After every event, fans wonder whom the winners will be matched up with next.
With another night of UFC action in the rear-view 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 247’s key winning fighters.
Those included light heavyweight champ Jon Jones (26-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) and women’s flyweight titleholder Valentina Shevchenko (19-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC), who defended their respective belts in the main and co-main event from Toyota Center in Houston, as well as Dan Ige (13-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC), Derrick Lewis (23-7 MMA, 14-5 UFC) and Lauren Murphy (12-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC).
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Lauren Murphy
Should fight: Roxanne Modafferi
Why they should fight: Whether or not you agree with the result, Murphy got the split-decision win over Andrea Lee and is now 3-1 since dropping down to the flyweight division.
Murphy is among the most durable and fearless fighters at 125 pounds, and it seems the former Invicta FC champion could be near a title shot. She called out Modafferi (24-16 MMA, 3-4 UFC) post-fight, and that’s a pretty perfect scenario given the lay of the land. Modafferi responded shortly thereafter on social media, announcing she was all for it.
Joanne Calderwood is probably the frontrunner to next fight champ Shevchenko, so a matchup between Murphy and Modafferi would be perfect to determine who is next in the queue.
Derrick Lewis
Should fight: Curtis Blaydes
Why they should fight: Lewis won over Ilir Latifi by the skin of his teeth, taking a unanimous decision in front of his hometown crowd after a performance loaded with lots of flying knees and questionable fight IQ.
“The Black Beast” came out triumphant, though, and now he’s riding back-to-back wins since his title-fight loss to Daniel Cormier and in position for another big fight in the heavyweight division. The matchup with Latifi didn’t make a whole lot of sense, and it’s hard to determine whether it helped or hurt Lewis’ stock.
If he wants to get through the top of his weight class, however, he’s going to have to overcome those type of styles. He mentioned Blaydes (13-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) pre-fight as an opponent of interest next, and that would be a really tough matchup. Blaydes is essentially a stylistic nightmare for Lewis, but they are both side-by-side in the rankings, and from that standpoint, it’s the fight to make.
Dan Ige
Should fight: Shane Burgos
Why they should fight: Ige pushed his featherweight winning streak to five when he edged Mirsad Bektic by split decision for what has to be considered the biggest win of his career.
After stumbling in his UFC debut a few years ago, Bektic has rattled off a promising run of victories and definitely has some attributes in his game that can make for many fun fights at 145 pounds.
A clash with Burgos (13-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) stands out as one pairing that could be quite compelling. Burgos is coming off a pair of notable wins over Cub Swanson and Makwan Amirkhani and, like Ige, is a promising rising name in the division. The only problem is he’s currently a free agent, but assuming the UFC makes the smart choice and signs him, a matchup with Ige would be great.
Valentina Shevchenko
Should fight: Joanne Calderwood
Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Shevchenko should fight Calderwood (14-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) next for her fourth title defense.
Jon Jones
Should fight: Winner of Corey Anderson vs. Jan Blachowicz at UFC on ESPN+ 25
Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Jones should fight the winner of the UFC on ESPN+ 25 main event between Anderson (13-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) and Blachowicz (25-8 MMA, 8-5 UFC) for his fourth title defense.