(ALSO SEE: Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for UFC 224’s losing fighters?)

The UFC’s first pay-per-view event in Brazil this year took place Saturday with UFC 224, which took place at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro.

The five-fight lineup saw Amanda Nunes (16-4 MMA, 9-1 UFC) defend her women’s bantamweight title for the third time when she earned a fifth-round TKO victory over Raquel Pennington (9-6 MMA, 6-3 UFC) in the headliner.

Also on the card, Kelvin Gastelum (15-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC), Mackenzie Dern (7-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC), John Lineker (31-8 MMA, 12-3 UFC) and Lyoto Machida (24-8 MMA, 16-8 UFC) all earned crucial wins for their respective careers.

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 224’s winning fighters.

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Lyoto Machida

David Branch

Should fight: David Branch
Why they should fight: After a few forgettable years of losses and a peculiar anti-doping suspension, Machida finds himself back at a high point after beating Vitor Belfort to give him a two-fight winning streak for the first time since 2014.

Although scoring a vicious second-round knockout of Belfort may not mean as much as it once did, Machida showed he can still produce highlight-reel finishes with his 40th birthday around the corner later this month. That’s good news for “The Dragon,” who hopes to eventually work his way back into title contention in the middleweight division.

Machida again called for fellow ex-champ Michael Bisping post-fight, but from all indications, “The Count” may have already seen his final days in the octagon. That means Machida may have to look elsewhere for his next foe.

Former two-division WSOF champ Branch (22-4 MMA, 4-3 UFC) is a fighter who sits on the bottom half of the divisional rankings, and after scoring an upset knockout win over Thiago “Marreta” Santos at UFC Fight Night 128 in April, fighting Machida could help his own standing.

John Lineker

Dominick Cruz

Should fight: Dominick Cruz
Why they should fight: Lineker continues to be one of the most dangerous forces in the UFC bantamweight division after he took away the momentum from Brian Kelleher.

Lineker scored a third-round knockout victory over Kelleher to improve to 6-1 since dropping to 135 pounds less than three years ago. The 27-year-old has some of the most fearsome power in the division, and on his best night, he seems capable of beating anyone.

The Brazilian was forced to take a fight with a lower-ranked opponent because no one else was available for UFC 224. Lineker deserves to fight the biggest names in the weight class, though, and it seems former UFC and WEC champ Cruz (21-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) might soon be available.

Cruz has been out of action for nearly 18 months, but he’s apparently looking to return to action soon after suffering a broken arm late this past year. Lineker is a dangerous fight to take after injury, but Cruz is the type who wants to fast-track his way back into a title fight, and beating Lineker would likely get him there.

Mackenzie Dern

Jamie Moyle

Should fight: Jamie Moyle
Why they should fight: The unbeaten start to Dern’s MMA career continued when she got the better of Amanda Cooper in her second UFC appearance.

Despite some criticism around her debut performance at UFC 222 in March, controversy around her parting ways with her camp at The MMA Lab, and, of course, missing weight by a whopping seven pounds, Dern still managed to get the job done against a tough opponent by first-round submission.

The jiu-jitsu sensation has had a busy start to her UFC run, but she said now is the time to slow things down. Dern said she’s seeking some time off, and at this point, that’s probably in her best interest in order to let her game develop and allow a logical next opponent to come to the forefront. Someone with a similar degree of experience is a natural fit, though, and Moyle (4-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) is just that.

Kelvin Gastelum

Robert Whittaker and Yoel Romero

Should fight: Winner of champ Robert Whittaker vs. Yoel Romero at UFC 225
Why they should fight: Gastelum’s run of success since moving to the middleweight division reached arguably its biggest high when he defeated former Strikeforce champion Ronaldo Souza.

Gastelum defeated “Jacare” by split decision to improve to 4-1 (with one no-contest) in six fights since returning to 185 pounds. He looks ever more the contender with each performance, and with the win over Souza coming on the heels of a knockout of former UFC champ Bisping, it’s good times for Gastelum at the moment.

Although his July submission loss to Chris Weidman still stands out, Weidman has done nothing since then while Gastelum has been brilliant. That moves him up the ladder – and likely in position to get the crack of the next divisional title fight between champ Whittaker (19-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) and challenger Romero (13-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) at UFC 225 in June.

It’s possible a Romero win at UFC 225 would could set up an immediate trilogy fight with Whittaker. However, if the UFC opts to slide in a new face to challenge for the gold, then Gastelum should be the person selected.

Amanda Nunes

Should fight: Cris Cyborg
Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Nunes should move up a weight class and challenge women’s featherweight champ Cyborg (20-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) next.

For complete coverage of UFC 224, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

Amanda Nunes def. Raquel Pennington at UFC 224: Best photos

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