Joe Silva’s Shoes: What's next for Neil Magny, other UFC Fight Night 78 winners?

Neil Magnyis building quite a career by taking fights on short notice, and once again, it worked to his favor after he topped Kelvin Gastelum by split decision in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 78 main event.

Magny (17-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) narrowly edged Gastelum (11-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) over the course of five rounds to take the victory on two of three scorecards. It marked his fourth successful octagon appearance of the year, the most of any fighter on the UFC roster.

The main event wasn’t the only fight to go the distance. In fact, the judges decided all six FOX Sports 1-televised main-card bouts at Monterrey Arena in Monterrey, Mexico.

Ricardo Lamas (16-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC), Henry Cejudo (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) and Leandro Silva (19-3-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) all picked up wins while Erick Montano (7-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) and Enrique Barzola (11-2-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) emerged victorious in “The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America 2” tournament finals.

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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Leandro Silva

Johnny Case

Should fight: Johnny Case
Why they should fight: Silva halted Efrain Escudero’s UFC resurgence with a unanimous decision victory (http://mmajunkie.com/2015/11/ufc-fight-night-78-results-leandro-silva-gets-past-efrain-escudero-in-back-and-forth-bout) and is undefeated in his past four octagon appearances.

During his latest run Silva has shown to be a resilient and intelligent fighter that doesn’t fold under signs of distress. Those traits alone can carry a fighter far in the UFC, and after taking out “The Ultimate Fighter 8” winner, the Brazilian should seek greater challenger.

The performance against Escudero wasn’t particularly memorable, but with each victory Silva moves toward relevance in a crowded 155-pound division. Another fighter hoping to make that step is Case (22-4 MMA, 4-1 UFC). “Hollywood” earned a victory earlier this month (http://mmajunkie.com/2015/11/ufc-fight-night-77-results-johnny-case-runs-streak-to-12-outpoints-yan-cabral) and similar to Silva is riding a strong wave of momentum.

Henry Cejudo

Demetrious Johnson

Should fight: Demetrious Johnson
Why they should fight: In what was undeniably the most significant fight on the card in terms of title stakes, Cejudo defeated Jussier Formiga by split decision (though it should have been unanimous) to likely earn a shot at 125-pound champ Johnson, who was sitting cageside for the bout.

Cejudo has been a target for the “Mighty Mouse” matchup since well before he joined the UFC roster. With four consecutive octagon victories, he now has the experience and familiarity with fans to bring the matchup to fruition.

“The Messenger” is the only credible challenger in the flyweight division who’s yet to challenge Johnson for the title. His world-class athleticism, improving striking and Olympic-level wrestling make him a unique threat, and the time has come to find out how good the gold medalist really is.

Ricardo Lamas

Charles Oliveira

Should fight: Winner of Charles Oliveira vs. Myles Jury at UFC on FOX 17
Why they should fight: Lamas rebounded from a crushing loss to Chad Mendes earlier this year with a one-sided domination of an incredibly durable Diego Sanchez.

“The Bully” was forced to reassess his place in the 145-pound pecking order when Mendes scored a first-round knockout in April. Lamas returned to square one against an unranked Sanchez, who was making his debut at 145 pounds. He pulled out the win in lopsided fashion and deserves to face ranked opposition once again.

Oliveira (20-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) has been a staple in the top 15 since he dropped to featherweight three years ago. He faces Jury (15-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC), who is debuting in the weight class, at UFC on FOX 17 in December. It’s a matchup that will put the winner in title contention.

Lamas will need to string together multiple wins before getting second UFC title shot. Oliveira or Jury would be a solid addition to his resume while he works toward that opportunity.

Neil Magny

Should fight: Stephen Thompson
Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Magny should fight Thompson (11-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) following his victory over Gastelum in UFC Fight Night 78’s main event.

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 78, check out the UFC Events section of the site.