Joe Silva’s Shoes: What's next for Conor McGregor, UFC 194’s other winning fighters?

(ALSO SEE: Joe Silva’s Shoes: What’s next for UFC 194’s losing fighters?)

UFC 194’s main card will go down as one of the most memorable in company history following the epic nature in which the event’s two title fights played out.

A couple new champions were crowned at Saturday’s pay-per-view event at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena, with Conor McGregor (19-3 MMA, 7-0 UFC) and Luke Rockhold (15-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) ending the lengthy title reigns of Jose Aldo (25-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) and Chris Weidman (13-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC), respectfully.

McGregor unified the featherweight title with a 13-second knockout of Aldo while Rockhold put an extended beatdown on Weidman for the fourth-round TKO win to start a new era in the middleweight division.

The two highly impressive performances closed out the show, but some strong action took place beforehand when Yoel Romero (11-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC), Demian Maia (22-6 MMA, 16-6 UFC) and Max Holloway (15-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) all left the octagon in victory.

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 194’s winning fighters.

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Max Holloway

Jose Aldo

Should fight: Aldo
Why they should fight: Holloway deserves a massive fight after his eighth consecutive octagon win, which came against Jeremy Stephens, and it doesn’t get much bigger than fighting Aldo after his stunning title loss to McGregor.

If UFC officials opt to move in a different direction from an immediate McGregor-Aldo rematch, former champ Aldo is going to need a win to put him back on track. Holloway is the highest-ranked fighter in the featherweight division whom the Brazilian has yet to fight, so the booking is a natural fit.

Demian Maia

Matt Brown

Should fight: Matt Brown
Why they should fight: Maia put on one of the finest performances of his UFC career when he utterly dominated Gunnar Nelson en route to a lopsided unanimous-decision win. Most fight fans wanted to see Maia and Nelson clash on the ground, and the Brazilian had no problem obliging. Maia showed a significant skill gap in that position, controlling Nelson and threatening with submissions for all 15 minutes.

Maia is 7-2 since he dropped to the welterweight division and has solidified himself as one of the best at 170 pounds. He’s fought back-to-back bouts against opponents below him in the rankings, and now he should get a step up. Brown (20-13 MMA, 13-8 UFC) is exactly that.

Brown is currently sidelined after recent hand surgery but will be eager to return to the octagon as soon as he recovers. “The Immoral” is a top-tier fighter in the division, and his smash-mouth striking style would make for an intriguing matchup with Maia’s grappling.

Yoel Romero

Should fight: Rockhold
Why they should fight: See below

Luke Rockhold

Yoel Romero

Should fight: Romero
Why they should fight: Rockhold captured the middleweight title from Weidman in convincing fashion after a thrilling back-and-forth contest that ended by fourth-round TKO.

The former Strikeforce champion can add UFC gold to his collection after he delivered on his promise to one-up Weidman and bring his reign atop the weight class to a screeching halt.

Although Weidman had put together a long undefeated streak and was a dominant titleholder, the latter portion of the bout was incredibly one-sided and was likely not enough to warrant an immediate rematch.

Rockhold should move on to a new opponent, and just minutes before his win, the perfect one was teed up in Romero. “The Solider of God” edged Ronaldo Souza by split decision in a fight billed as a No. 1 contender bout.

Romero’s win may have been controversial, but with seven straight victories, the organization should honor the Cuban fighter with a title shot.

Conor McGregor

Should fight: Frankie Edgar or winner of Rafael dos Anjos vs. Donald Cerrone at UFC on FOX 17
Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why McGregor should fight Edgar (20-4-1 MMA, 14-4-1 UFC) or the winner of dos Anjos (24-7 MMA, 13-5 UFC) vs. Cerrone (28-6 MMA, 15-3 UFC).

For complete coverage of UFC 194, check out the UFC Events section of the site.