UFC 166 was a spectacular night of thrilling finishes and dominating decisions. The first match of the main card was between John Dodson and Darrell Montague in the Flyweight division. Dodson defeated Montague in the first round via a vicious left hand that sent Montague face first into the mat. For Dodson there are two matches that I think could work. I think that a bout between Dodson and Ian McCall or a bout with Dodson and Chris Cariaso. I think that both of these matches make sense for Dodson seeing as both men are coming off of victories in there outings. A fight with McCall would be a good main card bout seeing as both men are top names and draws for the division. A fight with Dodson and Cariaso would be a fight between two powerful flyweights coming off of knockout victories.
Gabriel Gonzaga faced Shawn Jordan in the heavyweight division in a fight that also ended in the first round. Gabriel Gonzaga won by TKO due to strikes as knocked Jordan to the ground and then used hammer fists to finish the stunned heavyweight. I think a great test for Gonzaga would be a match with Stipe Miocic who recently defeated Roy Nelson at UFC 161 by unanimous decision. It would be a great clash of two elite heavyweights.
After that match was perhaps one of the best fights in quite some time. A complete stand up war between Gilbert Melendez and Diego Sanchez. Both men gave 100% in that fight, but Gilbert Melendez was the better of the two men and showed why he dominate the Lightweight division for years in Strikeforce. There are two possible opponents that make sense right now for Gilbert Melendez. The first one is a bout between Rafael dos Anjos, who has won his last five UFC bouts and is on his way to being in the mix for a UFC title shot and a win over Melendez would solidify his place in the top ten. Inversely a win over dos Anjos for Melendez would mean that he can still fight off the other young, hungry challengers who aim for having his spot at the top of the heap. It is a fight that could decide the next man to face the champion after TJ Grant's return. Another man also on a five-fight win streak and also a 21-0 professional record and possible opponent would be Khabib Nurmagomedov. Nurmagomedov as another top ten opponent in the division that is making his way to the top of the rankings. I think this fight would be more challenging for Melendez and could guarantee Melendez a title shot. The win for Nurmagomedov would get him to be 1 fight away from a title shot.
The co-main event was a heavyweight clash between Roy Nelson and Daniel Cormier. Daniel Cormier was able to out-perform in every area of the fight. He out-grappled, out-struck and out-did Cormier for three whole rounds. Daniel Cormier has been preparing himself for a move to the UFC's Light Heavyweight Division to prevent having to face his AKA training partner Cain Velasquez in the future. I think that the best match up for Daniel Cormier before he gets his hands on Jon Jones would be a match between another highly decorated wrestler in the division, Phil Davis. Phil Davis is knocking on the door to a title shot and I think it would be interesting to see how well Cormier fairs against another ultra-talented wrestler in the form of Davis.
The main event for the evening included another savage beating being suffered by Junior dos Santos by the hands of Cain Velasquez. Cain punished Junior for over twenty minutes before the referee finally put dos Santos out of his misery. Now that the saga is over (for now anyways), the only man left to challenge Velasquez is Fabricio Werdum. Werdum is riding a three fight win streak in the UFC upon his return to the organization and picking up where he left off before he was derailed by Junior dos Santos. He is the only fighter who I feel wouldn't fear Velasquez's takedown or grappling. As a matter of fact, Werdum might welcome it. I believe that Werdum is definitely the only man outside of dos Santos who poses a real threat to the throne of Cain Velasquez.
