With so many UFC events going down as of late, not every main card matchup can have relevance and significance to the current and future landscape of a given weight class.However, that wasn't the case for "UFC 164: Henderson vs. Pettis 2," which went down Saturday night from Milwaukee's Bradley Center on the 110th anniversary weekend of major UFC sponsor Harley-Davidson.
Meaningful fights were the trend throughout the pay-per-view portion of the Aug. 31 fight card, but none more so than the lightweight championship main event that featured a rematch between Benson Henderson (19-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) and Anthony Pettis (17-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC).
Once again it was "Showtime" who came through with a spectacular finish as he locked in an armbar in the first round that forced Henderson to verbally submit and hand his championship belt over to Pettis.
The rest of the card had some big winners too, as Josh Barnett (33-6 MMA, 5-1 UFC) stopped heavyweight Frank Mir (16-8 MMA, 14-8 UFC) with strikes, featherweight Chad Mendes (15-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) became the first fighter to knock out Clay Guida (30-14 MMA, 10-8 UFC), Ben Rothwell (33-9 MMA, 3-3 UFC) spoiled Brandon Vera's (12-7 MMA, 8-7 UFC) return to the heavyweight division, and Dustin Poirier (14-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) outfought fellow featherweight contender Erik Koch (13-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) in a thrilling decision win.
No matter the nature of each man's victory, they all accomplished the ultimate goal of the sport, and that's being declared the winner at the fight's conclusion.
After every fight card, 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 Joe Silva's (and Sean Shelby's) shoes, and play UFC matchmaker.
Dustin Poirier
Whom he should fight next: Chad Mendes
Why they should fight: The top 10 of the featherweight rankings received a touch more clarity after UFC 164 as Poirier and Chad Mendes came out the winners in two very important 145-pound contests.
In a perfect world, divisional kingpin Jose Aldo would next defend his belt against Ricardo Lamas while Cub Swanson and Frankie Edgar meet for a top contender's position.
That leaves top 10 fighters in Poirier and Mendes, who both appeared to come out of their respective bouts unscathed, open to fight each other.
Instead of looking to see what the rest of the division has to offer, it may be more logical for both men to look at each other for a fight since they competed on the same card just minutes after each other.
Poirier may be ranked lower than Mendes, but he looked better than ever in defeating Koch and is certainly an interesting challenge in Mendes' quest toward a second fight with Aldo.
Ben Rothwell
Whom he should fight next: Sao Palelei
Why they should fight: Rothwell's UFC career may be dribbled with inconsistencies, but there's no denying he comes through with victories when he needs them most.
Rothwell spoiled Vera's return to the heavyweight division with a knockout win, and now it's time for "Big Ben" to try to string together some victories in the octagon.
While he's looked great in his wins – and very poor in his losses – Rothwell has yet to win consecutive fights under the UFC banner.
That puts him in a position to be a measuring stick for his fellow heavyweights, and with Palelei (19-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) coming off a win over Nikita Krylov (15-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) on the preliminary-card portion of the card, he would be a suitable next opponent if both are healthy and the timing lines up.
However, Palelei's UFC 164 win was such an underwhelming performance that UFC President Dana White called it "embarrassing" and said it wasn't UFC-caliber. "The Hulk" returned to the UFC for the first time since 2007 and stopped Krylov with strikes in the third round; however, it was one of the sloppiest fights in recent memory.
With that said, Palelei still managed a TKO win, and at 35 years of age, it's time to find out if the Australian can make some noise in the heavyweight division. Rothwell will test that.
Chad Mendes
Whom he should fight next: Poirier
Why they should fight: See above
Josh Barnett
Whom he should fight next: Travis Browne
Why they should fight: Barnett and Browne both earned major first-round knockout wins in the month of August, and now they are on a collision course in the path toward the UFC heavyweight championship.
With the top of the weight class wide open after Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos complete their trilogy in October at UFC 166, both men are on the verge of having a resume worthy of a championship fight.
Barnett's return to the UFC after more than a decade away from the promotion makes him an exciting new addition to the roster, and his win over Mir paired with another quality victory could potentially fast track him to a No. 1 contender's fight. The same can be said for "Hapa" after his highlight-reel finish of Alistair Overeem at UFC Fight Night 26.
This matchup would have a huge impact on who could be challenging for the belt in the next 12 months, and the winner would be on the shortlist of title contenders in the heavyweight division.
Anthony Pettis
Whom he should fight next: T.J. Grant
Why they should fight: Unless another curveball is thrown at the UFC lightweight title picture, there's a great chance Grant will be the first challenger to Pettis' crown following UFC 164.
Grant was originally scheduled to fight Henderson for the belt in Saturday's headliner, but a concussion suffered in training forced him out of the bout, and Pettis replaced him.
The Canadian has already been named the top contender in the weight class once, and, if healthy, there's no reason why he isn't deserving of that status again.
After starting his UFC career with an average 3-3 record, Grant made the decision to drop from the welterweight division and has looked like a new man ever since. The 29-year-old has reeled off five straight victories and became just the second man to ever defeat two-time title challenger Gray Maynard, which made him more than deserving of a crack at the strap.
Grant's size, strength, grappling skills and ever-improving striking makes him a legitimate threat to win the belt against anyone, and he is sure to give Pettis all he can handle in his first defense.
While a superfight with 145-pound champion Jose Aldo is an intriguing possibility, both Pettis and "Scarface" have a lot of work to do in their respective divisions, and depending on the severity of Pettis' knee injury, the matchup with Grant should take place as soon as possible.
For complete coverage of UFC 164, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.
(Pictured: T.J. Grant)
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