Matchmaker Monday following UFC on ESPN 12
UFC on ESPN 12 was literally all that and a bag of chips as Saturday’s main event between Dustin Poirier and Dan Hooker was fantastic. The fight was absolutely amazing and will be in contention for “Fight of the Year.” While Poirier got the win on the record book, Hooker should not lose any stock despite losing.
Poirier and Hooker may of had the best of the fight, but the callout of the night went to Mike Perry, who called the out the IRS after his win over Mickey Gall.
After a great weekend of fights, let’s find out what’s next for these men on this Matchmaker Monday.
Dustin Poirier
Result: defeated Dan Hooker by unanimous decision at UFC on ESPN 12
Next: Tony Ferguson
Give it for Poirier as he continues to win and continues to win in absolute dog fights. No doubt about it he’s going to be out for a bit following this win as he just went through a war.
Given that, I’d like him to fight Tony Ferguson. Both men are warriors and could fight in a title elimination fight. Neither men no the word quit and the fans would go crazy for a Ferguson and Poirier fight.
I’m sure there’s a lot of people that want to see a Poirier and Conor McGregor rematch and I wouldn’t mind that matchup either, but we all know McGregor pushes the needle and is most likely going to fight the winner of the Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje title fight coming up in the future.
Dan Hooker
Result: lost to Dustin Poirier by unanimous decision at UFC on ESPN 12
Next: Charles Oliveira
Hooker has a lot to be proud of. He went toe-to-toe with a former interim champion and nearly came away with a win. Despite losing, his stock may have risen, as he really delivered in the fight.
Up next for Hooker is likely some time off as this marked his second straight war of 2020. If you remember Hooker and Paul Felder also put on a show back in February.
Whenever Hooker does come back, I feel like a fight with Charles Olvieira would make a lot fo sense. They are ranked close by to one another, they have both found a home at lightweight following stints at featherweight and of course they both appear to be the future of the division.
Mike Perry
Result: defeated Mickey Gall by unanimous decision at UFC on ESPN 12
Next: Robbie Lawler
Turns out we all owe Mike Perry an apology. Having your girlfriend with no MMA experience in your corner is a good thing.
Perry looked good on Saturday night and now he’s earned a top 15 opponent and I feel that Lawler should be that opponent. A few years ago, Perry called for the fight and it never happened. Both men love to brawl it out and it wouldn’t be a fun fight to watch.
No breakdown really needed here. If you love see action then you’ll be it with this matchup.
Mickey Gall
Result: lost to Mike Perry by unanimous decision at UFC on ESPN 12
Next: Carlos Condit
These two were booked to fight last year and Condit pulled out of the fight with an injury. I wouldn’t mind seeing the UFC book the two again.
Originally, my thoughts going into the Perry and Gall fight was that winner would get a ranked opponent and the losers stock would drop. After seeing the fight I changed my mind.
First off Gall looked great on the feet and said afterwards that he thought he won the stand up battle. That was something new from Gall and it shows that he’s only getting better every time out there.
Also, Gall had his moments on the ground, but Perry was just too strong. While Gall appeared to be fading as the fight went on, he definitely showed that he belongs in the future contender category.
So with that being said, let’s rebook the Condit bout and see if Gall and put together a big a win. Gall did say in his Instagram video after the fight that he wants to fight again in August. Maybe this is the August matchup?
