(ALSO SEE: Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for UFC 229’s winning fighters?)

The main card of UFC 229 was one of the best of the year, and although there were five fighters who came out on the wrong end at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, they can take solace in the fact they contributed to the biggest event in company history.

Conor McGregor (21-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) failed to reclaim the lightweight title when he succumbed to a fourth-round submission against Khabib Nurmagomedov (27-0 MMA, 11-0 UFC) in the main event. Prior to that, Anthony Pettis (21-8 MMA, 8-7 UFC), Ovince Saint Preux (23-12 MMA, 11-7 UFC), Alexander Volkov (30-7 MMA, 4-1 UFC) and Felice Herrig (14-8 MMA, 5-3 UFC) all suffered losses.

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 229’s losing fighters.

* * * *

Felice Herrig

Should fight: 
Randa Markos
Why they should fight: Herrig wasn’t able to find her groove for the second fight in a row and the result was a decision loss to Michelle Waterson.

It wasn’t long ago when Herrig was on a four-fight winning and seemingly on the cusp of becoming a title contender at strawweight, but now she sits on back-to-back losses. It’s far from over for her, though.

Going forward, a matchup between Herrig and Markos (8-6-1 MMA, 4-5-1 UFC) would be worthwhile. The actually fought once before in an exhibition contest on “The Ultimate Fight 20” in 2014, with Markos winning by first-round submission. Herrig has always wanted that one back, and now might be her time.

Alexander Volkov

Should fight: 
Alistair Overeem
Why they should fight: Volkov was just 11 seconds away from getting an impressive victory over Derrick Lewis that would have likely punched his ticket to a heavyweight title shot. Instead, the Russian
sits on the wrong end of the greatest statistical comeback in UFC history.

Volkov was having his way with Lewis for the majority of the bout until everything went awry. The outcome marked his first loss since parting ways with Bellator roughly three years ago, and now “Drago” must go back to the drawing board and rebuild himself in the title picture.

Fortunately for Volkov, he’s still relatively new to the UFC and has a lot of fresh faces he could meet inside the octagon. Overeem (43-17 MMA, 8-6 UFC) is someone who he has yet to cross paths with, and with the former Strikeforce champ coming off a knockout loss of his own against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 225 in June, the timing for an encounter with Volkov seems appropriate.

Ovince Saint Preux

Should fight: Nikita Krylov

Why they should fight: Saint Preux fell victim to rising light heavyweight Dominick Reyes in what he can only consider to be a disheartening setback in his plans to become a title challenger at light heavyweight.

Although he had moments, Saint Preux was largely controlled by Reyes and was even put down with strikes in the final seconds of the fight. If his past has been any indication, though, Saint Preux will jump right back in the saddle.

With 18 UFC fights under his belt, Sant Preux has already faced many of the best in his division. In fact, there are few in the upper tier of the rankings who hasn’t fought. That means it’s time for a rematch, and running it back with Krylov (24-6 MMA, 6-4 UFC), who he beat by Von Flue choke at UFC 141 in March 2014, would be a good test for both men to see how they are different years later.

Anthony Pettis

Should fight: Too soon to know
Why: Pettis gave Tony Ferguson a much tougher fight than the oddsmakers indicated he would going into the fight, and in the process “Showtime” provided he’s still among the best lightweights in the world.

When Pettis is on his game he can be a threat to beat anyone. Unfortunately a broken hand stopped his fight with Ferguson prematurely, and that likely means he’s going to be on the sidelines for several months before he’s cleared for a return to action.

Pettis was originally targeting a spot on the UFC on FOX 31 card on Dec. 15 in his hometown of Milwaukee, Wis., but his injury is going to detail those plans. There are so many moving parts in the 155-pound division that picking a fight for Pettis at the moment is difficult. The division is filled with potential matchups, but there’s no sense speculating when the extent of his hand damage and the timeline for his return are so unclear.

Conor McGregor

Should fight: Nate Diaz
Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why McGregor should have his trilogy bout with Diaz next after his unsuccessful lightweight title bid.
For complete coverage of UFC 229, check out the UFC Events section of the site.