UFC on Fuel 6 Results: What's Next for the Winners and Losers

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While most other sports fans were still nestled all snug in their beds, MMA fans were up Saturday morning watching UFC on Fuel 6 live from Macau, China.

In terms of the actual fights, it was kind of a mixed bag. Some of the fights delivered the pyrotechnics, while others made viewers wish they'd reached for the snooze button.

Now that the event is history, it's time to begin looking toward the future. Here are the next steps for all the winners and losers from the People's Republic.

Riki Fukuda

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Riki Fukuda wrestled his way to a win over Tom DeBlass. He's not exactly a top middleweight, but he is now 19-6 overall. He should get another chance at Nick Ring, who beat Fukuda in 2011 thanks to a very controversial decision.

Tom DeBlass

Photo credit: MMA Weekly

I suppose Tom DeBlass had his moments against Fukuda, but let me put it this way: His 0-2 UFC mark is not exactly a head-scratcher. He'll probably get one more shot in the Octagon, though. A loser-leaves-town matchup with Jared Hamman might make for a nice undercard addition.

John Lineker

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John Lineker used his fists to batter Yasuhiro Urushitani and pick up his first UFC victory. This should vault the touted flyweight back into the contender ranks in this still-thin division. A fight with upstart John Moraga would probably deliver the fireworks.

Yasuhiro Urushitani

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Two losses in a row now for Urushitani. The loser between Tim Elliott and Jared Papazian, who fight Dec. 15, would help the Japanese flyweight figure out if he truly is UFC material.

Alex Caceres

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Alex Caceres didn't exactly set the world on fire in defeating warm body Motonobu Tezuka. A win is a win is a win, though, and Bruce Leeroy is now 3-1 as a bantamweight. The winner in the Dec. 15 tilt between Marcos Vinicius and Johnny Bedford seems reasonable.

Motonobu Tezuka

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Hey, Motonobu Tezuka will always be able to tell his friends he went the distance in a UFC fight. And he'll have plenty of time to do so now that he's going back to them. 

Takeya Mizugaki

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It was a great and emotional win for Takeya Mizugaki, who wept openly after taking a clear decision from Jeff Hougland. Mizugaki has now alternated wins with losses over his last 10 fights. He could try to reverse that trend against the winner of Mike Easton and Bryan Caraway, squaring off Dec. 8.

Jeff Hougland

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Tough night for Jeff Hougland. He was fully controlled from bell to bell, and ended up bleeding heavily from a facial cut. At no point did he look like he actually wanted to be there.

It's two losses in a row now for Hougland. Though the magic number for release from the UFC is typically three, this could be curtains for the bantamweight with the 1-2 Octagon record.

Jon Tuck

Photo credit: MMA Orient

UFC newcomer Jon Tuck looked terrific in outgrappling Tiequan Zhang for the win. The young Guam native is good, well-rounded and seems pretty charismatic. Maybe he's not ready for Benson Henderson just yet, but I say fast-track him. I'd definitely watch him square off with Anton Kuivanen.

Tiequan Zhang

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Zhang didn't exactly come through in front of his Chinese countrymen. And that's three losses in a row now for him. I think the axe is gonna fall.

Takanori Gomi

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Takanori Gomi showed he's still got some spark left in him with a split-decision win over Mac Danzig. I would love to see him get it on with another grizzled veteran of the lightweight division: Mr. Gleison Tibau.

Mac Danzig

Photo credit: Anton Tabuena/MMA Fighting

His fight with Gomi was a very close one. As a result, Mac Danzig shouldn't suffer too much. I'd give him the loser between Jamie Varner and Melvin Guillard, set to square off Dec. 15.

Dong Hyun Kim

Photo credit: MMA Weekly

It was a powerful and rock-solid display Saturday from judo master Dong Hyun Kim. A battle with John Hathaway would identify a new welterweight contender.

Paulo Thiago

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Tough loss for the well-liked Brazilian. He just didn't have much for Kim. That's two losses in a row and four losses in five tries for Thiago. I hate to say it, but he might be facing a win-or-else proposition next. Josh Neer would be a good foil for that one. Loser leaves town.

Thiago Silva

Photo credit: Heavy MMA

Thiago Silva got back on track by choking out a game Stanislav Nedkov. Who wants some? Is Matt Hamill still unretired? Maybe Thiago Silva could help us do something about that. Otherwise, a slugfest with James Te-Huna would be tasty enough to headline a cable card.

Stanislav Nedkov

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He's not the world's most exciting light heavyweight, but Nedkov still has a very respectable game. The loser between Anthony Perosh and Joey Beltran would be a winnable fight for the Bulgarian.

Cung Le

Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

With a single brilliant right hook, Cung Le made himself a serious force in the UFC middleweight division. If he decides to continue fighting, I say get him off the novelty circuit and give him a real measuring stick. How about Ed "Short Fuse" Herman?

Rich Franklin

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The 38-year-old Rich Franklin was always candid about his desire to make one more run at middleweight. After Saturday, that run would appear to be over before it really started.

Franklin said after the fight that he would talk to his coaches and make an "intelligent decision" about his future. The only intelligent decision I can think of is retirement. No more catchweight nonsense. No more wondering what if. It's over for the former champ. Time for Rich Franklin to close the book on a successful career.