Sean Shelby's Shoes: What's next for Francis Ngannou, Volkan Oezdemir and UFC 220's other losing fighters?

(ALSO SEE: Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for UFC 220’s winning fighters?)

A changing of the guard was denied in two divisions at UFC 220 at TD Garden in Boston on Saturday.

Francis Ngannou (11-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) fell short of heavyweight gold against Stipe Miocic (18-2 MMA, 12-2 UFC) in the main event. And Volkan Oezdemir (15-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) failed to extend his knockout streak when he came up short in the co-main event against light heavyweight champ Daniel Cormier (20-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC).

It also was a tough night for Shane Burgos (10-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC), Francimar Barroso (19-6 MMA, 4-4 UFC) and Thomas Almeida (21-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC), all of whom were unable to get their hands raised on the pay-per-view main card.

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 220’s losing fighters.

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Thomas Almeida

Terrion Ware

Should fight: Terrion Ware
Why they should fight: It wasn’t long ago when Almeida was undefeated in his career and on a tear that had some regarding him as the future of the bantamweight division. Now the Brazilian is sitting on three losses in his past four fights.

Fighters have started to exploit Almeida’s wild style. There’s no shame in losing to Cody Garbrandt or Jimmie Rivera, but his second-round TKO loss to Rob Font could serve as a potential warning sign for the 26-year-old.

Almeida still has a tremendous amount of talent and a lot of upside in the sport, but it’s clear his all-action style is going to be problematic against the upper echelon of the 135-pound division, and Almeida should spend time going forward on refining his game so it’s more effective against the very best.

Perhaps some time off is warranted, but Almeida can only get back on track by stepping in the octagon. He should perhaps look outside the top 15 for his next opponent, and Ware (17-6 MMA, 0-2 UFC) would be a good style matchup. “Flash” may not have a UFC win, but his two performances have shown he’s not a pushover.

Francimar Barroso

Jared Cannonier

Should fight: Jared Cannonier
Why they should fight: The unpleasant times for Barroso continued when he lost a somewhat underwhelming split decision to Gian Villante in a light heavyweight bout.

Barroso has just one victory in his past five UFC appearances. Most of those fights have been rather dull, and now the Brazilian is walking on eggshells when it comes to his position on the UFC roster.

It’s never possible to determine when a fighter will be released, but given history, Barroso is not in a good spot. Assuming he sticks around, Barroso needs to win, and win big, in his next fight. Cannonier (10-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) would be another difficult matchup, but one that if Barroso won, would prove he belongs in the UFC.

Shane Burgos

Matt Bessette

Should fight: Matt Bessette
Why they should fight: Despite participating in the “Fight of the Night,” Burgos fell from the ranks of the unbeaten in a difficult fashion when he was caught and knocked out by Calvin Kattar.

Burgos suffered his first career loss when he succumbed to Kattar’s strikes early in the third round of the featherweight matchup. Now, he must go back to the drawing board and see what lessons he can take away from his shortcoming.

Another fighter who experienced disappointment at UFC 220 was Bessette (22-8 MMA, 0-1 UFC). He debuted with the promotion on short notice but was unsuccessful in a unanimous decision loss to Enrique Barzola on the preliminary card. “The Mangler” is a longtime veteran of the sport and would test what Burgos has coming off his first career setback.

Volkan Oezdemir

Should fight: Glover Teixeira
Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Oezdemir should fight Texieira (27-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC) next after his title-fight loss.

Francis Ngannou

Should fight: Derrick Lewis
Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Ngannou should fight Lewis (18-5 MMA, 9-3 UFC) next after his title-fight loss.

For complete coverage of UFC 220, check out the UFC Events section of the site.