Sean Shelby's Shoes: What's next for Derek Brunson and UFC on FOX 27's other losing fighters?

(ALSO SEE: Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Ronaldo Souza and UFC on FOX 27’s other winning fighters?)

Derek Brunson fell short in his home state Saturday when he lost the UFC on FOX 27 headliner, which took place at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C.

Brunson (18-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC) suffered a first-round knockout loss to Ronaldo Souza (25-5 MMA, 8-2 UFC) in the FOX-televised rematch, setting him back in the middleweight pecking order.

Prior to Brunson’s main-event defeat, Dennis Bermudez (16-8 MMA, 9-6 UFC) came out on the wrong end of a controversial decision, Jordan Rinaldi (12-7 MMA, 1-2 UFC) was stopped in the first round, and Frank Camacho (21-6 MMA, 1-2 UFC) fell short in the “Fight of the Night.”

After every event, fans wonder whom the losers 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 27’s losing fighters.

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Frank Camacho

Abel Trujillo

Should fight: Abel Trujillo
Why they should fight: Camacho delivered another exciting fight, but the inconsistent nature of his results in the UFC continued when he fell short on the scorecards against Drew Dober.

Camacho suffered a unanimous decision loss in the “Fight of the Night,” but a strong argument could be made that he deserved the win. It didn’t go that way, and Camacho’s future likely includes a return back to the lightweight division.

“The Crank” has been one of the best fights on the card every time he’s competed in the UFC. A clash with Trujillo (15-8 MMA, 6-4 UFC) would have a good chance of both athletes locking up a $50,000 bonus.

Jordan Rinaldi

Daniel Teymur

Should fight: Daniel Teymur
Why they should fight: The overwhelming applause Charlotte local Rinaldi received from the crowd during his introduction was unfortunately the high point of his night.

Rinaldi succumbed to a first-round TKO against rising lightweight star Gregor Gillespie, marking his second loss in three UFC fights. Now Rinaldi will go back to the drawing board.

In the extremely deep 155-pound division, Rinaldi is one of dozens of fighters looking to break through to the next tier. He needs to get a run going to do that, though, and it could start with a matchup against Teymur (6-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC).

Dennis Bermudez

Renato Moicano

Should fight: Renato Moicano
Why they should fight: Bermudez has suddenly fallen on hard times in the form of three consecutive losses, the latest of which came by split decision against Andre Fili.

For the second fight in a row, Bermudez was the victim of two of three judges scoring a fight against him. An argument can be made he beat Fili (and Darren Elkins at UFC on FOX 25 in July), but that doesn’t change the results on his resume. Bermudez needs to make an adjustment going forward and it’s on him to find a way to win more decisively.

“The Menace” has endured losing droughts before, but he’s come back strong. It’s time to see if he can do it again, and a matchup against a well rounded and dangerous fighter like Moicano (11-1-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) would afford him the opportunity to rebound.

Derek Brunson

Should fight: David Branch
Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Brunson should fight Branch (21-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) next.

For complete coverage of UFC on FOX 27, check out the UFC Events section of the site.