Joe Silva's Shoes: What's next for UFC Fight Night 28's winners? The UFC wrapped up its third event in a seven-day span on Wednesday when "UFC Fight Night 28: Teixeira vs. Bader" took place inside the surprisingly chilly confines of Mineirinho Arena in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.This past week's UFC Fight Night 27 and UFC 164 cards were deemed the better of the three events due to more familiar names and significant matchups, but when it came to the top-billed bouts, an argument can be made UFC Fight Night 28 delivered the most thrilling finishes of any event.
Glover Teixeira (22-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC), Ronaldo Souza (19-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC) and Joseph Benavidez (19-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC) all delivered the goods with first-round knockouts to send the roughly 5,000 Brazilian fans in attendance home happy. Rafael Natal (17-4-1 MMA, 5-2-1 UFC), Ali Bagautinov (11-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) and Piotr Hallmann (14-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) all contributed to a worthwhile main card with a "Fight of the Night" performance, brutal knockout and comeback submission. In all, the UFC's third event on FOX Sports 1 was an entertaining evening of action.
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.
Ali Bagautinov
Should fight: A UFC newcomer
Why they should fight: There was a lot of buzz surrounding Bagautinov prior to his octagon debut on Wednesday, and with the way he performed in a third-round knockout win over Marcos Vinicius, it's easy to see why.
Bagautinov is a former Russian sambo champion who transitioned to MMA in 2009 and has since won 11 of his 13 professional fights. With the UFC reportedly starting plans for a future debut in Russia, it wouldn't hurt to build up Bagautinov with some wins.
That said, the UFC flyweight division is continuing to evolve, and as more 125-pounders are signed, it wouldn't hurt bring in a fighter who will give Bagautinov a tough, yet winnable, fight.
Rafael Natal
Should fight: Tom Lawlor
Why they should fight: Natal and Lawlor (9-5 MMA, 5-4 UFC) are hovering in the middle of the pack in the middleweight division and are both known for their toughness inside the cage.
Both were victorious in their most recent trips to the octagon, and this matchup has all the makings of an exciting contest between two fighters eager to emerge from the mid-tier of the 185-pound weight class. The result of this bout will see one man continue to move forward up the rankings while the other goes back to the drawing board.
Piotr Hallmann
Should fight: Al Iaquinta
Why they should fight: Poland's Hallmann proved to be a worthy addition to an already loaded UFC lightweight division as he displayed tremendous toughness and resiliency in coming back from a tough first round to submit Francisco Trinaldo.
The 26-year-old showed he has great potential by submitting Trinaldo with a kimura, and matching him against another tough prospect like Iaquinta (6-2-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) – who also picked up a recent impressive win – seems like a logical next step up for both.
Joseph Benavidez
Should fight: Demetrious Johnson
Why they should fight: Considering the thin nature of the 125-pound division, it's likely Benavidez will be next in line for a shot at flyweight champion Johnson (18-2-1 MMA, 6-1-1 UFC) after recording his third straight win against Jussier Formiga.
Johnson defeated Benavidez once before, at UFC 152, to become the inaugural UFC flyweight titleholder. The fight was a competitive five-round battle, but Johnson was clearly the superior competitor that night and walked away with a decision victory and the championship belt. How would a rematch go, now more than a year later? It's hard to tell. But Benavidez is certainly capable of defeating Johnson with the right game plan and his newfound confidence under the tutelage of Team Alpha Male coach Duane Ludwig.
Unfortunately for "Joe-Jitsu," fighting Johnson again this soon is a major risk. Two losses to the champion in such a short time span would put him in title purgatory, a situation very similar to what he faced at bantamweight with two losses to champ Dominick Cruz. However, if Benavidez loses to Johnson again, there's no lighter weight class to drop to.
While the rematch may not be the most appealing option currently, there are no other contenders with enough momentum or name value to warrant a title shot. Besides, at the end of the day, Benavidez has earned his rematch.
Ronaldo Souza
Should fight: Winner of Michael Bisping vs. Mark Munoz
Why they should fight: A win over Yushin Okami is no joke, and after defeating "Thunder" by first-round knockout, there are only big fights in store for Souza.
The former Strikeforce middleweight titleholder has quickly made waves since moving to the UFC earlier this year and has produced two very impressive performances to become the new name to watch at 185 pounds.
A win over Okami typically moves a fighter very close to a title shot, but with Chris Weidman, Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort crowding the top of the weight class, it's going to take another quality win to get "Jacare" in a championship fight. There are several important middleweight fights on tap before the end of the year, but as far as contenders matchups go, the UFC Fight Night 30 main event of Bisping (24-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) vs. Munoz (13-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) is the highest-profile contest of them all.
The winner of that fight, like Souza, will be right on the verge of a title fight, and a bout against "Jacare" has all the elements of a battle for No. 1 contendership.
The UFC has been looking for any opportunity to justify putting Bisping in a title fight, and if he were to beat Munoz and Souza back-to-back on top of his win over Alan Belcher earlier this year, "The Count" would finally have the string of victories needed to legitimize him as a title challenger.
As for Munoz, "The Filipino Wrecking Machine" has been flirting with title contendership for a while now and will always be one good winning streak away from earning a shot at the belt.
The middleweight division is arguably more interesting than it has been in years, and this matchup would only help reveal the division's true pecking order.
Glover Teixeira
Should fight: Winner of Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson
Why they should fight: While it would be nice to see Teixeira record a win over a fighter actually ranked in the top 10 of the weight class, it appears his come-from-behind knockout of Ryan Bader was enough to earn a light heavyweight title shot.
The Brazilian has recorded five-straight victories – four by stoppage – since joining the UFC roster in May 2012, and his success has quickly elevated him to the top of the UFC light heavyweight rankings.
UFC President Dana White stated prior to the event that an impressive win for Teixeira would earn him a title shot, and despite the fact the 32-year-old was on the defensive for most of the fight and seemingly on the verge of being knocked out, his performance was enough to get a crack at the gold.
Teixeira is sitting on a remarkable 20-fight winning streak and will now wait to see who comes out the winner of the Jones (18-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) vs. Gustafsson (15-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) title fight at UFC 165 on Sept. 21.
For more on UFC Fight Night 28, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.
(Pictured: Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza)
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