(ALSO SEE: Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Cain Velasquez after UFC on ESPN 1 loss?)
After every event, fans wonder whom the winners 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 on ESPN 1’s key winning fighters.
That includes Francis Ngannou (13-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC), who beat Cain Velasquez (14-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) with a quick knockout in the main event, as well as Paul Felder (16-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC), Cynthia Calvillo (8-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC), Kron Gracie (5-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) and Andre Fili (19-6 MMA, 7-5 UFC).
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Kron Gracie
Should fight: Andre Fili
Why they should fight: Gracie shined bright in his UFC debut when he dismantled Alex Caceres for a first-round submission that marked his return to MMA competition after more than two years and put the Gracie family back in the UFC win column for the first time since 1994.
Prior to stepping into the octagon for the first time, Gracie said he wanted a challenge greater than Caceres, but that was the fight the UFC wanted. One of the people on his radar was Fili, who earned a unanimous decision victory over Myles Jury just a pair of fights prior to when Gracie competed.
With Gracie keen on fighting established names at 145 pounds, there may be no better option than to give him the fight he asked for from the beginning. With both men appearing to have come out of their fights relatively unscathed and on the same timeline, all the ingredients are there to book it – perhaps at May’s UFC 237 event in Brazil.
Cynthia Calvillo
Should fight: Tatiana Suarez
Why they should fight: Calvillo made the bold choice to call out Suarez (7-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) after edging out a decision victory over Cortney Casey, and the Team Alpha Male product might very well get her wish.
UFC President Dana White lauded Calvillo for calling out Suarez, who White claims can’t get a fight for the life of her in the strawweight division. Well, Calvillo is apparently ready to step up to the challenge, and the stakes could very well be title eliminator.
Paul Felder
Should fight: Loser of Edson Barboza vs. Justin Gaethje at UFC on ESPN 2
Why they should fight: It’s safe to say we might not see Felder back in action for a little while after he not only endured a grueling fight with James Vick that saw him win a unanimous decision, but also went to the hospital.
Felder’s lung apparently collapsed in the closing minutes of his competitive matchup with Vick. He was taken to hospital, where he remains with a tube in his chest to alleviate the pressure in his lungs and help him breath. That doesn’t sound like a person who should be training for a cage fight anytime soon.
Hopefully Felder’s health will be back in order soon, because as he proved against Vick that he is among the more entertaining lightweights on the roster and has made it clear he’s going to bring the same furious approach to the octagon each and every time.
In the immediate aftermath of his win, Felder called to fight the winner of Barboza (20-6 MMA, 14-6 UFC) vs. Gaethje (19-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC), who meet in the UFC on ESPN 2 headliner March 30. The winner of that bout likely will be pursuing a top-five opponent, though, so Felder may have a better chance of getting the loser of that contest.
Felder already lost on the scorecards to Barboza at UFC on FOX 16 in July 2015, but he has evolved plenty since then and a rematch would be intriguing. And Felder knows exactly what he would be getting himself into against former WSOF champ Gaethje and said he relishes that “dream” pairing. Either way, it’s hard to go wrong.
Francis Ngannou
Should fight: Stipe Miocic or Daniel Cormier
Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Ngannou should rematch ex-champ Miocic (18-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) if he doesn’t get a title fight with current champ Cormier (22-1 MMA, 11-1 UFC).
For complete coverage of UFC on ESPN 1, check out the UFC Events section of the site.
