Morning matchmaker: Could Junior dos Santos vs. Travis Browne be next?
Following a weekend filled with fight cards including a new champion being crowned in the UFC women's strawweight division as well as the re-emergence of a former heavyweight king, there will be plenty of matchmaking to be done for these competitors in the next few months.
Carla Esparza claimed her spot as the best 115-pound fighter in the world last weekend with a win over Rose Namajunas and it appears she already has her next fight lined up.
Meanwhile, Junior dos Santos and Stipe Miocic battled it out for 25 minutes in a bout where both heavyweights collided with maximum impact, but who will they fight next? Is dos Santos that much closer to a title shot now?
Let's see who should be next for some of the biggest names on the weekend fight cards.
Carla Esparza
The new champ in the strawweight division made it through three fights on The Ultimate Fighter and then took out Rose Namajunas in dominant fashion on Friday night at the finale. Now it's time for Esparza to see if she can hold onto that belt with a rigorous schedule coming up in 2015 for the new champion
Who's next: Joanna Jedrzejczyk
The writing is on the wall for this fight after Jedrzejczyk beat Claudia Gadelha on Saturday night in Phoenix. It was an ultra close fight, but the judges gave Jedrzejczyk the nod so she gets the title shot. It should be an interesting matchup considering Jedrzejczyk's high level striking game while facing one of the best wrestlers in the entire women's division in Esparza.
Rose Namajunas
The title fight didn't go Namajunas' way on Friday, but this spunky and talented 115-pounder still has a very bright future ahead of her in the UFC. Namajunas benefitted from three straight finishes on the reality show to end up as a favorite going into her fight with Esparza, but now the job becomes bouncing back and proving she can go with the best fighters in the world at strawweight
Who's next: Felice Herrig
Namajunas needs to face another top level fighter, but since she already faced three of them on the reality show, options are limited. Herrig makes perfect sense considering she's Esparza's best friend and would have faced Namajunas on the show if she got past Randa Markos in the quarterfinals. Herrig is a very well known fighter in the division so she provides name recognition and a tough challenge to see if Namajunas is the real deal.
Junior dos Santos
Close fight or not, Junior dos Santos got the job done against Stipe Miocic to rebound from a tough loss to Cain Velasquez last year. As good as it was for dos Santos to get a win on Saturday, chances are he isn't any closer to a title shot so long as Velasquez is holding onto the belt. He might become the biggest Fabricio Werdum fan in the world now, but until that title changes hands dos Santos is on the outside looking in.
Who's next: Travis Browne
Browne is in a similar situation as dos Santos seeing as he just lost to Werdum back in April and his last win came over Brendan Schaub, who is planted well outside the top 15 in the division. Browne beating dos Santos would put him back in the title conversation. Dos Santos could see his stock raise again if he could take out another top five fighter.
Stipe Miocic
Even in defeat, Ohio native Stipe Miocic saw his stock rise over the weekend because he was potentially a round away from beating dos Santos -- a fighter who hasn't been touched outside of his two fights against Velasquez in the UFC. Miocic could quickly get back into title discussion if he gets the right win in his next fight.
Who's next: Mark Hunt
The veteran New Zealander is coming off a tough loss to Fabricio Werdum in an interim title fight, but Hunt is still one of the best known and well liked heavyweights on the roster. He packs dynamite in his hands and always finds a hardcore audience to support his fights. Seems like a fun fight as well considering how much we learned about Miocic from his battle over the weekend.
Rafael dos Anjos
It was another huge win for Rafael dos Anjos this weekend as he dismantled Nate Diaz for five straight rounds en route to his third straight victory. He's now 8-1 in his past nine fights and dos Anjos has proven he belongs among the elite fighters in the sport.
Who's next: Anthony Pettis
Love it or not, Rafael dos Anjos is on a win streak and he's healthy so he's going to get lightweight champion Anthony Pettis next regardless of his loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov, who is waiting in the wings but currently injured. Title fights aren't always about who deserves them the most -- it comes down to timing and promotion. Plus if you erase the one loss to the Russian, dos Anjos has been mauling the top lightweights in the division for the past two years so his shot was coming regardless.
Alistair Overeem
It was a much needed win for 'The Reem' as he bludgeoned fellow Dutch fighter Stefan Struve to earn a knockout win following a rough 1-3 stretch in the UFC. Overeem is still a highly regarded heavyweight fighter who can draw a solid crowd and he showed on Saturday night he's more than just a kickboxer with a strong wrestling game and devastating ground and pound.
Who's next: Roy Nelson
Typically the UFC tries to avoid fighters coming off wins facing guys coming off losses, but this fight seems like the kind matchmaker Joe Silva would embrace. Nelson is in the midst of an equally tough stretch (he's also 1-3 in his last four) and a fight with Overeem is an easy sell for a co-main event for an upcoming UFC Fight Night event. Overeem could use another big name on his resume as well and Nelson definitely fits the bill.
Matt Mitrione
Former Ultimate Fighter season 10 competitor Matt Mitrione has always been looked at as a top prospect in the division, but until Saturday night he stumbled in all of the big matchups he's had against top 10 opponents. While Gabriel Gonzaga wasn't top 10 at the time, the Brazilian has long been a gatekeeper to the top 10. Gonzaga routinely dispatches of fighters outside the top 10 so Mitrione beating him is definitely a significant victory.
Who's next: Ben Rothwell
Both fighters are heavyweight knockout artists and Rothwell is just coming off a win over Alistair Overeem from September. Rothwell has been somewhat hit and miss during his UFC career so facing a fighter like Mitrione gives him a chance to prove he belongs amongst the top heavyweights in the world while not pushing him for a top five opponent just yet.
