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Talk about an awful ending.
UFC light heavyweight Fabio Maldonado promised a "bloodbath" before his main card bout against Stipe Miocic at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF): "Brazil 3" Finale, which took place last night (Sat., May 31, 2014) at Ginasio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
The fight was a complete joke, with Maldonado lasting 35 seconds before it was lights out.
Miocic looked great in the sparring session, mainly because he was fighting a light heavyweight. This isn't an insult to Maldonado, who had the guts to step up in weight after Junior dos Santos bailed on the bout, but if anything, we should be a little pissed off at the organization for selling us this travesty (highlights here).
Then again, it was our choice to watch.
The heavyweight basically took a trip to Brazil to dismantle a sloppy slugger, making $50,000 in the process. It didn't tell us much about the Ohio resident's standing in the heavyweight division, apart from the fact that he's a dangerous striker who's improving every time he steps inside the Octagon.
Still, it's not like this win moves him up the heavyweight ladder, because in all honesty, most heavyweights would have tore through the Brazilian -- or any sub-par light heavyweight for that matter.
However, determining Miocic's next fight is kind of fun, since there are a few heavyweights who need fights. Since he was supposed to battle "Cigano," why not try to book that scrap again?
The American has shown us that his slick combinations mixed with his speed could be hazardous for anyone between the 205 and 265-pound limit, and dos Santos is still one of the best boxers in the division (even if he was twice outmatched against Cain Velasquez).
But if the Brazilian is out for a lengthy amount of time with his hand injury, the show must go on. There's no point for the main event winner to wait on the sidelines, since he's full of fuel at the moment.
Since Mark Hunt vs. Roy Nelson is set for UFC's return trip to Japan, it's rumored Alistair Overeem could meet Josh Barnett on the same card. Despite their storied histories oversees, both heavyweights have never met before.
It's wishful thinking, but that bout makes sense, even though "The Babyface Assassin" is petitioning for a rubber match against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, who should be talked out of ever fighting again. Either way, Overeem or Barnett could be good fights for Miocic. He certainly deserves that step up in competition.
Travis Browne could be another option, too, even though he lost badly against Fabricio Werdum at UFC on FOX 11. You can't exactly feed him Ruan Potts in his return bout, since "Hapa" can still kill most UFC heavyweights.
Finally, Andrei Arlovski is back in the fold against Brendan Schaub at UFC 174 in two weeks, and an impressive performance from either of those competitors could be a good enough reason for the brass to convince Miocic to take a fight against the winner.
Whatever the case may be, the "Stipe Stock" is rising, so it's important he meets someone who can get him to a title eliminator bout.
Who would you choose?
For extensive coverage of TUF: "Brazil 3" Finale including video highlights, post-fight recaps and more, check out our live story stream here.
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