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Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Yair Rodriguez, UFC Fight Night 139’s other winning fighters?

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The UFC’s 25th anniversary event won’t soon be forgotten. The six-fight main card of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 139 provided a little bit of everything, from a highlight-reel knockout in the headliner to a historic performance in the co-headliner to the debut of the sport’s next big prospect.

In the headlining act of UFC Fight Night 139, which took place Saturday at Pepsi Center in Denver, Yair Rodriguez (11-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) pulled off one of the craziest knockouts in UFC history when he stopped Chan Sung Jung (14-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC) with a miraculous no-look elbow in the final second of the featherweight fight.

Prior to that, Donald Cerrone (34-11 MMA, 21-8 UFC) set a new UFC record for most victories, Germaine de Randamie (8-3 MMA, 5-1 UFC) successfully returned from a 21-month layoff, Beneil Dariush (15-4-1 MMA, 9-4-1 UFC) snapped his skid, Maycee Barber (6-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) shined in her debut, and Mike Trizano (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) stayed unbeaten.

After every event, fans wonder who 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 139’s winning fighters.

* * * *

Mike Trizano

Joe Lauzon

Should fight: Joe Lauzon
Why they should fight: Trizano officially put the debate to rest regarding who was the best lightweight from “The Ultimate Fighter 27” when he defeated fellow cast member Luis Pena.

Trizano, who won “TUF 27” and was called out by Pena after “Violent Bob Ross” was forced out of the reality show due to injury, managed to take a split decision and is still unbeaten.

At this point, Trizano can now put the “TUF” chapter of his career behind him and look ahead to fighting more established UFC fighters at 155 pounds. A true test of his abilities are in order, and Lauzon (27-15 MMA, 14-12 UFC) is more than capable of providing that.

Lauzon has lost his past three fights and has been sidelined for most of the year after undergoing knee surgery. He will be ready to return in 2019, though, and putting him against an unbeaten prospect like Trizano should be enough to properly motivate the veteran.

Maycee Barber

Mackenzie Dern

Should fight: Mackenzie Dern
Why they should fight: 20-year-old prospect Barber lived up to the hype going into her octagon debut when she thrashed fellow newcomer Hannah Cifers in a bloody affair.

Barber largely had her way with Cifers before finishing the job with a ground-and-pound massacre in the second round. “The Future” vows she’s going to eventually hold the UFC strawweight belt and said she knows exactly who she wants next in her quest to the top.

Prior to the bout, Barber said she was going to call out fellow unbeaten fighter Dern (7-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC). She delivered on that promise post-fight and said she wants a piece of the jiu-jitsu sensation after two previously targeted matchups fell apart under the LFA banner. Now that they’re both in the UFC and winning, Barber said she still wants it.

The only argument against booking Barber vs. Dern is that one fighter would have to lose, and they both seemingly have championship potential. Booking this fight a few years and wins down the line would make it even more meaningful, but doing it now would allow one to make a major leap forward while the loser is still young enough to rebound.

Beneil Dariush

Olivier Aubin-Mercier

Should fight: Winner of Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Gilbert Burns at UFC 231
Why they should fight: After a rough patch in his career, Dariush managed to successfully get back on track when he got the better of octagon newcomer Thiago Moises.

Dariush snapped his three-fight winless skid with a unanimous-decision victory over Moises, and now he can put the tough times behind him and look ahead to building himself back into a player in the lightweight division.

The win over a debuting opponent will surely encourage Dariush to pursue a more established foe next. There are no shortage of those at 155 pounds, and the winner of the UFC 231 matchup between Aubin-Mercier (11-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) and Gilbert Burns (13-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) is exactly in the wheelhouse of what Dariush should be pursuing.

Germaine de Randamie

Ketlen Vieria

Should fight: Ketlen Vieira
Why they should fight: After a turbulent 21-month break from the octagon, de Randamie made a successful return to competition with a clear-cut victory over former title challenger Raquel Pennington.

De Randamie’s layoff from competition included being stripped of the UFC women’s featherweight title and dealing with injuries. She returned to bantamweight for the fight with Pennington and picked up the unanimous decision to put herself in the title mix.

Although “The Iron Lady” might not be the most loved figure due to the way her UFC title tenure unfolded, she is still one of the best female fighters in the world. She deserves to be among the top names at 135 pounds, and a matchup with a streaking unbeaten contender like Vieira (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) would help firm up the pecking order while champion Amanda Nunes dabbles at featherweight against Cris Cyborg in a champion-vs.-champion fight at UFC 232 in December.

Donald Cerrone

Justin Gaethje

Should fight: Justin Gaethje
Why they should fight: After setting a new record for most victories in UFC history, Cerrone is apparently done with the welterweight division and intends on making a return to lightweight after nearly three years.

“Cowboy” pulled off one of the best victories of his career when he submitted Mike Perry with an armbar in the first round of what was something of a grudge match. Cerrone now has the most wins and stoppages in company history, and his position in UFC lore is never to be questioned.

The future certainly will be interesting for Cerrone, though. For the first time ever he’s talking about going on a title run and believes he can make it happen at 155 pounds. The division has evolved since he last competed there, and Gaethje (19-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) is one of the names who wasn’t around. The former WSOF champion is arguably the most exciting fighter in the sport, and pitting him against Cerrone would have the potential for absolute magic.

Yair Rodriguez

Zabit Magomedsharipov

Should fight: Zabit Magomedsharipov
Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Rodriguez should fight Magomedsharipov (16-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) next after his knockout victory.

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 139, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

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