Joe Silva's Shoes: What's next for Gegard Mousasi and UFC Fight Night 99's other winning fighters?

The UFC made its second stop in Northern Ireland with UFC Fight Night 99, which took place Saturday at Belfast’s SSE Arena. The event, which streamed on UFC Fight Pass, saw three of four main-card fights go to the judges.

In the main event, middleweight contender Gegard Mousasi (41-6-2 MMA, 8-3 UFC) capped off the show with a stoppage, putting Uriah Hall (12-8 MMA, 5-6 UFC) away with a first-round TKO in a rematch of a September 2015 fight which “The Dreamcatcher” lost in a stunning upset.

Steven Ray (20-6 MMA, 4-1 UFC), Alexander Volkov (27-6 MMA, 1-0 UFC) and Artem Lobov (13-12-1 MMA, 2-2 UFC) also earned victories, outpointing their respective opponents on the scorecards.

After every event, fans wonder whom the winners will be matched up with next. And with another night of UFC action in the rearview mirror, it’s time to look forward, put on a pair of Joe Silva and Sean Shelby’s shoes, and play UFC matchmaker for UFC Fight Night 99’s winning fighters.

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Artem Lobov

Dennis Siver

Should fight: Dennis Siver
Why they should fight: After starting his UFC tenure with back-to-back losses, Lobov put together his second-straight successful octagon performance when he beat Teruto Ishihara by unanimous decision in one of the most impressive performances of his career.

Lobov asked for another step up in competition after outpointing Ishihara, and a matchup against a well-traveled UFC veteran in Siver (22-11 MMA, 11-8 UFC) would be perfect for him. Despite the fact Siver hasn’t fought since June 2015, and is coming off back-to-back losses, he would still arguably be one of the better opponents Lobov has faced throughout his career.

If Lobov were able to top Siver and push his winning streak to three, he would officially silence any naysayers who claim he isn’t deserving of a UFC roster spot and is only there because of his relationship with two-division UFC champ Conor McGregor.

Alexander Volkov

Francis Ngannou

Should fight: Winner of Francis Ngannou vs. Anthony Hamilton at UFC Fight Night 102
Why they should fight: Former Bellator champ Volkov may not have had the dominant performance he was looking for against Timothy Johnson, but ultimately his UFC debut went his way as he was awarded a narrow and competitive split decision in a tough fight.

Volkov has more work to do before he sniffs title contention the UFC heavyweight division, but fortunately for the Russian, he is only 28 and has plenty of time to prove himself under the UFC banner. He shouldn’t be given too great a step up in competition, which is why the winner of next month’s UFC Fight Night 102 showdown between Ngannou (8-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) and Hamilton (15-5 MMA, 3-3 UFC) would be an appropriate matchup.

Steven Ray

Joseph Duffy

Should fight: Joseph Duffy
Why they should fight: In the most high-profile fight of his career thus far, Scotland’s Ray managed to beat 22-fight UFC veteran Ross Pearson by split-decision on the judges’ scorecards for his fourth victory in five UFC appearances.

Ray has the talent to make an impact in the loaded UFC lightweight division, but his steps up must be slow and steady. Duffy (15-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) is a fringe top-15 fighter at 155 pounds, but his UFC career to this point has proven he’s as dangerous as anyone out there.

Duffy is currently in the midst of a contract dispute with UFC officials, but if he can get things sorted, a fight between the Irishman and Ray would be a welcomed addition to any of the UFC’s planned 2017 events in Europe.

Gegard Mousasi

Should fight: Luke Rockhold
Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Mousasi should fight fellow former Strikeforce champ Rockhold (15-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) next after his victory over Hall.

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 99, check out the UFC Events section of the site.