Sean Shelby's Shoes: What's next for Stephen Thompson and UFC 209's other losing fighters?

(ALSO SEE: Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for UFC 209’s winning fighters?)

For UFC 209’s losing main-card fighters, Saturday’s event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas is a night to forget.

Three of the five betting favorites on the pay-per-view portion of the card lost, including Stephen Thompson (13-2-1 MMA, 8-2-1 UFC), who fell short of the UFC welterweight title for the second consecutive time in a majority-decision loss to Tyron Woodley (17-3-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC) in the event’s headliner.

Lando Vannata (9-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) and Rashad Evans (19-6-1 MMA, 14-6-1 UFC) also came out on the losing end of fights they were favored to win, while Amanda Cooper (2-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) and Mark Hunt (12-11-1 MMA, 7-5-1 UFC) were also handed defeats.

After every event, fans wonder whom the losing fighters 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 Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard’s shoes, and play UFC matchmaker for UFC 209’s losing fighters.

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Mark Hunt

Travis Browne

Should fight: Travis Browne
Why they should fight: It was another difficult outing for Hunt when Alistair Overeem viciously knocked him out. It Hunt’s third loss in his past six UFC appearances. “The Super Samoan” made it clear he isn’t going anywhere, though, and there are still plenty of intriguing matchups for him left in the UFC heavyweight division.

Hunt has the power to stop any fighter in the weight class, but if he can’t connect with his heavy hands, he’s proven to have difficulty getting his hand raised. That’s the case for many heavyweights, though, and Browne (18-6-1 MMA, 9-6-1 UFC) is among them.

“Hapa” is coming off a highlight-reel knockout loss of his own after Derrick Lewis stopped him at UFC Fight Night 105 in February. He’s lost three straight fights overall and is in desperate need of a bounce-back victory. Despite a combined 30 UFC appearances, Browne and Hunt have yet to cross paths, but now seems like a good time for that to change.

Amanda Cooper

Kailin Curran

Should fight: Kailin Curran
Why they should fight: “The Ultimate Fighter 23” finalist Cooper saw her pro record drop below .500 when she succumbed to a first-round submission courtesy of octagon newcomer Cynthia Calvillo.

Cooper has suffered all three of her career losses by submission, which is a clear problem in a strawweight division where the overwhelming majority of stoppages comes as a result of tiring fighters tapping out.

Curran (4-4 MMA, 1-4 UFC) has experienced similar problems on the mat throughout her young career, and with four losses in five UFC fights, the Hawaiian could be fighting for her job the next time she steps in the octagon.

Although this potential matchup is one that would likely be better served on an Invicta FC card, it makes sense for both fighters if they are going to stick around in the UFC for at least one more fight.

Rashad Evans

Antonio Carlos Junior

Should fight: Antonio Carlos Junior
Why they should fight: Despite being on the first three-fight skid of his career and having his middleweight debut spoiled in a split-decision loss to Daniel Kelly, former UFC champ Evans apparently doesn’t intend to retire from the sport and will be back.

Evans has some serious career decisions to make if that’s going to happen, though. Changing weight classes was a move in the right direction, but losing what many believed was a tuneup fight to Kelly was a big problem; it was the lowest-ranked opponent “Suga” has lost to in his career.

It seems likely that Evans will get another fight against someone on that level, and Carlos Junior (7-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) is one of the more promising up and comers at 185 pounds. The Brazilian is a massive submission threat, and that could be a curious challenge for Evans, who’s never been submitted in his career.

Lando Vannata

“Maestro” Dong Hyun Kim

Should fight: ”Maestro” Dong Hyun Kim
Why they should fight: Some steam was taken off the hype train of Vannata when the Team Jackson-Winkeljohn product was outgunned in a unanimous-decision loss to fellow striking specialist David Teymur.

Vannata has earned a fight-night bonus in all three of his UFC appearances, which shows he’s as exciting as they come in the lightweight division. He gaveTony Ferguson everything he could handle in his UFC debut, which garnered him a lot of praise as possibly the next big thing, but the loss to Teymur showed there’s still lots of room for growth.

“Groovy” is just 25, though, and that means he’s likely going to be around the UFC for a long time. It’s for that reason that giving him matchups against middling talent such as Kim, who recently halted a two-fight UFC skid with a win over Brendan O’Reilly, makes sense.

Stephen Thompson

Should fight: Donald Cerrone
Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Thompson should fight Cerrone (32-8 MMA, 19-5 UFC) after his title-fight loss.

For complete coverage of UFC 209, check out the UFC Events section of the site.