Fight Forecast: Matches to make after UFC Fight Night 90
After UFC Fight Night 90, theScore's Alexander K. Lee picks which matchups should be made for the night's biggest winners.
Eddie Alvarez vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov
Eddie Alvarez is going to learn soon that winning the lightweight championship is one thing. Holding onto it is another challenge entirely.
The 155-pound division is an absolute shark tank and none of those sharks are more terrifying right now than undefeated Russian wrestler Khabib Nurmagomedov.
"The Eagle" has a gaudy 23-0 MMA record, with none of his opponents coming close to beating him including the man that Alvarez just knocked out for the lightweight title, Rafael dos Anjos.
Nurmagomedov was on a collision course to rematch Dos Anjos, but now that Alvarez holds the gold, he's the next target.
Derrick Lewis vs. Andrei Arlovski-Josh Barnett winner
As fun as it would be to see Derrick Lewis try to get a knockout win against Roy Nelson again, it's time for him to move on in his career.
A decision over "Big Country" might not have been what Lewis was looking for, but he showed great maturity in toughing it out against a perennial top-10 heavyweight.
Lewis' climb up the rankings should continue against either Andrei Arlovski or Josh Barnett. The two veterans fight on Sept. 3 and whoever comes out of that one intact will make a logical opponent for Lewis.
Joseph Duffy vs. Alan Patrick
Joseph Duffy put on the performance of the night with his 25-second submission win over Mitch Clarke and it's tempting to throw him back among the top lightweights.
However, his loss to Dustin Poirier in January showed some of the areas in which he still needs to develop so there's no need to rush him.
It's better to keep booking him in fun fights for now. You don't have to look much farther than Brazilian lightweight Alan Patrick.
Throw these two in the cage and you're guaranteed to generate sparks and further build up one fighter's reputation.
Alan Jouban vs. Alberto Mina
These two welterweights both recorded impressive wins on Saturday, with Mina smoking Mike Pyle with a flying knee and Jouban taking home a Fight of the Night award after outpointing Belal Muhammad.
If there are no lingering injuries on either side, why not save everyone the usual matchmaking headaches and match up Mina with Jouban.
They're both 34 years old, so there's no sense in putting them in easy fights just to protect their stock. Let's find out now if either man is a viable candidate to someday contend in the 170-pound division.