Joe Silva’s Shoes: What's next for Donald Cerrone, UFC Fight Night 83's other winners?

Sunday’s UFC Fight Night 83 main card was big on action. Four of the six fights on the FOX Sports 1-televised broadcast ended in a knockout or submission.

Donald Cerrone (29-7 MMA, 16-4 UFC) put the final touches on a dramatic night of stoppages when he submitted Alex Oliveira (13-4-1 MMA, 3-2 UFC) with a triangle choke in the first round of the main event inside Pittsburgh’s CONSOL Energy Center.

It was a statement performance from “Cowboy,” but he wasn’t the only fighter to emerge a winner in decisive fashion. Derek Brunson (15-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC), Cody Garbrandt (8-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC), Dennis Bermudez (15-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC), Chris Camozzi (21-10 MMA, 8-7 UFC) and James Krause (23-7 MMA, 4-3 UFC) also bested their respective opponents to round out one of the better events 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 and Sean Shelby’s shoes, and play UFC matchmaker for UFC Fight Night 83’s winning fighters.

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James Krause

Diego Ferreira

Should fight: Diego Ferreira
Why they should fight: Although Krause wasn’t particularly impressed with his unanimous-decision win over Shane Campbell, he still left the octagon with his hand raised and moved his UFC record above .500 for the first time since he won his promotional debut.

When Krause is at his best, he has the tools to give many elite lightweights fits, but he first needs to earn the opportunity to compete against fighters in that tier of the weight class. That means taking on another mid-tier 155-pound fighter, but fortunately for him, the UFC has no shortage of those.

Ferreira (12-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) fits the description because he’s another fighter who’s struggled to find consistency early in his UFC career. The Brazilian has some solid striking and grappling skills at his disposal and could create excitement against Krause regardless of where the fight goes.

Chris Camozzi

Anthony Smith

Should fight: Anthony Smith
Why they should fight: Camozzi’s third UFC stint is shaping up to be his best yet after he needed just 26 seconds to drop and stop Joe Riggs for a first-round TKO win and his second consecutive octagon victory.

The 29-year-old said putting less stress on his performances has been a key to recent success, and it’s hard to argue with the results of his past two performances. Granted, those two wins did come against fighters hanging on to their lives as UFC fighters, so now it’s time to see what Camozzi can do against someone with momentum on his side.

Smith (25-11 MMA, 1-1 UFC) picked up a big win on the same card as Camozzi to improve his record to 8-1 since he was released after a quick one-fight UFC stint in June 2013. “Lionheart” wants to make waves in his second run with the organization, and beating a well-traveled veteran like Camozzi would be a strong start.

Dennis Bermudez

Cub Swanson

Should fight: Winner of Cub Swanson vs. Hacran Dias at UFC on FOX 19
Why they should fight: Bermudez attempted to call his shot in the form of matchups with B.J. Penn or Ricardo Lamas following his underwhelming unanimous-decision win over Tatsuya Kawajiri. Unfortunately, neither of those options seems realistic at this point.

Lamas just defeated Bermudez two fights ago while Penn’s UFC return is hung up by an investigation into recent allegations. That means Bermudez will have to look elsewhere for his next opponent, but several options are available.

The winner of next month’s UFC on FOX 19 showdown between Swanson (21-7 MMA, 6-3 UFC) and Dias (23-3-1 MMA, 3-2 UFC) would have a similar ranking in the featherweight division as Bermudez, so he would be a fitting dance partner. Both fighters have skills in all areas and would likely be capable of giving Bermudez a more challenging outing than Kawajiri did.

Cody Garbrandt

John Lineker

Should fight: John Lineker
Why they should fight: The UFC bantamweight division is quickly filling with prospects, and Garbrandt is right at the top.

Garbrandt was originally meant to fight Lineker (26-7 MMA, 7-2 UFC) at the event, but the Brazilian withdrew from the contest just days out due to sickness. “No Love” did what he had to against a last-minute replacement in Augusto Mendes and earned a first-round TKO, and at the very least he should be given the fight he was originally booked for.

Lineker is likely to return to full health in the coming weeks. Once that happens, Garbrandt said the plan is to settle his unfinished business.

Derek Brunson

Uriah Hall

Should fight: Uriah Hall
Why they should fight: Brunson is evolving into a force in the middleweight division after his latest bit of work saw him finish veteran Roan Carneiro with first-round strikes.

Brunson has put away his past three opponents within one round and has won four straight fights overall. That’s a streak worthy of another relevant matchup, and it appears Brunson already has a foe in mind.

Hall (12-6 MMA, 5-4 UFC) called out Brunson on Twitter following his win, and Brunson did not take it kindly. He said he would be happy to face off against “Primetime” and vowed to add Hall’s name to his streak. Hall may have lost his most recent fight, but Brunson doesn’t appear to care, so UFC matchmakers should oblige to the wishes of both men.

Donald Cerrone

Should fight: Jorge Masvidal
Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Cerrone should fight Masvidal (29-10 MMA, 6-3 UFC) next.

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 83, check out the UFC Events section of the site.