With EFC 15 done and dusted, the EFC finally has full
contingent of champions for the first time. The event has created some
interesting opportunities for future fights. Here are 5 fights I think the EFC
should consider in the near future.
5 future fights to make
Costa Ioannou vs Leon Mynhardt (Lightweight title fight)
With back to back wins against quality opponents in the
lightweight division, Leon Mynhardt has announced his arrival. The Iron Lion, a
very decorated and dangerous striker, has a skill set unlike any of Ioannou’s
previous opponents and may prove to be his toughest adversary yet. With Costa Ioannou in need of a challenger, Mynhardt
may be just what the matchmaker ordered.
JP Joubert vs Jason Culverwell (Light heavyweight title fight)
Newly crowned light heavyweight champion JP Joubert will want
to get back into the cage and prove that his title win was no fluke. With the
lack of depth in the light heavyweight division and Jason Culverwell sitting on
a 2-0 EFC record, the promotion really doesn’t have any other option but to
throw the young fighter into the deep end. Culverwell’s performance at EFC 15
will go a long way to convince fans that he is ready.
Donavin Hawkey vs Darren Daniel
Darren Daniel and Donavin Hawkey both made big statements at
EFC 15. With Smith vs McLellan 2 all but certain, the elite middleweights will
have to wait their turn for a shot at the title. Daniel vs Hawkey would be a
great way to keep both fighters active, determine a definite number one
middleweight contender and give the MMA community something to cheer about.
Martin van Staden vs Dallas Jakobi
Martin van Staden and Dallas Jakobi are both looking to work
their way back towards title contention. Once a potential welterweight title
fight, Van Staden vs Jakobi would be a great test for each fighter and help to
solidify the top 5 welterweight rankings.
Tyron Rightford vs Dino Bagattin
Rumours about Tyron Rightford dropping to welterweight have
been circling for a while. On Thursday afternoon at the EFC 15 weigh-ins it
became clear why - Rightford looked a weight division smaller than his opponent
Darren Daniel. A drop to welterweight seems inevitable for Tyron Rightford and a
matchup between Rightford and Bagattin at welterweight has fight of the night written
all over it.
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4 comments:
Good line up, sizzling as a matter of fact. What about Wesley Hawkey rematch against Pena? He seemed to own that bout and a loss of concentration maybe he got choked out. Or does he have to fight his way back in line. And what about the inevitable McClellan and Jeremy Smith? Was that staged or did Jeremy take it on himself to walk in the ring when he was called out :-), That was surreal.. Good call in suggesting Tyrone may drop weight, The boopense Joke was maybe relevant.And when do I get to see the real deal Schoeman in action
Wentzel Nel deserves a shot at the lightweight title. While I do think that Hawkey was desperately unlucky against Pena, as you say it was a momentary lapse as he was going to knock him out, Wentzel is on a three fight win streak.
He has defeated da silva, griessel and wait. Two of those guys are quality ranked contenders so Wentzel is long overdue. If Soldierboy can get a title shot (albeit cancelled due to Smith's withdrawal) against Pitbull after one fight, then Nel must be in contention against Pena.
I discussed most of these fights in my article 5 fights to make after efc 14
Speechley against Madge would be a super fight, pure grappling vs pure striking.
Cheboub would lose to Speechly and it would be a waste of a match-up. Speechly is a much better striker and far better on the ground than Cheboub. If one is clinical against Cheboub then he is in trouble. He gets defensive during and acts on mistakes rather wins outright. Mark Jones and Will Bentley were both smashing him when he caught them, but give credit where it is due, he did take the initiative.
Should Mynhardt have another fight before title contention...maybe against Speechly with the winner to face Costa. He has only won two matches at lightweight and lost his previous two before that.
Speechly vs Costa was WAR and two more rounds would have made for interesting viewing.
Just a view, Mynhardt vs Costa is however fresh and an interesting proposition. Provided Leon can keep Costa from lying on him as he got away with in the Speechly fight, then from a stand-up perspective he will knock Costa out.
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