but ultimately I think the winner should face the winner of Strickland and driers D BL c um so yeah I think these four guys should be faced each other next in the title pitch of the UFC middleweight division in terms of Israel Arisa now here's the thing about arisna I understand he's one of the greatest middleweights of all time and it's going to be kind of weird seeing Arisa not fighting for a belt but I think as of right now fighting for a belt is a noo he just got finished by dricker duple before that he got dominated by Shan Strickland one of the biggest upsets of 2023 in the fact that he should have won before that he got a highlight real knockout of Alex pra and then before that he got finished by Alex pra as well so he's lost three out of his last four um and he seems to be on the declining end of his UFC creat as z s so I think the title pitcher right now let's let's not throw him in the deep end I think if he wants to get back in the title pitcher he has to earn it um so let's give him a you know let's get him out the deep end let's give him some up and comers I think Israel arisna should face the winner of Brendan Allen and nasad mov now obviously imov and Allen are going to be facing each other in the co event of UFC Paris which is a really good fight between two sergy middleweight contenders and I think the winner of that fight should get a big massive opportunity against Israel Adano I mean if it's adiso versus Brendan Allen I think that's a really interesting F especially if Allen can get past imal because Allen would be another big grappling threat to Adisa with Justin arisna gets submitted by drias we're going to be seeing how he does against another heavy Grappler in Brendan Allen if Brendan Allen can work his way up so I think that's another good f for RNA another you know guy to detest his skills on a maybe warmed up back to before he gets the you know the top of the division and then if it's imov again another tricky fighter Fran imov is a good Striker but he's also got the grappling in his back pocket as well and if imov can get past Brendan Allen that's a really good win and I think the winner of imov and Allen regardless I think they should get an opportunity it is RNA because they're two guys in the middleweight division who in any other division they would have deserved the title shot but because there's so many contenders in the middleweight Division I still think they're going to be one fight away so let's give them one of the biggest names if not the biggest name in the middleweight division israela against Alan andov it's a step down for israela a chance for him to face somebody before he gets another title fight and for Alan andov there's no way they're declining a fight with Israel arisna warm- up fight for arisna big step up for Alan inov the winner faces arisna and I think if they can beat arisna give them a title shot you know two fights and then they've got a title shot as well um like I said ad's opportunity to get back in the title picture their opportunity to get back in the title picture I think it's a really good fight for all three of them so Adisa versus the winner of Alan imov I think she'll be next Kaio bralo just fought against caner and got a really good win and he's looked great in the UFC as Kaio bro that fighting nerds Jim seems to be taking over and obviously by Tuesday he's going to be ranked number five in the division is kaioo so for Kaio bro I think next he should face the loser of driis to blissy and sha Strickland there's too many contenders right now the top so I don't think we can necessarily give him a top Contender um right now but I think he should faced the loser of drias and Strickland assuming that they're going to be facing early 2025 give them the give him the loser in about April next year I think that's a really fun fact because if it's Kaio versus drias dupc if driers loses to Strickland is no longer the champion I don't think he deserves an immediate rematch even though he has got a good resume I think he should have to test himself against one of the best contenders in the division right now Kyo bro it's a massive massive test for bro again if he wins he gets a title shot and if drias can shut down Kyo bro it's a big win for dricus dupy and it bounces him straight back into the title pitcher or at least straight back into a title shot and if Strickland loses to driers Strickland's definitely going to be away from the title pitcher for a while but Strickland versus Kaio BR would be one of the most entertaining striking matchups in the middleweight division two guys that walk forward two guys with a very effective boxing style I think that will be some one of the most interesting striking matchups you can make in the middleweight Division and the winner maybe gets well if Strickland beats Kyo he's probably going to need another win before it gets back in the title pitch but if baralo can beat Strickland again baralo gets a title shot so Kyo bralo versus the the loser of dricus dupy and Shawn Strickland it's kind of crazy how quickly balo's career has gone because two fights ago he wasn't even a ranked fighter and now we're in talks of him facing driers and Strickland but that's what I think she'll be next for KY bralo Paulo Costa secret juice yeah Paulo Costa needs to stay away from the title pitcher and he needs to stay away from the top end of the midweight division cuz you look at his last couple of fights he lost it isra he lost to Marvin VOR he lost to sha Strickland and he's lost to Robert Whitaker he's lost to all the top contenders and he's shown that he's not good enough to be a top middleweight fighter so for po Lo Costa he needs to face someone who's in that middle area of the middleweight division not a top Contender not a complete bum just someone in that middle area of the middleweight Division and that's why I think we should see Paulo Costa versus mid Jack Hansson I think this should be the next fight for pao Costa because he doesn't deserve a top fighter and it's a good fight where we can kind of gge how good pow looster is in the division because Jack Manson is's in a very similar position to poo Costa in the sense that he isn't really a top middleweight but at the same time he's done enough to get himself in the rankings he's beating gastam he's beating Curtis he's beating all the guys needs to beat recently got a really good wi of a Joe pyer as well so he's had some good names on his resume but he hasn't had a massive win and for the big names that he has for in guys like Shan Strickland delid Canon vtor he's lost to all of those guys so he's kind of like that midf fighter in the middleweight division is Jack kanton and I think he's the perfect guy to test poo Coster on and cost is in a very similar position Costa's only wins are against old washed fighters in fact Pao Costa hasn't got a win against anybody who's still competing in the UFC his only wins is Luke Rocko yri Hall y Romero and Johnny Hendricks none of those guys were in the UFC they were all at the end of his career when poo Costa fought him so I think po Lo Costa versus Jack commant we can kind of test how good po Lo Costa is see his skills against another mid middleweight and from there we can maybe make decisions maybe the winner of this fight can get the loser of Alan imov because again you know it's another fight for them to step up but yeah P Costa let's see him against Jack common who's coming off a win I think they should be next in the middleweight division um it's a clash of Styles as well a heavy well I sa Jack common is a heavy Grappler but if anything he strikes nowadays more than he grapples um so I think it could be a fun fight Costa Hermanson figh Night Main Event and I think that should be the next f for Paulo Costa then we've got Mar in vtori where has this dude been um I think he was scheduled to face imov late last year but he hasn't fought since he took that massive ass whooping bad Jared caner all the way and I think it was June 2023 so he's been super inactive as jar is Marvin vtor so for Marvin vtor I think if he's going to come back he should come back against somebody with a lot of hype so for Marvin VOR I think he should face the winner of Anthony Hernandez and Michelle Pera now obviously Hernandez and Pera can't wait for this fight they're going to be taking each other rning a Fight Night Main Event later this year um and without a doubt they're two of the biggest prospects right now in the middleweight Division and whoever wins that fight is going to want a big step up in competition that's why I think they we should give the winner of that fight to Marvin vtor because that you know if they can beat Marvin vtor that puts them straight into the title pitcher if it's Hernandez versus vtori this is a really interesting fight for Hernandez especially if he's able to get past someone as well-rounded as Michelle Perera it's a big grappling problem for Marvin vctor because Anthony Hernandez seems to be one of the most crafty Grapplers right now in the middleweight division so it's a big it's a dangerous f for Marvin VOR first of all and it's also a big chance and step up for Anthony Hernandez then for Shel Pera wins it's going to be so fun to see Michelle Pera at the top of the middleweight division it's just going to be so fun to see Michelle Pera face these top middleweights and I think him versus vctor would be super funs two well-rounded guys his biggest test in the UFC so far um regardless of who wins that fight I want to see them face Marvin vtor because I feel like vtor he's kind of become a top five gatekeeper in the UFC if you beat Marvin vtor welcome to the top five if not have fun staying in the top 15 and just being another Gate Keeper yourself so I think the winner of Hernandez versus pra give them a fight against vtor if they beat VOR then they can get in the top five um but yeah that's what I think should be next for Marvin VOR knows guys and then for Chris Curt he's in this weird position where he's kind of just about doing enough to stay in the middleweight rankings he's ranked number 15th and he has been for a while so for Chris Curtis I think he should face Joe pyer I think Chris Curtis versus Joe pyer should be next Joe pyer he's burst onto the seed in the UFC he's finished every single one of his wins and he is regarded by most as one of the most powerful middleweights in the world he hits extremely hard he's broken punch him records he's sending people to sleep he hits like a truck now we had actually fought a ranked OPP it before in Jack Comm Manson and he did fall shot and to be fair Jack common the grappler actually used his stand up in that fight it was actually piecing up Joe p on the feet so it wasn't a good look for Joe Piper but I think he should face Chris Curtis I think this is a really really fun fact because you've got two guys who have dangerous boxing really powerful like I said great boxing as well I think this would be a super fun fight on the feet potential fight in our main event as well but Curtis Joe pyer two of the most salty guys in the division as well that you know two of the saltiest guys in the division two of the hardest hitting dudes in the division well C isn't one of the stting but still just a fun fight he can make on the feet in the middleweight Division and I think if Joe pther can get past Chris Curtis he's finally earned his ranking spot at number 15th and from there he can start working his way up rather than just getting a massive Step Up in competition so that is how I would matchmake the UFC middleweight division right now in the Middle with rankings into fights that like I said I think will be super fun fights and also fights that I think make the more sense let me know your thoughts on these matchups and if you agree or disagree and thank you for watching