Joe Silva's Shoes: What's next for UFC Fight Night 45's winners?

The UFC Fight Night 45 main card was action-packed from start to finish, as all six fights on the FOX Sports 1-televised broadcasted ended in a knockout or submission.

Donald Cerrone (24-6 MMA, 11-3 UFC) put the final touches on a dramatic night of stoppages when he knocked Jim Miller (24-5 MMA, 13-4 UFC) out with a head kick in the second round of the main event contest inside Atlantic City’s Revel Casino Hotel.

It was a statement performance from “Cowboy,” but he wasn’t the only fighter to emerge a winner in decisive fashion. Edson Barboza (14-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC), Rick Story (17-8 MMA, 10-6 UFC), Joe Proctor (10-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC), John Lineker (24-7 MMA, 5-2 UFC) and Lucas Martins (15-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) also stopped their respective opponents inside the distance, rounding out a card that will go down as one of the best of the year.

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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LUCAS MARTINS
Should fight: Sam Sicilia
Why they should fight: After scoring wins in three different weight classes to open his UFC career, it seems Martins will finally settle in as a featherweight. His dynamic offensive attack mixed with his length make him a dangerous proposition for anyone in the weight class.

As the 25-year-old makes his climb up the 145-pound ranks, a solid challenge would come in the form of Sam Sicilia (13-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC). Sicilia may never be a championship-level fighter, but he is skilled enough to separate the contenders from the pretenders. Seeing as Martins now has four UFC fights to his name, it’s time to find out which category he fits into.

JOHN LINEKER
Should fight: Kyoji Horiguchi
Why they should fight: After an underwhelming showing against Ali Bagautinov in his last octagon appearance, Lineker completely dominated an overmatched Alptekin Ozkilic to get back on track.

For the first time in his UFC career, Lineker didn’t struggle to make weight, and it showed with his endurance on fight night. He went more than two rounds at a hard pace before stopping Ozkilic with less than 10 seconds left in the third frame.

The flyweight division is in an awkward state in that there few fighters who could challenge for the belt in the near future. The organization desperately needs contenders for champion Demetrious Johnson, so it makes matchmaking more complicated.

Fights against the likes of Joseph Benavidez, John Moraga or John Dodson would risk killing the Brazilian off as a contender. So instead, a fighter like Kyoji Horiguchi (13-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC), who sits beneath Lineker in the rankings, would be more helpful in building a title contender.

A win over Horiguichi may not be the flashiest addition to Lineker’s resume, but it will help him become a qualified contender as he continues his quest for a title shot at 125 pounds.

JOE PROCTOR
Should fight: Kevin Lee
Why they should fight: Despite his somewhat debatable stoppage win over Justin Salas, Proctor got his hand raised inside the octagon yet again to bring his record with the promotion to 3-1 following his stint on “The Ultimate Fighter 15.”

Another 155-pound fighter who recently turned in an impressive showing is Kevin Lee (8-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC). Lee is also in the early stages of his UFC career and while he’s unlikely to make it to the championship level anytime soon, he has the talent to test Proctor and mesh for an exciting 170-pound affair.

RICK STORY
Should fight: Alex Garcia
Why they should fight: Story’s UFC tenure has been up and down to say the least, but a dominant submission win over Leonardo Mafra backed by a move to a new training camp proved there’s still glimpses of hope.

Now training alongside former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson under the tutelage of John Crouch at The MMA Lab in Arizona, Story is trying to break out of his recent win-one, lose-one trend.

“The Horror” is eager to regain his former status as a contender in the welterweight division, but before accomplishing that goal, he must put together a winning streak.

Instead of throwing Story to another top-10 fighter, fighting someone like Alex Garcia (12-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) would be a more suitable test at this point. Story must show he can thwart a big, strong and powerful opponent with a well-rounded set of weapons. Garcia is just that.

Story’s name still carries enough weight that a win for Garcia would take him to the next level. There’s a tremendous upside for him, and while the same can’t be said for Story, his upside is the chance to register back-to-back wins for the first time in years.

EDSON BARBOZA
Should fight: Michael Johnson
Why they should fight: There’s no shortage of compelling lightweights for Barboza to challenge himself against next. However, if Michael Johnson (14-8 MMA, 7-4 UFC) isn’t on the sidelines for a significant portion of time following his withdrawal from UFC on FOX 12, he would be the best choice.

“The Menace” earned his crack against elite competition with three straight UFC victories, two of which came against two of the organization’s longest tenured fighters in Melvin Guillard and Gleison Tibau.

Both fighters are well rounded, but like Johnson, Barboza prefers to stay on the feet and hunt for highlight-reel knockouts, which he has no shortage of. How Johnson’s straight punches would fair against the kick-heavy offense of a Barboza would make for yet another can’t-miss battle at 155 pounds.

DONALD CERRONE
Should fight: Khabib Nurmagomedov
Why they should fight: If it wasn’t for the celebration of Ramadan, Khabib Nurmagomedov (22-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) likely would have served in the main event of Wednesday’s card against either Cerrone or Miller. That didn’t work out, but now that Cerrone defeated Miller, he sits firmly “in the mix” of title contenders at 155 pounds alongside Nurmagomedov.

Nurmagomedov is in the midst of one of the sport’s great winning streaks, and with a 22-0 record in his professional career, a win over Cerrone would make “The Eagle” soar closer to a title fight.

The same can be said for Cerrone, who after taking out Miller, has re-emerged as a dark horse contender in the lightweight division. At this point, “Cowboy” has a legitimate chance at stopping anyone in the weight class.

While a number of lightweight fighters are a win or two away from having an argument for a title shot, there’s no doubt the winner of Cerrone and Nurmagomedov would be ready to challenge the winner of Anthony Pettis vs. Gilbert Melendez for the belt next year.

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 45, check out the UFC Events section of the site.