Hard Knocks 48 went down this past weekend from the Markin MacPhail Centre in Calgary, Alberta. The card featured another stacked lineup including a trio of title fights as well as one of the youngest and one of the oldest pro fighters in Canada in TJ Laramie and Lee Mein respectively. In this article we’ll look ahead to see what could possibly be next for some of the more impressive winners.
Keep in mind, in most cases the match-ups listed here are hypothetical and have not been announced or rumored to be taking place unless otherwise noted.
Let us know your thoughts on who should be up next for the big winners and the rest of the card and who you think would win our hypothetical match-ups.
135lbs- Jesse Arnett (10-4) vs. Josh Hill (13-1)
***Bantamweight Title Fight
“The Big Cat” has been mauling everyone put in front of him over the last year and a half. Jesse Arnett entered the fight against Mike Davis as a heavy underdog with a 3-4 record and came out of the bout with a dominant decision victory to start his 7 fight win streak. This was only the beginning as Arnett would go on to finish his next 6 opponents en route to becoming one of the hottest fighters in Canada. People continue to bet against Arnett but he keeps proving them wrong taking on tougher and tougher competition in each fight. Josh Hill has been ranked at the top of the heap for Canadian Bantamweights for years with his only loss coming to WSOF Champ Marlon Moraes back in February of last year. Since then Hill has put together a string of three victories in three countries with wins over Josh Rettinghouse, Ion Vranceanu and most recently handing Dagestani prospects Bekbulat Magomedov his first defeat. This really is the only Canadian Bantamweight that makes sense as the rest of the Top 5 are already currently signed to the UFC.
205lbs- Rodney Wallace (25-10-1) vs. Ryan Jimmo (19-5)
***Light-Heavyweight Title Fight
Rodney Wallace has become a mainstay on Hard Knocks cards as of late racking up a 5-1 record for the promotion with his only loss to current UFC fighter Misha Cirkunov. Wallace is a grinder counting 16 decisions among his 25 victories. The former UFC fighter has notable wins over the likes of Ovince St. Preux, David Heath, Derrick Mehman and Kalib Starnes. Generally we like to include a Canadian in all of our Who’s Next matchups and in the case it’s no different. While the talent level is thin at Light-Heavyweight throughout Canada there is one name that jumps off the page and it’s a man that Wallace was scheduled to fight in a ill fated tournament in the Caribbean years ago. Ryan Jimmo was cut from the UFC more than 6 months ago and little is known about his future other than his current efforts to expand The Ali Act to include MMA fighters. I’m sure fans all over Canada would love to see “The Big Deal” make a return north of the border for a scrap with the Hard Knocks champ.
170lbs- Cody Wilson (9-1) vs. Ryan Machan (23-9)
***Welterweight Title Fight
Cody Wilson did what few others have been able to do over the last seven years. He entered a fight against Sergej Juskevic and left the cage with his knees and ankles in tact. Cody Wilson survived several leg attacks from “The Leg Collector” and when all was said and done it was Wilson who had collected the title that the Latvian import once called his own. Wilson improved to 9-1 with his victory on Friday night and seems to be a well rounded fighter with three wins each by TKO, Submission and Decision. Ryan Machan was shut out over the last year but it hasn’t been for lack of trying. Machan had five bouts scheduled but for various reasons he hasn’t stepped into a cage since November of 2014. Machan has been scheduled against Cody McKenzie, Mike Rhodes, Collin Reuter, DaMarqus Johnson and Cody McKenzie again. As one of the most entertaining fighters around and a guy who could be on the cusp of a UFC call up with a solid win or two, the past few years have proven that Machan might have the worst luck in Canada as he has lost no less than 14 opponents since May of 2012… Someone, anyone please fight Ryan Machan!
135lbs- TJ Laramie (3-0) vs. Kyle Oliveira (3-1)
I would love to take credit for thinking of this fight but that recognition has to go to one of Top MMA News favorites Michael Davis… who by the way also needs an opponent soon as he is finally on the comeback trail, but on to the matter at hand. TJ Laramie has looked completely unstoppable in his first three pro fights and has yet to be threatened against some stiff competition. Seeing how dominant he’s been it’s hard to believe that he turned 18 just a few months ago. Kyle Oliveira, another young up and coming prospect has put together a solid 3-1 record to open his career with the lone loss coming to tough veteran Sean Quinn in only his second fight but counters that with wins over Corey Gower and Keegan Oliver, certainly nothing to sneeze at. It should also be noted that Laramie’s next opponent is actually already set. He will take on Team Alpha Male’s Vince Murdock at Triple X Cagefighting next month but after he gets through him a bout with Oliveira would be an absolute dream match for Canadian fans.
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