Joe Silva’s Shoes: What's next for Junior Dos Santos and UFC Fight Night 86's winners?

The UFC’s debut in Croatia was loaded with heavyweight matchups. Four of the six bouts on UFC Fight Night 86’s main card in Zagreb took place in the organization’s heaviest weight class.

Junior dos Santos (18-4 MMA, 12-3 UFC) capped off Sunday’s FOX Sports 1-televised lineup from Zagreb Arena when he routed Ben Rothwell (36-10 MMA, 6-4 UFC) to via unanimous decision in arguably his finest performance since losing the UFC heavyweight title.

Fellow heavyweights Derrick Lewis (15-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC), Francis Ngannou (7-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) and Timothy Johnson (10-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) also registered victories, as did light heavyweight Jan Blachowicz (19-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC) and strawweight Maryna Moroz (7-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC).

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 86’s winning fighters.

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Maryna Moroz

Michelle Waterson

Should fight: Michelle Waterson
Why they should fight: Moroz didn’t allow herself to fall too hard after suffering the first loss of her career to Valerie Letourneau in August. She rebounded with a strong performance for a unanimous decision over UFC newcomer Cristina Stanciu.

“The Iron Woman” made a splash in her UFC debut with a big upset of Joanne Calderwood. However, she fell flat in her sophomore appearance against Letourneau. Moroz implemented a much more strategic approach against Stanciu and came out with the victory.

At 24, Moroz has a bright future. She’s already a top-15 fighter in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA women’s strawweight rankings and moved back into a position where she’ll be matched against fellow ranked fighters.

Waterson (13-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is need of an opponent with her octagon return targeted for summer. “The Karate Hottie” has been out of action since July due to a series of injuries and has been slow to come back. A matchup with Moroz would ease her back into the division while also giving Moroz a chance to earn beat a well-known fighter and former Invicta FC champion.

Jan Blachowicz

Patrick Cummins

Should fight: Winner of Patrick Cummins vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 198
Why they should fight: Although he was forced to battle hometown favorite Igor Pokrajac as well as a raucous crowd, Blachowicz managed to snap his two-fight losing skid and register a win for the first time since his UFC debut in 2014.

Blachowicz obliged Pokrajac in a slugfest more often than not during their three-round light heavyweight bout. However, he also fought smart when necessary, picking up timely takedowns that led to ground and pound and the points needed to score the unanimous decision.

Despite losing the two most notable bouts of his UFC career so far against Corey Anderson and Jimi Manuwa, the Polish fighter still has a chance to make some noise in the shallow 205-pound weight class.

The winner of Nogueira (21-7 MMA, 4-4 UFC) and Cummins (8-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC), who fight next month at UFC 198 in Brazil, would be an appropriate step up in competition for Blachowicz. Both men have more UFC experience than Blachowicz, and against better competition, at that. Either would provide a challenge Blachowicz has yet to experience in his career.

Timothy Johnson and Francis Ngannou

Timothy Johnson

Should fight: Each other
Why they should fight: Forced to overcome an arm injury and damage to his eye, Johnson beat UFC newcomer Marcin Tybura by unanimous decision in an ugly fight.

Johnson had never won a fight on the scorecards prior to the bout, so even though it wasn’t pretty, he proved he can still get the job done when going the distance.

Ngannou, on the other hand, didn’t need the full 15 minutes to add a second UFC victory to his record. He battered Curtis Blaydes until a swollen eye caused the doctor to halt the action after the second round to give him seven stoppages in seven career triumphs.

Nevertheless, both fighters topped their respective opponents and are on a similar timeline to set up a future matchup. So long as Johnson’s arm injury isn’t too significant, he could face Ngannou sometime in the future in a fight between two heavyweights looking to gain relevance in the division.

Derrick Lewis

Roy Nelson

Should fight: Roy Nelson
Why they should fight: Lewis thrived in the toughest test of his career so far when he knocked out former UFC heavyweight title contender Gabriel Gonzaga in the first round of their co-main event matchup.

“The Black Beast” has been the UFC’s most active heavyweight in recent years, fighting eight times since his 2014 debut. He’s won six of those fights, all by knockout, and is quickly becoming known as one of the most fearsome power-punchers in the division.

Not only did Lewis beat Gonzaga, but he managed to overcome being put in threatening ground positions against the jiu-jitsu specialist before getting back to his feet and ending the bout by knockout.

Lewis took the fight with Gonzaga on short notice, and before that he was angling for a fight with Nelson (21-12 MMA, 8-8 UFC). He called out “Big Country” once again after beating Gonzaga, and Nelson made is clear he’s eager to make the fight happen, as well.

Junior Dos Santos

Should fight: Andrei Arlovski or Travis Browne
Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Dos Santos should rematch Arlovski (25-11 MMA, 14-5 UFC) or Browne (18-3-1 MMA, 9-3-1 UFC) next.

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 86, check out the UFC Events section of the site.