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Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone and UFC Fight Night 126’s other winning fighters?

UFC Fight Night 126 took place Sunday with a six-fight main card that aired on FS1 from Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas.

In the main event, Donald Cerrone (33-10 MMA, 20-7 UFC) returned to the win column for the first time in 14 months when he scored a first-round TKO against Yancy Medeiros (15-5 MMA, 6-5 UFC) in their welterweight clash.

Also on the card, Derrick Lewis (19-5-1 MMA, 10-3 UFC) and Curtis Millender (15-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) earned knockouts that led to “Performance of the Night” bonuses. Meanwhile, James Vick (13-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC), Brandon Davis (9-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) and Sage Northcutt (10-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) picked up wins on the judges’ scorecards.

After every event, fans wonder whom the winners 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 Fight Night 126’s winning fighters.

* * * *

Sage Northcutt

Brendan O’Reilly

Should fight: Brendan O’Reilly
Why they should fight: Whether it was deserved or not, Northcutt got his hand raised against Thibault Gouti to become the youngest fighter in UFC history to reach five octagon victories.

Northcutt’s unanimous decision over Gouti win kept him unbeaten since he joined Team Alpha Male, and while he’s showing some obvious improvements to his game, he’s still well short of someone who can be taken seriously in the stacked UFC lightweight division.

Fortunately for Northcutt, he has an open mind and upbeat attitude in terms of advancing himself as a fighter. He’s surrounded himself with a good team. Now it’s just a matter of continuing to seek fights that will provide him with a decent shot at winning.

He barely got past Gouti, who is now just 1-4 in the UFC. Fighters with that type of record aren’t exactly flooding the roster, but O’Reilly (6-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC) is close.

Brandon Davis

Tony Martin

Should fight: Tony Martin
Why they should fight: A little more than a month ago, Davis wasn’t even part of the UFC roster. Now he has two fights in the organization within a 30-day stretch, splitting results down the middle.

After falling short against Kyle Bochniak at UFC 220, Davis made a quick turnaround and beat Steven Peterson by unanimous decision in a “Fight of the Night” matchup. Although it was a fun fight, it didn’t exactly inspire confidence that Davis is currently ready for the top names in the lightweight division. Fortunately for him, there are plenty of fighters in the division around his level.

Martin (12-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC) has been tenured in the UFC for more than four years and has fought some big names along the way. His mix of striking and grappling would determine how good Davis is, ideally under the circumstances of a full training camp.

Curtis Millender

Zak Cummings

Should fight: Zak Cummings
Why they should fight: Thiago Alves is one of the longest tenured fighters on the UFC roster. Millender made “The Pitbull” look like the one who was making his octagon debut, though. He dismantled his opponent to make a big splash.

Millender brutalized Alves en route to a second-round knockout, further bucking the early career image that he struggles to provide excitement and finish fights. He immediately becomes a new player in the welterweight division, and he should get another honest test in his next outing.

For his debut, Millender got an established striker in Alves. For his sophomore appearance, he should get someone who can test what he really has on the ground. Cummings (21-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC) has earned more than half of his career victories by submission and would certainly test whether Millender is a truly well rounded fighter.

James Vick

Kevin Lee

Should fight: Kevin Lee
Why they should fight: Vick has won nine of 10 UFC fights and is clamoring for a top-ranked name in the lightweight division. Given his track record and win over Francisco Trinaldo, he should get his wish.

Although Vick’s unanimous-decision victory over Trinaldo was somewhat underwhelming, the fact he suffered a dislocated pinky in the bout paired with a durable opponent make it a challenging outing. He ultimately got his hand raised, though, and that should set him up for a bigger opportunity.

Lee (16-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) is one of the few top-10 opponents who is both realistic and available. “The Motown Phenom” hasn’t fought since falling short of the interim 155-pound belt against Tony Ferguson at UFC 216 in October. If he could shut down Vick’s winning ways, it would put him back in the title conversation.

Derrick Lewis

Francis Ngannou

Should fight: Francis Ngannou
Why they should fight: Following Lewis’ latest memorable showing, it’s time for the long-awaited showdown with fellow heavyweight knockout artist Ngannou (11-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC).

Lewis rallied to knock out Marcin Tybura in the third round of their co-main event bout, marking his return to competition following the longest layoff of his UFC career. “The Black Beast” said a back injury was plaguing him for quite some time, but now he’s apparently healthy and ready to resume his climb up the divisional pecking order.

A matchup with Ngannou, who is coming off a title-fight loss to Stipe Miocic at UFC 220 in January, is something fans and both fighters have been clamoring for over the past several years. There have been plenty of words exchanged over that time, and Lewis continued to take shots at “The Predator” post-fight.

Although Ngannou would be at risk of dropping two straight bouts in the proposed matchup, the risk is worth the reward in finally putting him in the octagon with Lewis.

Donald Cerrone

Should fight: Santiago Ponzinibbio
Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Cerrone should fight Ponzinibbio (26-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) next.

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 126, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

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