Joe Silva's Shoes: What next for UFC 186's winning fighters?

John Dodson

(ALSO SEE: Joe Silva’s Shoes: What next for UFC 186’s losing fighters?)

On Saturday MMA’s globetrotting organization hosted UFC 186 in Montreal, where the octagon hadn’t set up in more than two years.

While the fight card was located in Canada, it featured an American vs. Japanese main event. UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson (22-2-1 MMA, 10-1-1 UFC) dominated Japanese challenger Kyoji Horiguchi (15-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) for most of five rounds before a last-second submission finished the fight.

Co-headliner Quinton Jackson (36-11, 8-5 UFC) returned to the octagon for the first time since January 2013 to outstrike Fabio Maldonado (22-8 MMA, 5-5 UFC) for a clear unanimous-decision victory.

The remainder of the main card produced some compelling results. Michael Bisping (26-7 MMA, 16-7 UFC) won an important fight at a key moment of his career while John Makdessi (13-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) and Thomas Almeida (18-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) delivered thrilling first-round knockouts of their opponents.

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 the winning fighters.

* * * *

Thomas Almeida

Ian Entwistle

Should fight: Ian Entwistle
Why they should fight: Almeida proved why he’s arguably the brightest prospect in the UFC bantamweight division when he took out veteran Yves Jabouin with first-round strikes.

At just 23, Almeida seems destined for a long and successful UFC career. That’s why he shouldn’t be rushed too far up the 135-pound ladder. He dominated and stopped a crafty striker in Jabouin, and now it’s time to face an opponent that will put the Brazilian to the test on the ground.

Entwistle (9-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) has earned all but one of his career victories by submission and is dangerous on the mat. He’d likely be significantly outmatched on the feet, but if Entwistle gets good position on the ground, he’d be a serious threat to Almeida’s undefeated record.

John Makdessi

Paul Felder

Should fight: Paul Felder
Why they should fight: Makdessi took a year off from MMA to regain his passion for the sport. It was clearly the right decision because his first-round knockout of Shane Campbell was arguably the best all-around performance of his career.

There’s no shortage of potential opponents for Makdessi to face next. It’s the best use of his talents to match him against fellow strikers, and the deep UFC lightweight division has plenty.

Felder (10-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) is an up-and-comer at 155 pounds and would almost surely stand and trade with Makdessi. Moreover, Felder and Makdessi are two of three fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout victory from a spinning backfist. Let them sling more spinning leather against each other.

Michael Bisping

Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza

Should fight: Ronaldo Souza
Why they should fight: Bisping said prior to UFC 186 that his plan for the rest of the year was to defeat Dollaway then move on a top contender bout against Souza (22-3 MMA, 5-0 UFC).

He achieved step one of that plan with a gritty decision win over “The Doberman,” and now it’s time to grant him his desired matchup against Souza.

“Jacare” and Bisping have already built some momentum for a fight. Souza’s management team wanted “The Count” to step in for the injured Yoel Romero at UFC on FOX 15 earlier this month, but Bisping was already scheduled for a fight.

Souza took care of business against last-minute replacement Chris Camozzi and pleaded for a title shot. Unfortunately for the Brazilian, Luke Rockhold appears primed for the next title bout.

Bisping is always eager to progress toward a title fight. He’s also willing to take the tough road to get there. While he would certainly be a considerable underdog, a win over Souza would bring him closer to a title fight than he’s been before.

Quinton Jackson

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua

Should fight: Mauricio Rua or Rashad Evans
Why they should fight: The challenge in matchmaking for Jackson (36-11 MMA, 8-5 UFC) after his unanimous-decision win over Maldonado is his unknown future. His legal situation with the UFC and Bellator MMA have cast doubt on when he’ll fight again, or if his next fight will even take place under the UFC banner.

Running off the assumption that Jackson resolves his issues and is cleared to fight again for the UFC before the end of the year, “Rampage” should be granted one of the rematches he expressed interest in at UFC 186’s post-fight press conference: Rua, Evans, Glover Teixeira and, eventually, Jon Jones.

The most realistic of those potential matchups are Rua (22-10 MMA, 6-8 UFC) and Evans (19-3-1 MMA, 14-3-1 UFC). Rua is slated to face Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 190 in August. If he wins, a rematch of his first-round knockout of Jackson under the now-defunct PRIDE banner in April 2005 would be a fight more than a decade in the making.

After building a rivalry for several months, Jackson and Evans had one of the most anticipated fights in UFC history at UFC 114 in May 2010. Evans won the pay-per-view blockbuster by decision, but it was hardly an exciting bout as he mostly used top control to ride Jackson to a victory. Evans is on the comeback trail from injury, and a rematch with Jackson would be an easy sell.

Demetrious Johnson

Zach Makovsky

Should fight: Winner of John Dodson vs. Zach Makovsky at UFC 187
Why they should fight: After another spectacular flyweight title defense, Johnson won’t have to wait long to discover the name of his next challenger.

Top 125-pound contenders Dodson (16-6 MMA, 5-1 UFC) and Makovsky (19-5 MMA, 3-1 UFC) meet at UFC 187 next month. The winner is almost certainly going to be granted a title shot. Most expect that challenger to be Dodson.

Johnson and Dodson have plenty of history. They fought once before at UFC on FOX 6 in what was arguably Johnson’s most competitive title defense. Both men have shown solid improvement in the two years since then.

Dodson’s combination of speed, takedown defense and knockout power makes him a tough stylistic challenge for “Mighty Mouse.” Moreover, the two seem to have a bit of distain for each other, which is the exact type of sizzle the flyweight division needs around one of its championship bouts.

For more on UFC 186, check out the UFC Events section of the site.