UFC Fight Night 101 Results: Matches to Make for the Winners and Losers

Nathan McCarter@McCarterNX.com LogoFeatured ColumnistNovember 27, 2016

UFC Fight Night 101 Results: Matches to Make for the Winners and Losers

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    UFC Fight Night 101 was a fun show in spite of the lack of a strong card.

    We saw excellent debuts, developing talent and a middleweight main event between two contenders. All in all, not much to complain about.

    Robert Whittaker took care of Derek Brunson inside the first five minutes thanks in part to Brunson's wild game plan. Now the Aussie moves one step closer to a title shot not many had him pegged for after moving up to 185 pounds.

    What's next following the action down under? This is your look at the matches to make for the winners and losers of UFC Fight Night 101.

Preliminary Fights Quick Hits

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    Dan Kelly def. Chris Camozzi by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 30-27)

    • Dan Kelly vs. Anderson Silva
    • Chris Camozzi vs. Jack Hermansson

    Damien Brown def. Jon Tuck by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

    • Damien Brown vs. Kajan Johnson
    • Jon Tuck vs. Magomed Mustafaev

    Jonathan Meunier def. Richard Walsh by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

    • Jonathan Meunier vs. Warlley Alves
    • Richard Walsh should be cut from the roster.

    Ben Nguyen def. Geane Herrera by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-27)

    • Ben Nguyen vs. Loser of Joseph Benavidez vs. Henry Cejudo
    • Geane Herrera should not be re-signed.

    Jason Knight def. Dan Hooker by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-26)

    • Jason Knight vs. Artem Lobov
    • Dan Hooker vs. Mike De La Torre

    Marlon Vera def. Ning Guangyou by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

    • Marlon Vera vs. Charles Rosa
    • Ning Guangyou vs. Jimy Hettes

    Jenel Lausa def. Yao Zhikui by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

    • Jenel Lausa vs. Winner of Hector Sandoval vs. Fredy Serrano
    • Yao Zhikui should be cut from the roster.

Seo Hee Ham vs. Danielle Taylor

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    Danielle Taylor def. Seo hee Ham by split decision (28-29, 30-27, 30-27)

    The UFC has a decision to make in regards to Seo Hee Ham: re-sign her or let her go? She is 1-3 in the division, but given the shallow waters, it elevates her value. Especially since she is an exciting fighter.

    The struggle is her size. She is clearly an atomweight, and when given someone her own height in Danielle Taylor, she still couldn't pull off the victory. The UFC is better served by giving actual strawweights a chance to develop instead of keeping Ham on the roster.

    Taylor is as green as freshly cut grass in the spring after a shower. The best option for her next fight is probably the winner of Jamie Moyle vs. Kailin Curran. Both women are a little more polished than her, but neither have shown top-of-the-line improvements.

    These fights are anything but masterpieces.

Khalil Rountree vs. Tyson Pedro

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    Tyson Pedro def. Khalil Rountree via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:07 of the first round

    Rountree didn't improve from his The Ultimate Fighter loss and looked lost. 0-2 and no improvement equals a trip to the unemployment line.

    On the opposite end, Pedro came through with a quality debut.

    205 is a wasteland, but there could be exciting fights out there for Pedro. A Pedro vs. Steve Bosse fight would fit on any Fight Night main card or be a nice Fight Pass addition to a PPV. And it would almost guarantee a knockout for the fans.

    Book that.

Alex Volkanovski vs. Yusuke Kasuya

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    Alex Volkanovski def. Yusuke Kasuya by TKO at 2:06 of the second round

    The UFC should probably take a heavy black marker and scratch Kasuya's name off the roster.

    As for Volkanovski, he showed decent leg lock defense and hard ground and pound. That means he's a fun matchup for Marcin Held.

    Held is a leg lock master, but if he puts on the tap of Volkanovski, he may rethink that strategy. That's a great matchup to see if Held improves in other areas or if he subjects himself to Volkanovski's brutal ground and pound.

    It's a telling fight for the UFC to gauge both men's upside.

Kyle Noke vs. Omari Akhmedov

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    Omari Akhmedov def. Kyle Noke Decision by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

    Kyle Noke retired from MMA after the fight, per Danny Segura of MMAFighting.com.

    The longtime MMA vet had little for Akhmedov on Saturday. Heavy punches kept him on the outside where he couldn't get any offense going, and a heavy top game stifled any submission offense he may have mustered.

    The debut put him on the map in the welterweight division.

    Nathan Coy hasn't been active since February, and he'd be a good matchup for Akhmedov's second UFC contest. There's a lot of veteran savvy Coy beings in with him, similar to Noke but with less wear and tear on his body.

Jake Matthews vs. Andrew Holbrook

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    Andrew Holbrook def. Jake Matthews by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

    Matthews has been seen as one of the UFC's top prospects since his debut, but the youngster is starting to plateau. He was competitive but didn't show off much progression to his game. Holbrook was able to shut him down and take the decision.

    Holbrook won't jump too far up the ladder, and as such, his next fight should be against a mid-level opponent. Reza Madadi fits the bill. It's an entertaining matchup.

    The bigger question is how to handle Matthews: a rebound fight or test him again? The latter is truly the best option to figure out if he's worth the continued investment.

    Bobby Green has dropped two straight and is looking to rebound. Matthews poses stylistic issues for him as well. If the UFC wants to see what they got in both men, then this is the fight to make.

Derek Brunson vs. Robert Whittaker

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    Robert Whittaker def. Derek Brunson by TKO at 4:07 of the first round

    Derek Brunson had a title shot in mind, but he decided to fight one of the most mind-boggling fights in recent memory. He chased after one of the more composed, technical strikers in the middleweight division with his hands down and chin up. He got caught and finished. Which is what should almost always be the result from doing that.

    Brunson will be seeking another big fight to get his name back out there, and one of the best options on the table is Vitor Belfort. The Brazilian legend is still active and still ranked in the official UFC rankings. It's his best option and the UFC's too.

    Whittaker moves right into title contention with the victory, but the logjam at the top makes matchmaking difficult.

    Does he welcome Luke Rockhold back? Does he step in to fight Jacare Souza? Or is Gegard Mousasi his next bout? I think the UFC should look to pit Whittaker against Mousasi but tell him to stay ready just in case something happens to Yoel Romero.

    If Romero were to get injured, Whittaker can slip into the title shot against Michael Bisping in early 2017. If everything continues on as planned, Whittaker vs. Mousasi is an excellent fight between two contenders.

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