Sarah Kaufman came up short in her third meeting with Alexis Davis at UFC 186, and as a result, she’s going to need to regroup before she gets herself back into the title picture. That’s a shame, because although she has a loss to Rousey on her record, it came back in Strikeforce, and she remains one of the bigger names yet to fight the champ under the UFC banner.

Now 1-2-0(1 NC) in her last four, Kaufman is going to be on the lookout for fights, and may want to consider a quick turnaround to erase the memory of her submission loss to Davis. That said, options that make sense for the fourth ranked women’s bantamweight fighter (though that ranking may drop come next week) are few and far between.

Kaufman has already fought a number of the top names in the division between her time in Strikeforce and the UFC. That said, there are a few names that still make sense.

Sara McMann

Interestingly enough, Sara McMann and Sarah Kaufman have never crossed paths in their MMA careers, and with both coming off a loss, now might be the perfect time to pair them up. McMann’s wrestling could pose problems for Kaufman, but she has fairly strong takedown defense. McMann could actually be an option for Alexis Davis as well, but given the UFC’s tendency to pair winners with winners and losers with losers, this match-up might be a little more realistic.

Liz Carmouche

Liz Carmouche finally got herself back in the win column with a defeat of Lauren Murphey earlier this month, and while it would forgo the winner vs. winner trend of UFC bookings, a fight between Kaufman and Carmouche would still be a match worth making. With both fighters former victims of Rousey, there’d be enough interest in a bout between the two, and it would serve as a rematch of their Strikeforce bout from 2011. Carmouche has come a long way since then, so the time might be right to pair them up again.

Cat Zingano

The biggest name in the division outside of Tate and Rousey, Cat Zingano will be looking for a rebound fight coming off her disappointing showing against Ronda Rousey, and Kaufman is just the name to pair he up with. There’s nothing not to love about this match-up: two top five fighters, both coming off key losses, looking to build themselves back up.

Kaufman and Zingano have never fought before, and as two of the top names in the women’s bantamweight division who are both looking to right their respective ships, this is probably the fight to make.

About The Author

Senior Staff Writer

Covering the sport of MMA from Ontario, Canada, Jay Anderson has been writing for various publications covering sports, technology, and pop culture since 2001. Jay holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Guelph, and a Certificate in Leadership Skills from Humber College under the Ontario Management Development Program. When not slaving at the keyboard, he can be found in the company of his dog, a good book, or getting lost in the woods.