-A spinoff of the Fantasy Matchmaker is the Post-Fight Matches to Make. These matchups are based off the results of VALOR Fights 26.-
With Valor Fights 26 completing this weekend there are several fights that could be put together after everything that transpired. Valor Fights 26 was one of best cards that the Valor promotion has put together and several fighters on the card stepped into the cage and did not disappoint. Some of the top guys on the card already have bouts lines up, but here are some potential match ups that could be made that would make a lot of sense for both Tennessee MMA and the fighters involved.
VALOR Pro Featherweight Championship: Steven New vs Nate Landwehr
- New has been on more of a tear than possibly any fighter in the state of Tennesssee over the last year. He has suffered only one defeat in his career and since that loss he has dominated every opponent he has stepped into the cage with. He faced a much more experienced veteran in Josh Cate at Valor Fights 22 in April and put on a very dominant performance over the BJJ Black Belt and followed that up with a victory this past Saturday over another much more experienced veteran in Dustin Walden. At this point in his career there is really no one left in the state that would be a high level challenge to New other than Nate Landwehr. Landwehr took a year off after defeating Adam Townsend who is considered one of Tennessee's top pound for pound fighters and is also considered one of the pound for pound best fighters in the state himself. A match up between Landwehr and New would really be a battle to determine who is the best lightweight in the state of Tennessee right now. Rumors of this fight possibly happening later this year have already surfaced and it's a fight that needs to happen.
Featherweight: Jonathan Pearce vs Nick Gehrts
- This bout was orginally scheduled to headline VALOR 27 in Knoxville, Tennessee, but it was just announced that Gehrts was forced to pull out with a knee injury. If not too serious, Pearce and Gehrts will likely be re-booked for a future date likely at the end of the year or first show of 2016. The battle is one of the best potential matchups within VALOR Fights currently as both men have started off with the promotion and have came up through the ranks together, but have yet to meet in the cage. Both fighters come from top tier gyms as well with Pearce representing D-Evil in Johnson City and Gehrts with KMAA in Knoxville. Look for these two to fight each other sometime within the next six months.
Featherweight: Randy Stamey vs Jorge Medina
- Stamey started his professional career off picking up back to back losses. He has since picked up back to back victories, one over a very tough Tim Boyle in June and another this past Saturday over MMA veteran Josh Cate. There was a bit of controversy in the bout with Cate, so unless a rematch is what is in store, Stamey needs to be moving ahead against opponents that not only will be a challenge, but against fighters that will also help move his career forward. Jorge Medina would be the perfect opponent at the moment. Medina is 4-2 with his only losses coming to Adam Townsend and to top prospect Pedro Gomes. Both of these fighters are in similar positions in their career and both carry losses, but they are to top ranked opponents. Medina is coming off of a loss in March with Stamey riding a two fight winning streak. This fight would make a lot of sense at the moment for several reasons. It would be a step up in competition for Stamey and he would be looking to continue his winning streak with Medina looking to get back on the winning track and to do so against an opponent who is on the rise. If you take those things into account, it gives you all the ingredients for what could be a very fun fight that not only would be entertaining, but also makes a lot of sense for each fighter at this point in their career.
Flyweight: Devin Ward vs Bo Oliver
- Devin Ward made his pro debut this past Saturday at Valor Fights 26 and did so with an exciting first round submission victory over Brandon Grimmett. Ward came into the bout as one of the top ranked Flyweight amateurs in the state and he will now be looking to do the same thing as a pro. The only problem he runs into is the depth at Flyweight in Tennessee is not very deep. One fighter that could be the next challenge for him though could be Bo Oliver. Oliver is 1-1 with Ward being 1-0 with both carrying a victory over Grimmett. This fight would make a lot of sense for the Valor promotion as well especially if they could book it near the tri-cities as both are East TN fighters that could bring in a crowd to see this bout. Oliver would be a step up in competition in the pro circuit for Ward and vice versa for Oliver. Ward would be the toughest fighter that Oliver has faced thus far in his professional career and Oliver would be a challenge for Ward as he moves forward in his pro career.
Lightweight: Steven Haag vs Corey Browning
- Haag is one of the most decorated grapplers on the Valor roster. He only had two fights as an amateur but looked very good in both bouts, especially in his last amateur outing when he defeated top ranked Chris Aguilar at Valor Fight 25 in July. Haag has started his career off as a professional very successfully with his first round omoplata victory this past weekend over Nick Collins. Haag vs Corey Browing would make a lot of sense on paper. Both fighters are 1-0 and would be the classic grappler vs striker match up that you see in MMA. As stated Haag is one of the most decorated grapplers on the Valor roster, with Browning being one of the better strikers on it. Browning had a very successful amateur career holding victories over several top prospects including a knockout victory over top ranked Damir Beghatovic and winning the Valor Fights Grand Prix. This bout would present challenges to both fighters stylistically and at this point in their careers, this would be a good match up that would help both fighters grow in the cage.
​
-D.J. Mackie, VALORFights.com Writer/Alchemy Jiu-Jitsu Instructor
POST-FIGHT MATCHES TO MAKE: VALOR Fights 26
