Intelligently Defending 1.03.07: What's Next for the UFC 79 Fighters?

Posted by Ken Kobel on 01.03.2008

UFC 79 was held this past Saturday. As predicted by many, it was a great end to 2007 for the company. As always, in this edition of Intelligently Defending we will try to figure out where the fighters from the card will go from here.

UFC 79 is in the books and as always this edition of Intelligently Defending will try to sort things out and predict where the fighters will be seen next.

Let's jump right in…

Author's Note: Due to time constraints we will skip over the epic Sanchez/Palelei fight. Look on the bright-side – that abysmal waste of time already took 13 minutes from your life that you aren't getting back, at least now it wont take away 2 more minutes by reading another re-cap of it.

Rich Clementi vs. Melvin Guillard

Winner: Rich Clementi, Submission, Round 1

What is next for Melvin Guillard?

You can pinpoint the exact moment that Guillard's once promising UFC career began its downward spiral. That moment was when Joe Stevenson connected with a quick jab that sent Melvin to the canvas in April. Seconds later Melvin was choked out by Joe, got suspended for cocaine being found in his urine sample after the fight, and now has been defeated by his most-hated rival.

Guillard has potential and is only 24-years-old. He landed a nice combination in this fight which dazed Rich. He then followed this up by displaying his excellent wrestling skills with a quick takedown. Still, Melvin's BJJ is a glaring weakness. He had no answer for Clementi on the ground and was eventually caught in a terrible spot and choked out.

The question now is whether or not Guillard will be able to continue to grow in the UFC. His trash-talking antics leading up to the Stevenson and Clementi fights were absolute bush-league. Then on Saturday, he opened the biggest PPV of the year by flipping off his opponent after he entered the octagon. Finally, after being choked out he had to be restrained from attacking Clementi not once… but twice. An ambassador for the sport he ain't.

These are grounds enough for the UFC to release the brash young fighter from his contract, but they won't. Melvin is still exciting to watch and will be given another chance. Look for Guillard to be on the prelims of an upcoming Fight Night with his opponent being someone along the lines of Junior Assuncao. If Melvin drops three fights in a row he will no doubt become the proud owner of a UFC pink slip.

What is next for Rich Clementi?

The old vet came away with a big win on Saturday and it was a satisfying one over his biggest enemy. The win also makes him 2-0 since re-dropping to the lightweight division in September.

So is Clementi ready to make a run at the top contenders at 155lbs?

No.

That may be a cold response, but it's the truth. At 31-years-old Rich has become as good as he is going to get -- which is pretty damn good considering his 30-12-1 record. In the UFC though, he will remain a journeyman.

Clementi has adequate hands, good ground skills, and most of his fights end without going to the judges – this will all help him stick around for awhile. A perfect candidate for his next opponent would be Clay Guida on a PPV main card. It would give Guida a chance to fight easier competition after a string of tough bouts and it would give Clementi a chance to defeat an established contender.

Lyoto Machida vs. Rameau Sokoudjou

Winner: Lyoto Machida, Submission, Round 2

What is next for Rameau Sokoudjou?

The sky-rocketing career of the young Cameroonian crashed back to Earth on Saturday as Sokoudjou got dominated. The cluelessness he showed off of his back has led many fans to compare him to Houston Alexander who recently had his ground game exposed by Thiago Silva. While their careers are similar in the sense that they rose to fame by scoring consecutive knock-out victories there is one monumental difference between the two – Alexander is 35-years-old, while Sokoudjou is only 23.

It is going to be an uphill battle for Houston to develop a ground game this late in his career, but Sokoudjou has plenty of time to become a well-rounded mixed-martial artist. We already know Rameau has explosive hands and his judo skills are world-class. He must now get back into the gym and get his BJJ where it needs to be.

The UFC knows Sokoudjou can become a big star in the future. This is why they will not have him turnaround and fight another top level contender in the light-heavyweight division – consecutive losses could be disastrous for Sokoudjou's confidence and his status in the fan's eyes. Instead, look for his next fight to be against a middle of the pack fighter that will be willing to play into Rameau's current strength which is his hands. James Irvin would be a good choice in a fight that would make a solid main card bout. Irvin is a gamer who picked up a win on Saturday – by DQ. A fight between the two would give a better gauge of just how good Sokoudjou is at this point in his very young career.

What is next for Lyoto Machida?

Lyoto has now finished his first UFC fight and continues to roll in the light-heavyweight division. He is now 4-0 in the UFC and has looked dominant in all four fights.

Lyoto is going to be a problem for any opponent put in front of him. His unorthodox striking, defensive tactics, and excellent ground skills will give the opposition fits. We have seen a more aggressive Machida in his last two fights and he can become a big star if he gets in the habit of finishing his opponents. The one thing working against Machida is his inability to speak English and therefore lack of marketability for the UFC. It is a shame that this is considered when deciding which fighters get title shots, but it is unfortunately the truth.

There are a ton of options for Machida's next opponent and it will no doubt be a main card fight and possibly a co-headliner on a PPV. Lyoto has to be considered near the top of the heap in the 205lb division and his opponent will be someone very close to him in the standings. Greg Jackson has a pair of fighters who would fit the bill in Keith Jardine who is slightly ahead of Lyoto in the rankings and Rashad Evans who is slightly behind Machida. A fight with Keith would make more sense since it would give the winner a legitimate claim to the next title shot after Forrest Griffin fights Rampage sometime in the year 2012.

Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva

Winner: Chuck Liddell, Decision

What is next for Wanderlei Silva?

Wanderlei has joined the growing list of PRIDE fighters who have fallen in their first fights in the UFC – although technically he joined that list when he fought Vitor Belfort at UFC: Ultimate Brazil but whatever.

This now makes three losses in a row for the once proud champion. The losses have come against Cro-Cop who he fought out of his weight class, Dan Henderson and Liddell. Those aren't losses to be ashamed of, but he still needs a win in a bad way at this point. A fourth loss in a row may permanently de-rail his career.

It will be interesting to see who the UFC gives Wandy in his next fight. It is important for Silva to come away with a win, but given his credentials they can't give him a journeyman like Elvis Sinosic just for the sake of picking up a victory. Houston Alexander would make a good choice. Despite his latest loss, Alexander has credibility in the eyes of fans. Wanderlei should be able to take him down and submit him for the win and even if things stay standing he would have an advantage. It is a dangerous fight given Houston's ferocious knock-out ability, but Silva has to fight someone and Alexander is as good a choice as any.

What's next for Chuck Liddell?

The Iceman got himself back on track with a huge win.

In the fight, Liddell looked like his old-self when he poured it on and had Wanderlei on the brink of getting knocked-out. While Chuck did not finish the fight, it was apparent that he can still defeat the best if he puts all that he has into his fight preparation.

So is he ready to make another title run?

As long as Rampage holds the title it will be hard for Chuck to get another shot. He has lost to Rampage twice and that means Chuck would have to go on a huge winning streak before he is given another chance. Given Chuck's age, 38, this doesn't seem very likely. Chuck's best bet is for Griffin to somehow defeat Rampage. A Liddell/Griffin showdown would be huge money.

As for the immediate future, there are a few possibilities for Chuck's next fight. Any fight featuring Liddell will be a huge moneymaker for the UFC and will no doubt be either a main event or co-main event on a PPV. Two names that come to mind are Thiago Silva and Shogun. Both of these men are products of Chute Box Academy and it would give them a chance to avenge their mentor's most recent defeat – this would add a nice storyline to the fight.

Shogun is currently taking some time off and lost his most recent fight. The UFC would be hesitant to risk him losing two in a row given the investment they have in him. Silva, who is still undefeated, would make a very suitable opponent and is the more likely of the two candidates to fight Chuck. If Thiago were to win the fight he would be very close to a title shot. If Chuck wins he will solidify himself as being back.

P.S. About 4 fighters have been mentioned in this column as being close to a light-heavyweight title shot. So why on Earth do we have to wait until August until it is defended again? It is insane. What in God's name were they thinking? We all know how fantastic Serra/Hughes turned out. It didn't even friggin' happen! Not to mention that there are so many deserving fighters in the division that to say Forrest gets a shot over all of them is absurd.

Georges St-Pierre vs. Matt Hughes

Winner: Georges St-Pierre, Submission, Round 2

What is next for Matt Hughes?

It is the end of an era in the UFC as it looks like Matt Hughes will never get another title shot. On Saturday, he was dominated in every aspect and it was apparent that the new breed of fighters are going to be too fast and too well-versed for the former champion to handle.

Retirement can't be too far away for Hughes. He has made it apparent that he does not want to keep fighting much longer and there isn't much left for him to accomplish at this point. He will go down as the greatest UFC Welterweight Champion of all-time and ride off into the sunset to start up his training camp – which looks like it needs plenty of help based on ‘Countdown to UFC 79.' The camp looked like a school gymnasium with mats on the floor. There were basketball nets hanging from the ceiling for crying out loud!

There is always the possibility that Hughes will fight Matt Serra, but we are a long way from knowing if this will happen. For starters, no one knows when/if Serra is returning from his back injury. Then when he does return he has to fight GSP and if he somehow manages to win he will unify the titles and Hughes will likely be out of luck since other welterweights will be more deserving of a title shot by that point.

It seems like Hughes would love the opportunity to fight Serra though -- it would give him another chance to end his career on a high note.

What is next for Georges St-Pierre?

It seems like this is said after every GSP fight, but he looked to be the best he has ever been on Saturday night.

He once again showed excellent striking and then outwrestled a supposedly better wrestler. You could tell that he was on a mission and would not be denied. It is going to be hard for anyone in that division to defeat him if he comes into all of his fights the way he came in at UFC 79.

He now holds the interim title but as he mentioned in his post-fight interview the title he wants currently resides on Long Island around the waist of Matt Serra. Whenever Serra returns from his back injury the two will fight to unify the belts. Word on the street is that the UFC is hoping for a showdown in Montreal for the UFC's first event north of the border which will be held in April.

This is tentative at this point since no one is sure when Serra will be back. Given the severity of the injury it is very possible that GSP will have to defend the interim title before he gets a chance to avenge his loss. Of the possible challengers Jon Fitch seems to be the most-deserving – just don't ask Karo Parisyan. A Fitch/GSP showdown would be a big-money fight, so if Serra is out for an extended period the UFC will book the alternative.

In Closing

That's it for this week. As always the ‘comment section' is in business and no registration is required. Feel free to discuss where you think the UFC 79 fighters are heading or who you think would win these suggested match-ups.

…Til next week.

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