(ALSO SEE: Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for UFC 235’s winning fighters?)
After every event, fans wonder whom the losing fighters will be matched up with next.
With another night of UFC action in the rearview mirror, it’s time to look forward, put on a pair of Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard’s shoes, and play UFC matchmaker for UFC 235’s most notable fighters.
Those fighters include title-fight competitors Anthony Smith (31-14 MMA, 7-4 UFC), who fell short of light heavyweight gold in the main event, and Tyron Woodley (19-4-1 MMA, 9-3-1 UFC), who lost his welterweight title in the co-headliner at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Also on the card, former champs Robbie Lawler (28-13 MMA, 13-7 UFC) and Cody Garbrandt (11-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) suffered losses, while longtime octagon veteran Jeremy Stephens (28-16 MMA, 15-15 UFC) lost a key featherweight bout.
See who they should fight next after UFC 235.
Jeremy Stephens
Should fight: Chan Sung Jung
Why they should fight: Stephens put in a gutsy effort against highly touted rising star Zabit Magomedsharipov, but ultimately he came out on the wrong end of the result with a unanimous decision loss.
“Lil’ Heathen” became the first fighter in UFC history with 15 losses and 15 wins inside the octagon, which is probably not a record his wants, but is proof of his longevity and resiliency. Stephens never takes an easy fight and is always eager to compete at the highest level, and that’s unlikely to change despite the setback against Magomedsharipov.
Any fight Stephens is placed in has a high degree of potential to be among the best on the card, but with a matchup against one of the most exciting fighters in the sport in Jung (14-5 MMA, 4-2), that potential grows significantly.
Cody Garbrandt
Should fight: John Dodson
Why they should fight: Former UFC champ Garbrandt continued to struggle after his glorious title victory over Dominick Cruz in December 2016 when he suffered his third consecutive knockout loss, this time at the hands of Pedro Munhoz.
After back-to-back losses against rival T.J. Dillashaw, “No Love” attempted to restart his climb up to the divisional pecking order with the fight against Munhoz, who he and his team wanted to fight. The Brazilian showed that was a bad idea, because he finished off Garbrandt in an epic “Fight of the Night” affair.
Garbrandt received some criticism for his ill-advised strategy prior to the finish, but he said afterward that strategy went out the window because of a head butt. Nevertheless, Garbrandt is now sitting on three-straight defeats and is in something of a desperate situation.
Another layoff is likely on the horizon for Garbrandt after taking damage, but once he returns, he needs to look at taking winnable fight. Dodson (20-11 MMA, 9-6 UFC) is no walk in the park, but Garbrandt’s style would lend well to an entertaining affair.
Robbie Lawler
Should fight: Ben Askren
Why they should fight: Former UFC champ Lawler looked like he was going to have a shining performance in his return to the octagon from a career-long layoff. He was moment away from spoiling Ben Askren’s promotional debut, but then it all went bad.
After Lawler had the former Bellator and ONE Championship titleholder on the cusp of a stoppage in the opening minutes, Askren turned the tide and applied a bulldog choke. Referee Herb Dean made a judgement call based on Lawler’s arm seemingly going limb, and that put another win on Askren’s undefeated record.
Lawler and UFC President Dana White both said they’d like to book an immediate rematch of the fight. Askren said he wasn’t interested, and has turned his attention to the winner of the UFC on ESPN+ 5 headliner between Darren Till and Jorge Masvidal on March 16. So now it will come down to what he wants vs. what the UFC wants.
There’s no truly wrong choice, but now that there’s a storyline, a definitive ending to the Lawler situation would be preferable.
Tyron Woodley
Should fight: Rafael dos Anjos
Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Woodley should fight dos Anjos (28-11 MMA, 17-9 UFC) next after losing his 170-pound title to Kamaru Usman by unanimous decision.
Anthony Smith
Should fight: Jan Blachowicz
Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Smith should fight Blachowicz (23-8 MMA, 6-5 UFC) next after dropping his title fight to Jon Jones by unanimous decision.
For complete coverage of UFC 235, check out the UFC Events section of the site.
