Sean Shelby's Shoes: What's next for Valentina Shevchenko and UFC on FOX 23's other winning fighters?

(ALSO SEE: Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What next for UFC on FOX 23’s losing fighters?)

Saturday’s UFC on FOX 23 main event had a significant impact on the future of the women’s bantamweight division. Valentina Shevchenko (14-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) put her name at the top of the contenders list with a second-round submission win over Julianna Pena (8-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC).

Shevchenko wasn’t the only one to get a meaningful victory at Denver’s Pepsi Center. In the FOX-televised co-main event, Jorge Masvidal (32-11 MMA, 9-4 UFC) picked up a career-defining win, Francis Ngannou (10-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) continued to make his mark in the heavyweight division, and Jason Knight (17-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) put on another entertaining show in the network-televised opener.

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 Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard’s shoes, and play UFC matchmaker for UFC on FOX 23’s winning fighters.

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Jason Knight

Dooho Choi

Should fight: Dooho Choi
Why they should fight: Knight’s third consecutive UFC victory was his best to date. He stopped “The Ultimate Fighter” alum Alex Caceres by second-round submission to impress in the historically coveted opening-fight slot on a FOX main card.

Yair Rodriguez was only able to edge Caceres by split decision in their fight this past year, but Knight finished him inside the distance. That should prove the 24-year-old deserves to be in the discussion of top featherweight prospects.

Knight called out another 145-pound prospect in Choi (14-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) during his post-fight interview. Choi is coming off a “Fight of the Year” candidate loss to Cub Swanson at UFC 206 in December, and while Knight would be a step down in terms of name value, it’s still a logical matchup.

Francis Ngannou

Ben Rothwell

Should fight: Ben Rothwell
Why they should fight: One of the rising stars in the UFC heavyweight division added a new layer of legitimacy to his resume when Ngannou defeated former UFC champ Andrei Arlovski with a quick and violent fist-round TKO.

Ngannou has worked his way up the ranking in short order and has delivered every time he’s stepped in the octagon. He clearly embraces the challenge, and after the event, Ngannou targeted the division’s marquee names in Cain Velasquez, Junior Dos Santos and Alistair Overeem.

UFC President Dana White said prior to UFC on FOX 23 that Ngannou has the potential to be a future long-reigning champion. If he really believes that, giving Ngannou one of the names he asked for may be the direction to go. But given the fact Ngannou has only been fighting professionally for less than four years, slightly pumping the breaks may be the best bet.

If the Frenchman can get past a tested veteran like Rothwell (36-10 MMA, 6-4 UFC), he would deserve any fight he desires. Ngannou has yet to face a true ground threat, but if he can handle Rothwell, he’d prove he has the well-rounded game needed to fight for a title.

Jorge Masvidal

Nick Diaz

Should fight: Nick Diaz
Why they should fight: Masvidal earned arguably the most significant victory of his lengthy career when he halted the momentum of fan favorite Donald Cerrone with a second-round TKO in a fight he specifically requested.

“Gamebred” has previously failed to come through in crucial moments, but this time he delivered, and as a result, his stock grew significantly in the UFC welterweight division. Masvidal is now open to a new world of opportunity, and that includes a realistic chance at vying for the 170-pound belt.

The only problem, however, is that champion Tyron Woodley is set to rematch Stephen Thompson for the belt at UFC 209 in March, and Demian Maia, who’s not looking to take a fight in the interim, is waiting in the wings for the next crack at the gold.

With options that are a step up from Cerrone few and far between, Masvidal may have to look outside the box for his next opponent. That’s probably why he challenged UFC President Dana White to a $200,000 bet, claiming there’s no one on the roster who can beat him.

It’s difficult to determine whether Diaz (26-9 MMA, 7-6 UFC), who hasn’t fought since a January 2015 no-contest with Anderson Silva at UFC 183, would be willing to entertain a clash with Masvidal. However, if he did, there’s no doubt it would be a fight fan’s dream.

Valentina Shevchenko

Should fight: Amanda Nunes
Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Shevchenko should challenge Nunes (14-4 MMA, 7-1 UFC) for the women’s bantamweight title next.

For complete coverage of UFC on FOX 23, check out the UFC Events section of the site.