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Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Derrick Lewis and UFC 230’s other losing fighters?

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(ALSO SEE: Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for UFC 230’s winning fighters?)

UFC 230 took place on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York with a five-fight main card on pay-per-view that that saw Derrick Lewis fall short of the heavyweight title in the headliner.

Lewis (21-6 MMA, 12-4 UFC) suffered a second-round submission loss to Daniel Cormier (22-1 MMA, 11-1 UFC) in his first bid at a UFC title, and now “The Black Beast” said he’s looking forward to some time off from competition.

Prior to the title fight, a number of key middleweight bouts unfolded. The winners advanced in the division, but Chris Weidman (14-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC), David Branch (22-5 MMA, 4-4 UFC), Jack Marshman (22-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) and Derek Brunson (18-7 MMA, 9-5 UFC) all experienced setbacks in 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 230’s losing fighters.

* * * *

Derek Brunson

Brad Tavares

Should fight: Brad Tavares

Why they should fight: Brunson suffered a rather devastating setback for his career when he was handed a one-round blowout loss to heavily hyped Israel Adesanya.

After being on a five-fight winning streak at middleweight just two years ago, Brunson has now lost four of his past six, including back-to-back knockouts against Adesanya and Ronaldo Souza. Now he must go back to the drawing board and find a way to build himself up.

Brunson was already forced to take a step back in the rankings to fight Adesanya, now he will likely have to go back even further. Tavares (17-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC) is also coming off a loss to “Stylebender,” and a matchup with Brunson would determine who would rebound and who would continue to slide.

Jack Marshman

Kevin Holland

Should fight: Kevin Holland
Why they should fight: Marshman couldn’t quite keep up the pace with talented upstart Karl Roberson, and the end result for him was a unanimous decision loss.

If Marshman has proven anything in his UFC career: It’s that he’s durable, tenacious and isn’t going to let anyone put him away easily. Those attributes will keep him active in the middleweight division for a while, and there are plenty of names who bring a complimentary style.

Holland (12-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) turned some heads in his octagon debut at UFC 227 in August when he lost to Thiago “Marreta” Santos. He has an entertaining style, and pairing that up with Marshman is a recipe for fireworks.

David Branch & Chris Weidman

Chris Weidman

Should fight: Each other
Why they should fight: Branch and Weidman both suffered somewhat surprising stoppage losses in the unofficial “middleweight tournament,” and now they could meet in what could be described as the loser’s bracket of that tournament.

Branch succumbed to the power of Jared Cannonier in a second-round TKO loss in his fight, while Weidman was on the receiving end of a wild comeback TKO against Ronaldo Souza. They were disappointing outcomes for both men in high-profile spots, but it’s not too late to bounce back.

The matchup could be something of a payback for Branch, who has had multiple top names taken away from him but could finally get his crack at another former UFC champ. And for Weidman, who has lost four of his past five, he would likely be positioned as a solid favorite in what could only be described as a must-win spot.

Derrick Lewis

Should fight: Alistair Overeem

Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Lewis should fight Overeem (43-17 MMA, 8-6 UFC) next, whether he wins or loses in his upcoming bout at UFC Fight Night 141.

For complete coverage of UFC 230, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

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