Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Justin Gaethje, Henry Cejudo and UFC 249’s key winners?

Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Justin Gaethje, Henry Cejudo and UFC 249’s key winners?

(ALSO SEE: Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for UFC 249’s losing fighters?)

After every event, fans wonder whom the winners will be matched up with next.

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 249’s key winning fighters.

Those included Justin Gaethje (22-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC), who claimed the interim lightweight belt with a fifth-round TKO of Tony Ferguson (25-4 MMA, 15-2 UFC) in the main event at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., Henry Cejudo (16-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) who defended bantamweight gold against Dominick Cruz (22-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) in the co-headliner, as well as Francis Ngannou (15-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC), Greg Hardy (6-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) and Anthony Pettis (23-10 MMA, 10-9 UFC).

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Anthony Pettis

Should fight: Rafael dos Anjos
Why they should fight: Pettis got a much-needed win in his rematch with Donald Cerrone, taking a unanimous decision to improve to 2-1 as a welterweight.

Pettis’ mission statement going into fight night was to get his confidence back to he can put together a run and built the form that once made him a UFC champion. He had a solid first step, but the next one should be a bigger challenge.

In the immediate aftermath of his win, Pettis received a callout from dos Anjos (30-13 MMA, 18-11 UFC), who took the lightweight title from him in March 2015. Both men have been through a lot since, but a rematch would be compelling. “Showtime” just won a rematch where he won the first fight, and now it’s time to see how he performs in one where he lost.

Greg Hardy

Should fight: Maurice Greene
Why they should fight: Early adversity didn’t prevent Hardy from getting a crucial career win as he outpointed Yorgan De Castro to take a unanimous decision.

The leg kicks were a big issue for Hardy early, but he was able to turn the tide and snap his two-fight skid. The former NFL standout is definitely a controversial figure in MMA due to his checkered past, but he’s proving himself fight over fight, and it doesn’t appear he’ll be going anywhere anytime soon.

Hardy’s most recent loss to Alexander Volkov seems to have served as a learning experience. He shouldn’t jump back up to that level immediately, but putting himself somewhere in the middle between that and De Castro seems like a good fit.

Greene (8-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC) might be on a two-fight skid, but he’s got a trio of UFC wins to his credit and is a person who fits right into the wheelhouse of what Hardy needs.

Francis Ngannou

Should fight: Winner of Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier
Why they should fight: Although he was already the top contender, Ngannou solidified his spot with a 20-second knockout of Jairzinho Rozenstruik to improve his winning streak to four.

The heavyweight division is a bit of a mess at the moment. Growing discontent between UFC president Dana White and champ Miocic over the timeline for his next defense against Cormier has led to discussions of stripping the belt. If that happens, Ngannou will come into the fold.

Ultimately, cooler heads should prevail, and we’ll get the Miocic vs. Cormier trilogy. Ngannou should absolutely fight for the belt after that, it just remains to be seen if he’s willing to wait for it or opt to take another fight to keep busy in the meantime.

Henry Cejudo

Should fight: No one
Why: Cejudo retired from MMA following his TKO win and successful title defense against Cruz, and unless the UFC truly makes it worth his while from a financial perspective, “Triple C” is not coming back.

UFC president Dana White said post-fight that he’ll give Cejudo about nine days to mull it over and either walk back his decision or be certain of it. If it’s the latter, the 135-pound belt will become vacant and two new names will compete for it later this year.

Watch the video above for more.

Justin Gaethje

Should fight: Khabib Nurmagomedov
Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Gaethje should meet champion Nurmagomedov (28-0 MMA, 12-0 UFC) in a title unification bout next.