Matches to Make After UFC on ESPN 42

UFC on ESPN 42 was a welcome reprieve after the Ultimate Fighting Championship's previous event, the dreadful UFC Fight Night 215, which was the weakest in Fight Night history. By contrast, “UFC Orlando” had a whopping seven fights better than last week’s Ion Cutelaba-Kennedy Nzechukwu headliner: namely the entire main card plus Emily Ducote vs. Angela Hill.

The main event was perennial contender and one of the greatest strikers in MMA history, Stephen Thompson, facing the endlessly dynamic and entertaining Kevin Holland. Thompson's legendary career may be winding down, as he had lost two in a row prior to the event and is 39 years old. Still, those losses had come to top names in Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad, and both had triumphed through their grappling. Holland had also sought to right the ship. After dropping down to welterweight, he had won his first two fights in fine fashion, knocking out Alex Oliveira and then submitting Tim Means via brabo choke, before being submitted himself by brabo choke in the first round by Khamzat Chimaev.

What resulted was a true treat for the fans and one of the best battles of the year. Thompson and Holland traded numerous huge strikes continuously for four rounds. The nearly 40-year-old “Wonderboy” really unloaded in the fourth round, as Holland gamely fought on with a badly injured hand, relying on his iron chin to weather one flush bomb after another. However, his corner wisely waved off the contest before the final stanza.

In the co-main, former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos moved back up to welterweight for a second time after having been knocked out by Rafael Fiziev. At 38 years old, this is dos Anjos' last run, and he faced another long-time veteran in 33-year-old Bryan Barbarena, riding an improbable three-fight winning streak, including victories over 40-somethings in Matt Brown and Robbie Lawler. Dos Anjos wisely leaned on his grappling to take Barbarena down and work for submissions, finally getting a rear-naked choke late in Round 2. With the triumph, Dos Anjos set a new UFC record for most time in the Octagon while notching his 21st win in the organization.

Elsewhere, there was an important flyweight contender clash between Matheus Nicolau and Matt Schnell. Nicolau moved to a perfect 4-0 in the UFC with a gorgeous overhand right behind the ear to put Schnell out in Round 2. Also, there was a titanic battle of monster heavyweight strikers when Sergey Pavlovich confronted Tai Tuivasa. Pavlovich continued his warpath through the UFC heavyweight division, brutalizing Tuivasa with huge punch after huge punch, before turning his lights off completely at 54 seconds, a second faster than his last knockout of Derrick Lewis.

Unlike the last UFC event, there are plenty of interesting match-ups that suggest themselves.

Stephen Thompson vs. Rafael dos Anjos

Let's be honest here. Both men still have considerable ability left in the tank, but neither is a serious threat for the welterweight crown. So why not have two legends face one another in what should be a crowd-pleasing affair. The former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos versus Stephen Thompson, who got as tantalizingly close to the welterweight belt as is possible without winning it. The two-pronged grappling and striking attack of the Brazilian versus the utterly unique, incredible, hands-down striking style of Thompson. It's certainly a lot better than Robbie Lawler vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio on the upcoming UFC 282 main card.

Kevin Holland vs. Vicente Luque

Say what you will about Kevin Holland's fight IQ or him having lost two in a row, but he puts on an amazing spectacle for the crowd every time out. Why not match him up against another perennial crowd-pleaser in Vicente Luque, in what could well be the most amazing slugfest of any year it happens in? Both men have no problems throwing caution to the wind and going toe-to-toe with monster shots while eating plenty from their opponents. This would be a true barn-burner.

Matheus Nicolau vs. Alexandre Pantoja

Nicolau was the No. 2 contender before the huge knockout of Schnell and undefeated since his return to the UFC. Pantoja is the No. 2 contender, riding a big three fight winning streak, and looks to be in the prime of his career at 32. Their clash would not only be a ferocious battle in the striking as well as grappling arenas, but it would be a great way to decide the next contender for the flyweight crown, or whenever Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno stop facing one another.

Sergei Pavlovich vs. Ciryl Gane

With Francis Ngannou recovering from injury and possibly looking for a megafight against Jon Jones, why not have Pavlovich face Gane for the interim heavyweight belt? It would be a tremendous showdown, pitting the hellacious firepower of Pavlovich versus the outstanding movement, agility and technique of Gane. Both have sterling records and an aura of greatness about them, though neither may even be in his prime yet. This sensational fight is so good that it could easily be the co-main of a major pay-per-view.