Munoz and Mousasi Set for Battle in May

UFC Middleweight contenders, Mark Munoz and Gegard Mousasi have been scheduled to face each other in a headline bout against each other on May 31.  The two men will square off in a five round fight that will headline a UFC Fight Night Card (UFC Fight Night 41) in Berlin.

Both men share a common link in their most recent outings.  Both men have been the victim of Lyoto Machida's drop down to the Middleweight Division.  Lyoto Machida dropped down to Middleweight after losing a controversial loss to Phil Davis at UFC 163.  Since dropping down to Middleweight, Machida has defeated Mark Munoz and then followed that performance with a win over Gegard Mousasi.  Both men will need to get a win to stay relevant in the title picture.  Both men are high level athletes who have lost to a superior athlete in the form of Lyoto Machida.  It will be interesting to see who will win this showdown and potentially stay in the mix at the top of the 185 lb weight class.

UFC Fight Night 36: Fight Results

Main Card:

Lyoto Machida def. Gegard Mousasi via unanimous decision
Ronaldo Souza def. Francis Carmont via unanimous decision
Erick Silva def. Takenori Sato via first-round TKO
Nicholas Musoke def. Viscardi Andrade via unanimous decision
Charles Oliveira def. Andy Ogle via submission (triangle choke)

Preliminary Card:

Joe Proctor def. Cristiano Marcello via unanimous decision
Rodrigo Damm def. Ivan Jorge via unanimous decision
Francisco Trinaldo def. Jesse Ronson via split decision
Iuri Alcantara def. Wilson Reis via split decision
Felipe Arantes def. Maximo Blanco via unanimous decision
Ildemar Alcantara def. Albert Tumenov via split decision
Zubaira Tukhugov def. Douglas Silva de Andrade via unanimous decision

UFC Fight Night 36 Weigh-in Results

Main Card:

Lyoto Machida (185) vs. Gegard Mousasi (186)
Ronaldo Souza (185) vs. Francis Carmont (185)
Erick Silva (170) vs. Takenori Sato (170)
Viscardi Andrade (170) vs. Nicholas Musoke (170)
Charles Oliveira (143) vs. Andy Ogle (146)

Preliminary Card:

Cristiano Marcello (156) vs. Joe Proctor (155)
Rodrigo Damm (156) vs. Ivan Jorge (156)
Francisco Trinaldo (155) vs. Jesse Ronson (156)
Iuri Alcantara (136) vs. Wilson Reis (135)
Felipe Arantes (146) vs. Maximo Blanco (145)
Ildemar Alcantara (171) vs. Albert Tumenov (170)
Douglas Silva de Andrade (145) vs. Zubair Tuhugov (146)

Machida May Get Weidman/Belfort Winner

Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Lyoto Machida faces Gegard Mousasi February 22nd at UFC Fight Night 36 in Brazil.  UFC President, Dana White has stated that Lyoto Machida could be fighting for the UFC Middleweight Championship if he wins against Mousasi in their five round fight.  We've heard these same statement from White while Machida was the #2 guy behind Jones.  Hopefully he won't get passed up with a victory over Mousasi.  Machida and Jacare Souza are definitely the best options for the next title fight.

Machida-Mousasi, Jacare-Carmont

Two HUGE Middleweight fights have been scheduled for UFC Fight Night 36. The event will be headlined by former MMA champions Lyoto Machida and Gegard Mousasi and co-headlined by Francis Carmont and Jacare Souza. The event will take place in Brazil on February 15th.

This will be an event with four of the best that the UFC has to offer. We are in for an amazing night of fights in February and I cannot wait. All four of the fighter s have world class skills and are sure to got out and perform to the best of their abilities especially considering how close they all are to getting a title shot. I feel that a win for Machida or Souza could be a guarenteed title shot depending on how the UFC decides to eliminate the other if they both win. I feel like Carmont would be one win away with Mousasi being two fights away from a title shot.  This will be a night to look forward to.

Machida/Mousasi in the Works

The UFC is currently looking to put Lyoto Machida in his  second Middleweight bout in early 2014 as it has been reported that Machida and Gegard Mousasi are being target to headline a UFC Fight Night event in Brazil February 8th.

This will be an excellent match between two elite former MMA champions.  This will be Mousasi's first fight since his UFC debut in April in Sweden. Machida is fresh off of a knockout victory over Mark Munoz at UFC Fight Night 30. I see this as being the potential for a FOTN as long as both men deliver.

Dana White Wants Machida vs. Belfort at 185, Mousasi Asks for Machida

UFC President, Dana White, has made it clear that he wants to see knockout artist Vitor Belfort take on Lyoto Machida after Machida knocked out Mark Munoz with a head kick this past Saturday at UFC Fight Night 30.  Dana White will probably be able to make this fight happen, but Gegard Mousasui has  followed the recent trend of calling out fighters via Twitter and called out Machida.

Both matches would be awesome to watch, but there is something about the idea of Machida-Belfort that brings excitement to me.  Both men are dangerous strikers with knockout power. I would naturally say that Machida's flawless technique would give him the edge, but Belfort has RIDICULOUS POWER that poses a problem to anyone. It is a fight that has to happen.  I feel that Mousasi ahould face someone else in the UFC Middleweight division before calling out the likes of Machida or Belfort (who he wanted earlier this year.) 

I believe that there are plenty of other good matches that the UFC could make for Mousasi such as bouts with Francis Carmont, Luke Rockhold (when he comes back from injury), Mark Munoz or even Cousta Philippou. Also Rich Franklin has stated that he believes that he wants one more fight before retiring; why not put Franklin in the cage with Mousasi?

All I know is that Belfort vs. Machida makes since from a ranking stand point as well as an entertainment stand point, no matter the outcome od Belfort vs. Henderson in November. UFC, make this happen!