#UFCVegas4 Aftermath: Poirier and Hooker Go to War #mma
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Aftermath, aftermath. It’s time again. Poirier and Hooker did exactly what the fans wanted: bang it out. Now it’s time to see what is next for some of our favorite fighters on the card and where they go, both winners and losers. Let’s dive into it all on this episode of Aftermath.
Maurice Greene Fighting For Family
Next opponent for Maurice Greene: Tanner Boser, Marcos Rogerio de Lima
Maurice Green had the most emotional post fight interview I’ve seen in a long time. He was fighting for his job, his family and his pride. Well, Greene looked really good against a durable Gian Villante. Villante had Greene in trouble at times but ultimately he weathered the storm. Villante was on the top of Greene past the mid point of round three. Green stitched up a very odd choke from the bottom and got out of there with a win.
Greene was top 15 at one point before dropping back to back fights to Sergey Pavlovich at UFC Singapore and Alexey Oleinik at UFC 246. Now he looks to build off the momentum built at UFC Vegas 4. He needs to not get another loss to really solidify his place in the UFC for some time. One option from this card is Tanner Boser. Boser knocked out Philipe Lins cold earlier in the card and a loss for Boser wouldn’t be detrimental to his career should Greene win. Boser and Greene also called each other out after their respective wins. It’s a competitive fight, however, and if Greene won, he could benefit from the confidence boost.
Second option is Marcos Rogerio de Lima. Greene’s cardio is in question and looked improved at UFC Vegas 4. de Lima was a light heavyweight turned heavyweight. Greene has the size and reach advantage and de Lima would be a great skill check for Green to see how his cardio holds up.
Mike Perry Goes To War…With The IRS
Mickey Gall was out of his league this weekend. Perry was just too experienced and Gall wasn’t good enough, plain and simple. Gall showed improvement on the feet, a place where he’s been severely lacking and has lost fight on in the past. Mickey Gall might not be UFC ready just yet, and the Mike Perry fight showed it. Gall perhaps had his best and most complete performance and it was not enough. I like Mickey Gall and think he’s got a future in fighting. But as for the UFC, he might not be there just yet. At only 28 years old, he still has some time to improve, but not long.
Next opponent for Mike Perry: Nate Diaz, Anthony Pettis
Mike Perry was on everyone’s mind as he had a bizarre fight week. He had his new girlfriend as the only person in his corner. I was admittedly skeptical about his training and tactics in this fight. But he took control and proved me wrong. He showed fantastic cardio and power throughout the fight. Gall had no luck taking him down and Perry did what he wanted at UFC Vegas 4. Now, he has his eyes up once again.
The fight to make is Mike Perry versus Nate Diaz. The promo for that fight will be out of this world and Diaz and Perry would both put on an insane pace. Diaz might be a little too much for Perry, but there’s only one way to find out; by letting them fight. Perry went on after the fight to say he is having IRS problems. Let’s have him fight in the US against one of the UFC’s biggest stars and get him PAID. He deserves it and it would help him out with the notoriously ruthless IRS.
The UFC has a pretty well built name around Mike Perry and a lot of people like watching him fight. He has pretty large star potential. The UFC might be keen on placing him up against another star if Nate Diaz doesn’t want to fight. Anthony Pettis is that guy. A lot of people know his name, he is exciting and would put on an incredibly fun, and tough fight for Mike Perry. Should Mike Perry emerge on the other side of the fight with a win, it would boost his popularity with fans and would make Perry even more of a draw.
Poirier and Hooker Go To War
Next opponent for Dan Hooker: Charles Oliveira, Diego Ferreira
Dan Hooker had the toughest fight of his life at UFC Vegas 4. Hooker took on a very tough Poirier and brought him to the brink. It was very much an entertaining fight. I wasn’t high on Hooker going into this fight but his hands are absolutely astounding. He mixes up all his shots keeping his opponent off guard. He was simply out-toughed by the more battle tested Poirier. But, Hooker’s status rose, none the less. He might be at the back of the line for a title shot, but Dan Hooker has some good things coming his way.
Charles Oliveira is the fight I want to see next for Hooker. do Bronx has improved leaps and bounds and has become a very formidable striker. I would like to put that to the test, as well as his gas tank. We know he can finish people, but can he go to war with Dan Hooker? That is the question I would very much like to find out.
Diego Ferreira is the other fantastic matchup for Dan Hooker. Ferreira fought very well in his last fight with Anthony Pettis. Ferreira was supposed to fight Drew Dober before the entire event was canceled due to COVID-19. But, if he wants to wait for Hooker to recover from this war, it could be his shot at the top of the division. Hooker would have an opportunity to be battle tested again and see if he has improved from what he learned about himself against Poirier.
Next opponent for Dustin Poirier: Tony Ferguson, Conor McGregor rematch
Dustin Poirier has had the most impressive run in the lightweight division. Since losing to Michael Johnson, he’s beat Jim Miller, had a no contest with Eddie Alvarez, beat Anthony Pettis, Justin Gaethje, Eddie Alvarez, and Max Holloway. The only slip up was to Khabib Nurmagomedov. Now he’s added the very scary Dan Hooker to that list. Poirier won that fight on sheer will and simply out-manned Hooker. He looked like he was gassed early on in the fight but he persevered. Poirier took the decision in a Fight of the Year contender.
Dustin Poirier is in a tough spot. Khabib Nurmagomedov beat Poirier soundly and he’s way behind the line in a title shot opportunity. But there are a couple very intriguing matchups for Dustin Poirier. Tony Ferguson is one such matchup. Ferguson is known for out-manning opponents with cardio and pace. Poirier did just that last night and has put away several opponents that way before then. Ferguson is, of course, coming off of his loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 249. He and Poirier is prime for a main event once the two are ready to get back to action and would sell tickets to a bunch of fans once audiences are permitted to return.
Second option is red panty night with Conor McGregor. McGregor holds a win over Poirier at UFC 178 in 2014. Both fighters are very, very different now. Both would benefit from a win over each other. Poirier would have his star status increased almost ten-fold. Should McGregor win, he has a top 3 win to get him where he wants for a title shot at Khabib.
