UFC 209 Results: Matches to Make for the Winners and Losers

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UFC 209 didn't quite provide the fireworks expected, but it came through with a number of compelling bouts.

Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson didn't get to make the walk to the cage, and the welterweight title fight underwhelmed. Still, the undercard came through.

Darren Elkins and Iuri Alcantara both had phenomenal comeback victories, Alistair Overeem put Mark Hunt to sleep, and the new lightweight co-main event sparked the crowd with a back-and-forth battle. Following all the action there's a lot of questions left to answer.

Who's next for Tyron Woodley and the welterweight gold? Where does Overeem go from here? What about the losers?

Let's jump right into it and start picking fights for the winners and losers of UFC 209.

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Albert Morales def. Andre Soukhamthath by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

• Albert Morales vs. Aiemann Zahabi
• Andre Soukhamthath vs. Luke Sanders

Tyson Pedro def. Paul Craig by TKO at 4:10 of the first round

• Tyson Pedro vs. Ovince Saint Preux
• Paul Craig vs. Ed Herman

Mark Godbeer def. Daniel Spitz by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

• Mark Godbeer vs. Winner of Jarjis Danho vs. Dmitry Poberezhets (May 13)
• Daniel Spitz vs. Bilyal Makhov

Iuri Alcantara def. Luke Sanders via submission (kneebar) at 3:13 of the second round

• Iuri Alcantara vs. Winner of Rani Yahya vs. Joe Soto (March 11)
• Luke Sanders vs. Andre Soukhamthath

Darren Elkins def. Mirsad Bektic by KO at 3:19 of the third round

• Darren Elkins vs. Dennis Bermudez
• Mirsad Bektic vs. Winner of Rony Jason vs. Jeremy Kennedy (March 11)

Marcin Tybura def. Luis Henrique by TKO at 3:46 of the third round

• Marcin Tybura vs. Alexander Volkov
• Luis Henrique vs. Viktor Pesta

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Alistair Overeem def. Mark Hunt by KO at 1:44 of the third round

Mark Hunt could not land the knockout blow. Alistair Overeem kept Hunt at range and took away his power inside the clinch. It was another tactical performance from Overeem, who has been an exceptionally intelligent fighter his last few outings.

Hunt will remain a fan favorite and excellent booking option against any top-tier heavyweight. Just don't expect him to fight soon. Hunt posted to Instagram that he broke his tibia in the fight. The loser of Fabricio Werdum vs. Ben Rothwell (May 13) could be the right choice if the timing works out with Hunt's injury.

That will be the X-factor in any Hunt booking.

Overeem's victory puts him right back in title contention. He's only a win away from potentially getting another title shot. At the post-fight press conference (h/t Damon Martin of FoxSports.com), Overeem listed three possible opponents: Francis Ngannou, Derrick Lewis or Junior dos Santos if he wins the belt.

None of those are bad options, and we may have to wait until UFC 211 to find out what's next. If JDS makes it to UFC 211 without an injury, Overeem vs. Lewis is the fight to make. Lewis should be the UFC's top option to replace JDS at UFC 211, and as such, they shouldn't book him until that date arrives.

It's a waiting game for both Hunt and Overeem, but for two different reasons.

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Cynthia Calvillo def. Amanda Cooper via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:19 of the first round

Welcome to the UFC, Cynthia Calvillo.

The relative newbie of MMA put on quite a show with an impressive back take during a scramble, which led to the submission win.

Amanda Cooper is going to be a bottom-tier strawweight. She's improved quite a bit, but she's just not at the level of some of the women in this division. JJ Aldrich would be the best choice for Cooper's next fight in the UFC.

Calvillo is an interesting prospect from Team Alpha Male, and the UFC shouldn't rush her. Pitting her against another talented prospect in Jamie Moyle could be the best plan. Typically, prospect vs. prospect bouts aren't recommended, but here it's the right path.

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Dan Kelly def. Rashad Evans by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Rashad Evans looked to be in great shape, but he just could never get anything going. A large part of that had to do with Dan Kelly.

Kelly's consistent output and pressure made it difficult for Evans to get much of anything going. Add in Kelly's unorthodox striking and Evans was left guessing for much of the fight. It puts Evans in a precarious position.

If Evans is to keep going in the UFC, he needs to hit the back of the bread line and rebuild himself. A fight against Ryan Janes would do just that. His physical gifts still seem to be there for the most part, but if he cannot break through a mental barrier, it will be the end of a fun career.

Kelly, on the other hand, earned himself a ranked opponent.

Of all the options on the table, Derek Brunson is the one that makes the most sense. It would be another steep hill for Kelly to climb, but it's a marquee opponent he has earned. Brunson gets a chance to rebound and move back into the thick of things at 185.

A good fight for both men.

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David Teymur def. Lando Vannata by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

The lightweight clash between David Teymur and Lando Vannata lived up to the hype. The relative unknown Teymur got to state his case with a co-main event victory.

Vannata still looked good, but he just didn't get the win. He won't fall far off after the loss, but it's a loss nonetheless. Michel Prazeres and Josh Burkman fight on March 11, and the loser of that fight makes sense for Vannata's next rodeo.

Teymur, at 3-0 in the UFC, should get a ranked opponent in his next venture to the cage.

One Mr. Evan Dunham is not linked to a fight just yet. That's a fight that makes sense for the rankings and for the fan's enjoyment.

Teymur's showing at UFC 209 makes him an intriguing fighter to watch as a new wave of talented lightweights make their run up the ranks.

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Tyron Woodley def. Stephen Thompson by majority decision (48-47, 47-47, 48-47)

The fight was not nearly as good as their last one, but it was just as close. In the end, Tyron Woodley squeaked by Stephen Thompson.

On March 18, Gunnar Nelson meets Alan Jouban. That's a fight to watch for Stephen Thompson, as the winner should be his next opponent. There's an argument to be made for other, higher-ranked contenders, but after two straight fights with Woodley, don't expect him to shoot right back into a title shot in 2017.

As such, don't immediately put him in a top-five level fight. Besides, Nelson or Jouban provides Thompson with an interesting and capable challenger.

Picking Woodley's next fight is not as easy as it may seem. It should be as simple as saying Demian Maia. That's the right choice, but less than a week before this title fight the UFC booked Maia against Jorge Masvidal for UFC 211 in May (h/t FoxSports.com's Damon Martin).

Georges St. Pierre is returning to the cage and would be another great choice. Not only is he challenging Michael Bisping for the middleweight belt, but it's not until July.

Robbie Lawler is the only choice left, but it's not a great one, as Lawler hasn't fought since being knocked out by Woodley. Thus, the only real choice left on the table is for the UFC and Woodley to wait for the result of Maia vs. Masvidal. As it stands today, that's a title eliminator. And a good one at that.