Every Monday after an MMA fight weekend, The Post’s Marc Raimondi will take a look at the next potential matchup for the fighters who competed.
This week, he takes a look at some of the competitors from Saturday’s UFC 153: Silva vs. Bonnar.
ANDERSON SILVA (def. Stephan Bonnar via first-round TKO)
There are a few guys in the middleweight division who deserve a shot at Silva’s title. Chris Weidman comes to mind. But let’s be honest, at 37, Silva has only a precious few fights left in his legendary career. It’s time he and the UFC to make as much money as possible before his skills deteriorate or he retires.
UFC president Dana White has increased talks about a potential megafight between Silva and light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Silva, though, would prefer to face welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, because, well, that’s probably an easier fight against a smaller man. However, St-Pierre has to beat Carlos Condit next month to make that a reality. If not, the UFC will probably do everything in its power – i.e., throw a lot of money around – to make Silva-Jones.
Monday Matchmaker’s pick: Georges St-Pierre
STEPHAN BONNAR (lost to Anderson Silva via first-round TKO)
Bonnar had nothing to lose Saturday night, yet he tweeted an apology to fans after the loss. Are you kidding? Silva has made better fighters than Bonnar look absolutely ridiculous. There’s just no one in the world on the same level as him. Bonnar has nothing to be ashamed of.
Before taking this fight, Bonnar was in a state of semi-retirement. It might have been a loss, but I can’t think of a better way to go out than after headlining a major UFC pay-per-view against the best fighter of all time.
Monday Matchmaker’s pick: Retirement
ANTONIO RODRIGO NOGUEIRA (def. Dave Herman via second-round submission)
You ever seen those Halloween movies? Well, Nogueira is the UFC’s version of Jason. You just can’t kill the guy. Ten months after having his arm broken gruesomely by Frank Mir, Big Nog comes back and finishes a man eight years younger than him in the co-main event of a major UFC show. It’s hard not to be impressed by the sheer resilience of one of the best heavyweights of all time.
Nogueira is never going to get another shot at a title in the UFC, but there are still plenty of fun fights for him in a pretty deep heavyweight division. He and Mark Hunt never fought each other when both were starring in Japan’s PRIDE organization in the mid-2000s. Better late than never for the two exciting heavyweights.
Monday Matchmaker’s pick: Mark Hunt
DAVE HERMAN (lost to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira via second-round submission)
Herman was once thought of as a prospect in the heavyweight division, but now, after three straight losses, he’s close to being shown the door. Not many people survive the UFC’s version of the golden sombrero, but let’s assume he does since he did fall to Nogueira, Roy Nelson and Stefan Struve – all guys in or near the top 10.
There are still interesting fights out there for Herman, who is never boring, whether it be in his trash talk or his scrapping style. Since he was humbled by Nogueira’s jiu-jitsu after insulting the martial art before the fight, let’s see if he can bang with one of the bigger punchers in the UFC. The loser of a December fight between Brendan Schaub and Lavar Johnson will also be in a similarly tenuous place with the company.
Monday Matchmaker’s pick: Loser of Brendan Schaub vs. Lavar Johnson
GLOVER TEIXEIRA (def. Fabio Maldonado via second-round TKO)
Teixeira put an absolutely devastating beating upon the face of Maldonado. His standup looked exceptional and he even showed some nice grappling. Teixeira was the main sparring partner of legend Chuck Liddell during his time as UFC light heavyweight champion, but the Brazilian never fought in the UFC himself due to visa issues. That’s no longer a problem and Teixeira has proven himself as one of the top light heavyweights in the world.
If he wants a title shot against Jon Jones, though, he still has to beat someone in the top 10. The UFC seems like it wants to put together Dan Henderson and Lyoto Machida in a No. 1 contender bout. Teixeira and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson might also be matched up, like they were supposed to be on this card before Jackson’s injury. I don’t like either one of those things. Henderson shouldn’t have to beat anyone for a chance at the belt. Machida should, though, since he’s already lost to Jones. He seems like a perfect fit for Teixeira.
Monday Matchmaker’s pick: Lyoto Machida
JON FITCH (def. Erick Silva via unanimous decision)
Don’t call it comeback. Fitch hasn’t really gone anywhere, he’s just been suffering from injuries and the emotional toll of a 12-second knockout by Johny Hendricks back in December. On Saturday, he stopped the rise of top prospect Erick Silva, bullying the young lion. Fitch is back in the mix at welterweight and could be as little as a win or two away from a title shot. Give him the victor of BJ Penn and Rory MacDonald. Fitch-Penn would be a rematch of a draw the two fought to last year, which many thought Fitch won. MacDonald-Fitch would be a clear No. 1 contender fight.
Monday Matchmaker’s pick: Winner of BJ Penn vs. Rory MacDonald
ERICK SILVA (lost to Jon Fitch via unanimous decision)
It’s not quite back to the drawing board for Silva, but he’s going to have to improve on his wrestling if he wants to reach the heights of the UFC’s welterweight division. In the meantime, toss him in there with someone who is willing to stand and trade. That’s former No. 1 contender Thiago Alves, who people forget is only 29 and is one year older than Silva. Those two together would put on an incredible striking display.
Monday Matchmaker’s pick: Thiago Alves
PHIL DAVIS (def. Wagner Prado via second-round submission)
OK, Chael Sonnen. You want a title shot against light heavyweight champion Jon Jones? First, you have to beat former champion Forrest Griffin in December. Then, meet Davis, a chiseled former Penn State wrestler and top prospect. The two have similar backgrounds in wresting, which would make for a very interesting fight. The winner would have a pretty good argument for getting Jones next.
Monday Matchmaker’s pick: Winner of Chael Sonnen vs. Forrest Griffin
DEMIAN MAIA (def. Rick Story via first-round submission)
There are a ton of guys in the mix at welterweight right now – it’s one of the deepest divisions in the UFC. Well, throw Maia right in the mix after his awesome neck crank victory over Story. When he commits to his jiu-jitsu, there’s no one better at it. There’s one guy near the top of the 170-pound class who isn’t busy right now and seeing that Maia took no damage against Story, this fight could happen soon if they choose to make it. His name? Josh Koscheck.
Monday Matchmaker’s pick: Josh Koscheck