Joe Silva’s Shoes: What's next for UFC Fight Night 73's winning fighters?

Anthony Johnson

The UFC wrapped up its second of three August events on Saturday when UFC Fight Night 73 took place at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.

Glover Teixeira (23-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC) topped hometown favorite Ovince Saint Preux (18-7 MMA, 6-2 UFC) in the main event by using his superior grappling skills to soften up “OSP” and score a third-round submission finish.

The main event may have won “Fight of the Night” honors, but there were other solid performances on the card. Beneil Dariush (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC), Derek Brunson (14-3 MMA, 5-1 UFC), Jared Rosholt (13-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC), Amanda Nunes (11-4 MMA, 4-1 UFC) and Ray Borg (9-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) all posted wins.

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.

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Ray Borg

Wilson Reis

Should fight: Wilson Reis
Why they should fight: Borg committed one of the UFC’s biggest sins when he missed weight for his bout with Geana Herrera. Fortunately, he redeemed himself with a dominant unanimous-decision victory in which he showcased his high-paced grappling offense.

At just 22, Borg is the second youngest fighter in the UFC flyweight division. He’s already racked up three UFC wins, and his ceiling is high for a weight class eager for new blood to stand out.

There’s no need to rush “The Tazmexican Devil” into a bout with a top contender. A well-traveled fighter like Reis (19-6 MMA, 3-2 UFC) would be a solid, but not overwhelming, test for Borg.

If Borg could dominant that matchup like he did Herrera, there would be no doubt he deserves to fight a top-10 flyweight.

Amanda Nunes

Alexis Davis

Should fight: Alexis Davis
Why they should fight: Nunes’ announced herself as a contender to watch in the women’s bantamweight division when she upset former title challenger Sara McMann with a first-round submission victory.

Aside from her lone octagon hiccup against Cat Zingano, the Brazilian has been near-flawless during her UFC career. She’s earned all four of her wins with the organization by first-round stoppage and is quickly building a resume that could put her in contention to challenge 135-pound champion Ronda Rousey.

Nunes’ won’t get a title shot immediately, however, since Rousey has a line of challengers ahead that includes Miesha Tate and possibly Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino.

“Lioness” could earn a title fight with one more win, though, and Davis (17-6 MMA, 4-1 UFC) is a respected foe who could help her get there. Nunes and Davis met once before under the now-defunct Strikeforce banner in September 2011. Davis won that fight by second-round TKO with the help of superior ground offense.

Nunes has shown flaws with her grappling in nearly all her losses. Davis would certainly try to expose those weaknesses once again, which would give Nunes the opportunity to display her growth.

Jared Rosholt

Viktor Pesta

Should fight: Viktor Pesta
Why they should fight: Rosholt’s UFC record on paper is impressive. His actual performances in those fights, however, still leave something to be desired. His uneven unanimous-decision win over Timothy Johnson was the perfect example.

Rosholt relied heavily on his wrestling ability to take the first two rounds from Johnson, but he was nearly knocked out in the third. Grappling is and will always be his strong point, but Rosholt needs to turn the corner with his striking if he hopes to compete with the elite of the heavyweight division.

Pesta (10-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) possess solid defensive wrestling and proven knockout power. He hasn’t fought since January, and given the dull landscape of the heavyweight division,  few better options exist for either side.

Derek Brunson

Uriah Hall

Should fight: Uriah Hall
Why they should fight: Brunson and Hall (11-5 MMA, 4-3 UFC) were both victorious by first-round knockout in Nashville. Brunson stalled the momentum of Sam Alvey while Hall shut down UFC newcomer Oluwale Bamgbose. Now it’s time to make the fight happen that was originally scheduled for UFC Fight Night 69 in Germany earlier this year.

The pair was briefly linked to fight at the June event, but ultimately it fell apart due to Hall’s visa issues.

With both middleweights coming off wins at the same event, booking the matchup for a second time is the correct way to move forward with their careers.

Beneil Dariush

Anthony Pettis

Should fight: Anthony Pettis
Why they should fight: Through no fault of his own, Dariush is in a complicated spot in the UFC lightweight division. Few, if anyone, scored his controversial split-decision victory over Michael Johnson in his favor. The scorecard should have gone the other way, but it didn’t, and Dariush is not the one to blame for the poor judging.

Dariush has now earned five consecutive UFC victories at 155 pounds, and after taking out a surging contender in Johnson, the competition is only going to get tougher. The teammate of UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos has a lot of upside at just 26, and his next fight should be a true test.

A matchup with Pettis (18-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) would be compelling for a number of reasons. It would not only mark a significant step up in competition for Dariush, but also a chance for Pettis to get some revenge. Dariush’s Kings MMA teammate dos Anjos took the UFC belt from Pettis earlier this year, and it’s clear the camp has figured out a strategy to top “Showtime.”

If Dariush could replicate dos Anjos’ title-winning performance, it would be a major statement and move him close to a championship fight of his own.

Glover Teixeira

Jimi Manuwa

Should fight: Winner of Anthony Johnson vs. Jimi Manuwa at UFC 191
Why they should fight: Teixeira’s under-appreciated grappling ability led him to a one-sided submission victory over Saint Preux and a place back on the list of relevant names in the light-heavyweight division.

After dropping back-to-back fights to then-champ Jon Jones and top contender Phil Davis, the 35-year-old appeared he might be near the end of his rope as an elite fighter. Teixeira silenced those doubters when he used a wrestling-heavy strategy to shut down Saint Preux before locking in the submission.

As long as Jones is suspended indefinitely from UFC competition, Teixeira’s title hopes remain alive. He called out current 205-pound champ Daniel Cormier after his victory, but Cormier has a title defense scheduled against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 192 in October, and the next challenger will likely be the winner of Rashad Evans vs. Ryan Bader, who fight on the same card.

Options are limited in the thin 205-pound class. However, the opponent who could push Teixeira back into the No. 1 contender’s position would be the winner of next month’s UFC 191 clash between Johnson (19-5 MMA, 10-5 UFC) and Manuwa (15-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC).

Both men are solid strikers but have shown flaws on the ground. A standup fight against Teixeira would be exciting, but it’s also possible he would choose to take the fight to the ground similar like he did against Saint Preux. If Johnson or Manuwa ever hopes to become champion, he must be able to deny that type of game plan.

For more on UFC Fight Night 73, check out the UFC Events section of the site.