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MOORE: Top Fights to Make After UFC on Fox 16 "Dillashaw vs. Barao II"
Jul 26, 2015 - 1:50:59 PM MOORE: Top Fights to Make After UFC on Fox 16 "Dillashaw vs. Barao II"

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By: Dan Moore, MMATorch UK Columnist

Here's what should be next for the winners and losers from the UFC on FOX 16 card that took place in Chicago last night:

WINNERS


T.J. Dillashaw

After re-watching their first fight I fully expected Dillashaw to beat Barao last night, but that was an even better performance than the first time. Dillashaw was outstanding, and that's an understatement.

Brilliant footwork, a blistering jab, tremendous movement, and power with accuracy in almost every punch. It's hard to find a criticism, although he did take a few unnecessary risks in front of Barao. It was pure confidence though, because he knew the Brazilian had nothing that could beat him.

Dominick Cruz should be next for Dillashaw. Personally I would rather see the former champion take another fight first, but he did that last year against Takeya Mizugaki (UFC 178) and then broke down again. This time the UFC should strike while the iron is hot and give Cruz a shot as soon as he's ready to go.

If that doesn't happen they can make the Raphael Assuncao rematch providing the Brazilian can also get healthy. There are plenty of up and coming young contenders in this division, and the UFC need to clear the path to freshen things up.

Next Fight vs. Dominick Cruz


Miesha Tate

Four wins on the bounce and consecutive victories over two very credible opponents; Miesha Tate is the second best in her division. She's a million miles behind Ronda Rousey, but she's ahead of the rest (even Zingano now). Yet again last night she showed the type of grit and determination that fight fans tend to get behind and root for.

There aren't many trilogy fights I want to see when one fighter has been so dominant over the other, but I'll make an exception for Rousey vs. Tate. They despise each other, and Tate did better than anyone else in their last fight. It will create interest, and that's enough for me until Cyborg gets her act together.

Next Fight vs. Ronda Rousey


Edson Barboza

I generally proceed with caution when I hear Joe Rogan wax lyrical over this and that, but, his excruciatingly “over-the-top” comments on Barboza last night were actually spot on. He is an incredibly entertaining fighter. His kicks are lightning fast and extremely hard. I also agree that the KO of Terry Etim was one of the best ever.

But let's face facts, Barboza is never going to be good enough to win the championship. So, the UFC may as well entertain us and match him up with Anthony Pettis. Pettis vs. Barboza would be epic.

Next Fight vs. Anthony Pettis


Everyone Else

Joe Lauzon vs. Islam Makhachev

Tom Lawlor vs. Francimar Barroso

Jim Miller vs. Evan Dunham

Ben Saunders vs. John Howard

Bryan Caraway vs. Aljamain Sterling

James Krause vs. Johnny Case

Andrew Holbrook vs. Winner of Glaico Franca vs. Fernando Bruno

Elizabeth Phillips vs. Raquel Pennington

Zac Cummings vs. Nicolas Dalby


LOSERS

Renan Barao

Before UFC 173 last year, Renan Barao was talked about as one of the very best pound-for-pound fighters in MMA. Fast forward just over a year and T.J. Dillashaw has single handedly dismantled his entire reputation.

Now it's time for Barao to move on from this annus horribilis and look ahead. I want him to move to featherweight but it won't happen while Aldo is still king. Instead, Barao must regroup, refocus, and somehow get back to his old self sooner rather than later. Sadly, two defeats like he's just had tend to take a lot out of a fighter. It won't be easy.

It's pointless for Barao to fight someone like Faber or McDonald because he's already got the postcard. What he needs is something different, and it doesn't matter where they are in the rankings. Takeya Mizugaki is a tough opponent, but more importantly, is also someone who can make Barao look like a world beater again.

Next Fight vs. Takeya Mizugaki


Jessica Eye

Apart from a couple of nice exchanges early on where she had the advantage, Eye was taken to school last night by the more experienced and better Tate. 99.9% of all fighters find their ceiling sooner or later, and Eye just hit her head.

She's currently ranked No 5. so the UFC may as well give her a fight against the highest ranked woman also coming off a loss. That woman is Cat Zingano, and another loss for Eye would leave her future title aspirations in absolute tatters.

Next Fight vs. Cat Zingano


Paul Felder

Felder may have [correctly] lost a very close fight last night, but he came out of it with $50k and a ton of credit. We see many undefeated fighters climb the ladder too quickly and then disappear without a trace after a big loss. I don't think that happens to Paul Felder.

He's into his thirties now but is still relatively inexperienced. There's plenty more to come from him. His next fight needs to be a relevant one against someone who has experienced the top 15. Rustam Khabilov is very tough to beat but Felder has all the talent and attitude to quickly get back to winning ways.

Next Fight vs. Rustam Khabilov


Everyone Else

Takanori Gomi vs. Gray Maynard

Gian Villante vs. Loser of Sean O'Connell vs. Misha Cirkunov

Danny Castillo (Released)

Kenny Robertson vs. Cathal Pendred

Eddie Wineland vs. Alex Caceres

Daron Cruickshank vs. Justin Salas

Ramsey Nijem vs. Leo Kuntz

Jessamyn Duke (Released)

Dominique Steele vs. Vicente Luque

I'll be back next weekend with an article following UFC 190 (Rousey vs. Correia).

Follow me on Twitter, @MMATorchDan