Joe Silva’s Shoes: What next for UFC 174’s winners?

On Saturday night, MMA’s globetrotting organization hosted UFC 174 in Vancouver, where the octagon hasn’t been set up in nearly three years.

While the fight card was located in Canada, it was an American vs. Russia main event as UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson (20-2-1 MMA, 8-1-1 UFC) dominated Ali Bagautinov (13-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) for five rounds to win a unanimous decision and earn his fourth title defense.

Co-headliner Rory MacDonald (17-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) made up for the lack of hometown flare in the headliner. British Columbia’s own put on the performance of his career inside Vancouver’s Rogers Arena and utterly dominated Tyron Woodley (13-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) en route to a clear decision win.

The remainder of the main card saw some less compelling results, but Ryan Bader (17-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC), Andrei Arlovski (22-10 MMA, 11-4 UFC) and Ovince Saint Preux (16-4 MMA, 4-0 UFC) all earned victories to line up bouts of significance in the near future.

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’s (and Sean Shelby’s) shoes, and play UFC matchmaker.

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OVINCE SAINT PREUX

Should fight: Ryan Bader
Why they should fight: See below.

ANDREI ARLOVSKI

Should fight: Winner of Stefan Struve vs. Matt Mitrione at UFC 175
Why they should fight: Arlovski probably should have come out on the losing end of his split decision against Schaub. Luckily for him, two of the three judges scored it in his favor, and because of that, his long-awaited return to the UFC was a winning one.

The former heavyweight champion showed nothing that would indicate he’s poised for another run at the title. Unless something drastic happens, the former champ would be best served as a well-known veteran who can build up fighters with a lot of upside.

When it comes to the heavyweight division, few have more potential upside than Struve (25-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC), who Matt Mitrione (7-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) at UFC 175 next month. Either man would be a suitable opponent for Arlovski, but Struve in particular is a very interesting matchup, and as a win would take his career to the next level.

Arlovski didn’t come back to the UFC to be a stepping-stone for rising talent. But unless he proves capable of clearly beating those kinds of fighters, his latest UFC stint could be a short one.

RYAN BADER

Should fight: Ovince Saint Preux
Why they should fight: Bader and Saint Preux made life easy for UFC matchmakers by agreeing to fight each other while discussing possible matchups at the post-fight press conference.

Whether that agreement will actually turn into a fight booking remains to be seen.

However, both men earned quality wins in Vancouver and are on a similar upward swing in the light heavyweight division. They’ll both be eager to continue that ascent, but only one can be successful.

RORY MACDONALD

Should fight: Winner of Hector Lombard vs. Dong Hyun Kim at UFC Fight Night 48
Why they should fight: MacDonald is in a tough spot in the welterweight division. He’s made it clear he won’t sit ideally while waiting for a title shot, and he hopes to stay active while the winner of next month’s UFC on FOX 12 headliner between Robbie Lawler and Matt Brown challenges champ Johny Hendricks for the title.

That’s a commendable mindset, but the only problem is there aren’t many fighters out there whom MacDonald hasn’t already competed against or are anywhere near his league. Because of that, there’s a good chance he’ll be out of action for at least a few months, but if he’s willing, the only matchup that really makes sense is the winner of UFC Fight Night 48’s co-main event between Lombard (34-4-1 MMA, 3-2 UFC) and Kim (19-2-1 MMA, 10-2 UFC).

Lombard and Kim are making waves in their own right, and another win would put them right near the top of the contenders list. Facing MacDonald is the natural progression in earning that championship fight since a win would give any of these contenders a legit claim to fighting the champion.

Another option for MacDonald is simply to wait. Things change in the UFC on a daily basis, and all it takes is a pre- or post-fight injury to Brown or Lawler for “Ares” to get the opportunity he’s been seeking for years.

DEMETRIOUS JOHNSON

Should fight: John Dodson
Why they should fight: Even though Johnson has developed a tendency to deflect the conversation when the idea of a rematch with Dodson (16-6 MMA, 5-1 UFC) is proposed, it’s likely that a second bout with “The Magician” is up next for the only flyweight champion in UFC history.

Johnson usually refers to Brad Pickett (who defeated him in 2010) and Zach Makovsky as future challengers, but UFC President Dana White indicated shortly after UFC 174 that a rematch with Dodson makes the most sense for the flyweight division.

The 27-year-old champ defeated Dodson by unanimous decision at UFC on FOX 6 in January 2013. Unlike his fight with Bagautinov, though, Johnson actually found himself in some trouble during that contest as Dodson’s punching power caused problems and led him to the most competitive fight of his title reign.

“Mighty Mouse” isn’t the type of champion to pick and choose his opponents, so if the UFC wants him to fight Dodson again, there’s an extremely good chance that’s what will happen.

For complete coverage of UFC 174, stay stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

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MMAjunkie’s John Morgan recaps the UFC 174 card, including the biggest surprises and disappointments:

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