Joe Silva's Shoes: What's next for Michael Bisping and UFC 204's other winning fighters?

The UFC middleweight championship remained in the possession of Michael Bisping at Saturday’s UFC 204 event in Manchester, England. “The Count” defended the gold for the first time when he beat Dan Henderson by unanimous decision in the main event at Manchester Arena.

Bisping (30-7 MMA, 20-7 UFC) captured the gold earlier this year in a rematch with Luke Rockhold and had the chance to avenge another loss against Henderson (32-15 MMA, 9-9 UFC). He did just that, outpointing his longtime rival on the scorecards on his home soil.

Prior to the headlining act, there were several other key winners at UFC 204. Gegard Mousasi (40-6-2 MMA, 7-3 UFC), Jimi Manuwa (16-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC), Stefan Struve (28-8 MMA, 12-6 UFC) and Mirsad Bektic (11-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) all finished their respective opponents to round out a highly entertaining main card.

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 204’s winning fighters.

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Mirsad Bektic

Clay Guida

Should fight: Clay Guida
Why they should fight: After more than 17 months away from the octagon due to injuries and fight delays, featherweight super prospect Bektic added another win to his undefeated record when he submitted late replacement Russell Doane in the first round.

Bektic wouldn’t name names in regard to future opponents, but it’s clear he has what it takes to eventually hang with the best at 145 pounds. At just 25, though, he shouldn’t be thrown too far in the deep end just yet, especially because his win came against an opponent who took the fight on short notice and moved up a weight class.

There are plenty of options for Bektic in one of the most talent-filled divisions in the sport, and a matchup against a veteran in Guida (32-17 MMA, 12-11 UFC) would be a worthwhile test. “The Carpenter” might be removed from his prime years in the sport, but he’s still good enough to separate the pretenders from the contenders.

Stefan Struve

Derrick Lewis

Should fight: Derrick Lewis
Why they should fight: Struve experienced a tough several years in which his career was at risk due to health concerns and personal issues. It appears he’s finally moved past all that, though. He picked up his second win in a row with a slick submission of Daniel Omielanczuk.

At 28, Struve already has 18 UFC fights to his name and an impressive 12 wins. He promises to be around a lot longer, too, and hasn’t given up on his goal of eventually capturing the heavyweight championship.

It will take more work to get there, but the fact “Skyscraper” holds a previous win over current champ Stipe Miocic only helps his cause. He said he eventually wants a rematch, but knows that’s not realistic just yet.

Lewis (16-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC) is currently among the most terrifying fighters in the division and holds a four-fight winning streak. “The Black Beast” was supposed to fight Marcin Tybura this week at the now-canceled UFC Fight Night 97 event, so he will be looking for another fight as soon as possible.

Struve is willing to fight any time and anywhere, so he would surely be open to taking the proposed matchup whenever the UFC deems appropriate.

Jimi Manuwa

Mauricio Rua

Should fight: Mauricio Rua
Why they should fight: Manuwa officially entered the upper-echelon of the UFC light heavyweight division with a highlight-reel second-round knockout of former title-fight competitor Ovince Saint Preux. It was easily Manuwa’s best UFC performance, and one that showed how devastating a striker he can be.

“Poster Boy” has only experienced career losses against elite competition in Anthony Johnson and Alexander Gustafsson, which is nothing to be ashamed of. With that said, Manuwa wants to reach the point at which he breaks through and can beat that caliber of opponent. He might not get that opportunity right away, but he’s getting there.

Injuries and inactivity have arguably been the most difficult aspects of Manuwa’s UFC run, but he said now is the time to truly make some noise. With many of the top contenders booked or unavailable, former UFC champ Rua (24-10 MMA, 8-8 UFC) would be a good fight for the Englishman.

Rua is unquestionably not the fighter he once was before years of brutal fights hard training and injuries, but he’s still dangerous and has won two straight fights inside the octagon. The Brazilian can still knock out anyone at 205 pounds, and there’s no doubt Manuwa would welcome his attempt to do just that.

Gegard Mousasi

Derek Brunson

Should fight: Winner of Derek Brunson vs. Robbert Whittaker at UFC Fight Night 101
Why they should fight: After completely steamrolling former UFC champion Vitor Belfort for a second-round TKO in a fight he’s wanted for the better part of a decade, Mousasi is on a four-fight winning streak and on the map in the UFC middleweight division more so than he’s ever been before.

Mousasi stole the show at the post-fight news conference, calling out almost every contender at 185 pounds and doing so in hilarious fashion. What makes “The Dreamcatcher” so great is the fact he’s completely realistic about where he stands in the sport and knows what type of fights are available to him and what makes sense for his career.

Although he would like nothing more than to fight for the title, he’s simply not in the discussion the way several other fighters in the division are. Nevertheless, he is still deserving of big fight, and while his desired matchups against Anderson Silva and Uriah Hall don’t make a ton of sense at the moment, a showdown with the winner of the UFC Fight Night 101 fight between Brunson (16-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) and Whittaker (16-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC) certainly does.

Mousasi was scheduled to fight Brunson once before at UFC 200 in July, but the fight fell apart when Brunson suffered an injury. Whittaker has won five in a row and is a very solid fighter, as well. The ideal circumstance for Mousasi would be for someone to fall out of one of the high profile middleweight fights scheduled for he coming months, but if that doesn’t happen, facing Brunson or Whittaker be a fine use of Mousasi’s time.

Michael Bisping

Should fight: Winner of Chris Weidman vs. Yoel Romero at UFC 205
Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Bisping should fight the winner of the UFC 205 bout between Weidman (13-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) and Romero (11-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) for his second title defense.

For complete coverage of UFC 204, check out the UFC Events section of the site.