Matches to Make After UFC Fight Night ‘Belfort vs. Henderson 3’
Vitor Belfort requires only a brief moment of weakness.
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Neither man did much prior to the finish, an uneasy calm before the building storm. Belfort waited for an opening and did not miss when he was presented with it. The Brazilian fired a lightning strike of a left high kick over Henderson’s crossed arms, the impact sending the dazed former two-division Pride Fighting Championships titleholder careening into the cage. Belfort gave him no chance to recover, swarming him with punches before following him to the ground and finishing it there.
The victory made Belfort the first man to defeat “Hendo” twice and
keeps him relevant within the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s
middleweight division. Henderson, meanwhile, has lost six of his
last eight fights and, at 45, has no clear direction in which to
head.
In wake of UFC Fight Night “Belfort vs. Henderson 3,” here are five matchups that ought to be considered:
Vitor Belfort vs. Yoel Romero-Ronaldo Souza loser: Despite a cloud of seemingly perpetual controversy hanging over his head, Belfort remains a major player at 185 pounds. The 39-year-old Brazilian, who debuted in the UFC all the way back in 1997, has gone 11-3 across his past 14 appearances, losing only to Chris Weidman, Jon Jones and Anderson Silva. Moreover, Belfort has become a lethal kicker in recent years, having scored his last four finishes -- Henderson (twice), Michael Bisping and Luke Rockhold were the victims -- through such means. Barring injury, Romero and Souza will lock horns at UFC 194 on Dec. 12.
Glover Teixeira vs. Alexander Gustafsson: Few men in the light heavyweight division pack a bigger punch than Teixeira, a truth with which Patrick Cummins is now intimately familiar. The Brazilian cut down Cummins with punches in the second-round of their co-headliner, prompting referee Herb Dean to act just 72 seconds into the frame. According to preliminary FightMetric data, Teixeira connected on 59 strikes in 6:12, a staggering 54 of them deemed significant. It should come as little surprise that Cummins wilted from the onslaught of uppercuts, overhand rights and left hooks. Gustafsson last fought at UFC 192 in Oct. 3, when he failed in his bid to unseat 205-pound champion Daniel Cormier.
Thomas Almeida vs. Aljamain Sterling-Johnny Eduardo winner: Almeida answered the hype with spectacular results. The 24-year-old improved to 20-0 with one of the year’s most violent knockouts, as he leveled Anthony Birchak with a crushing right hand a little more than four minutes into their bantamweight showcase. Almeida has passed all four of his tests since arriving in the UFC in 2014, with successive victories over Birchak, Brad Pickett, Yves Jabouin and Tim Gorman, and he appears poised to make significant headway in the 135-pound weight class within the next year. Sterling and Eduardo will throw down at UFC Fight Night “VanZant vs. Namajunas” on Dec. 10.
Rashid Magomedov vs. Michael Johnson-Nate Diaz winner: Magomedov may not thrill the masses with his personality and style, but his resume speaks for itself. The former M-1 Global champion took a unanimous decision from previously unbeaten Blackzilians representative Gilbert Burns, as he extended his winning streak to 12 fights. A polished and patient striker, Magomedov likely has the attention of those who occupy upper-tier positions in the lightweight division, and it might not be long before he joins them. Johnson and Diaz have been booked for a Dec. 17 date at UFC on Fox 17.
Thiago Tavares vs. Darren Elkins: Clay Guida walked right into Tavares’ trap. The Brazilian submitted Guida with a first-round guillotine choke in their brief undercard battle at 145 pounds, as he coaxed the tapout 39 seconds into round one. Guida left his neck exposed on an ill-conceived double-leg takedown, and Tavares capitalized, biting down on the guillotine for the finish. Tavares will need to find more sustained success if he wants to join the ranks of the featherweight top 10, as he has neither won nor lost more than two fights in a row since 2007. Elkins last competed at a UFC Fight Night event on Oct. 24, when he claimed a unanimous verdict over Robert Whiteford.
