UFC 144 Results: What's Next for Each Fighter

With the conclusion of the historic UFC 144, we came out with several unexpected results.

First, we have a new lightweight champion in Ben Henderson. We also saw legendary light heavyweight Quinton "Rampage" Jackson get dominated for three rounds. We even saw a number of odds on favorites lose in the earlier fights.

Let's take a look at where each fighter from the card should go from here.

Tiequan Zhang

Tiequan Zhang has lost two fights in a row now, but seeing how the UFC is trying to break into China may save his job.

The only employed Chinese fighter got destroyed last night, going to sleep following a great combination by enemy Issei Tamura. He finds himself at the bottom of the ladder looking up.

From here, a match against a guy like Max Holloway would do both fighters good. Holloway could use the experience, while Zhang needs to get back on track following two big losses.

Issei Tamura

Issei Tamura came away as a big winner last night, stepping in as a late replacement for Leonard Garcia and securing a devastating knockout victory.

Tamura is still young in his MMA career, so the UFC should not throw him in the deep waters yet. He needs to gain experience before facing off with the top dogs.

Put him in the cage against an experienced, yet recovering opponent like Nam Phan. Putting Tamura up against an experienced veteran of the sport would do him well, and Phan could use a solid opponent like Tamura to test him.

Takeya Mizugaki

Takeya Mizugaki found himself on the wrong end of a controversial decision last night, dropping the bout to opponent Chris Cariaso.

Mizugaki looked a little flat last night, but did not look horrible in the fight. He secured takedowns and landed some decent punches.

His stock does not fall far from here. He is still an elite bantamweight in the company, with exciting fights to offer. Put him in a rematch with Jeff Curran, a guy who he owns a controversial decision over. Settle that dispute for his next bout.

Chris Cariaso

Chris Cariaso got the win last night, showing off a solid bottom grappling game to go with his already polished striking regiment.

Cariaso may have gotten the win last night, but a drop to flyweight should be considered, as he is only 5'3" and doesn't look like he cuts much weight.

Assuming he stays at bantamweight, he could see the likes of Ken Stone in his next fight. Stone is coming off a victory, but missed his last fight due to injury. Assuming his health his back in line, let him have a go at Cariaso.

Steve Cantwell

Steve can't seem to do anything well (cool pun?), as he has now dropped five fights in a row.

I will not even bother listing an opponent, as that would be a waste of time.

Riki Fukuda

Riki Fukuda may have erased the memory of a controversial decision loss to Nick Ring in his debut. Last night, he battered an overwhelmed Steve Cantwell, earning the victory in his home country.

Fukuda looks to be a solid prospect in the UFC. Pit him up against a veteran who is dangerous like Luiz Cane, to measure where Fukuda's skill level is at. If he can beat Cane, then you know he is legit.

Kid Yamamoto

Unfortunately, this may be the end of Kid Yamamoto's UFC run. The UFC may keep him due to their expansion into Japan, but three losses in a row is never good for job security.

Yamamoto is a legend at bantamweight, so keeping him around isn't a bad idea. Put him in the cage in a "loser leaves town" match against an opponent like Byron Bloodworth. If Yamamoto cannot win that fight, then he doesn't deserve to be in the Octagon.

Vaughan Lee

Vaughan Lee walked away last night as one of the biggest winners of the night. His armbar win over Kid Yamamoto earned him the "Submission of the Night" bonus.

Lee is now 1-1 in the UFC. The submission whiz has shown his skills in both fights, so a fight here with a guy like Reuben Duran would showcase two solid prospects with wins in their latest fights.

Eiji Mitsuoka

Eiji Mitsuoka felt the wrath of "The Fireball Kid" last night, but did not look horrible in his fight. He actually rocked Gomi at one point before he was eventually put away by the legendary Japanese lightweight.

Mitsuoka needs a win from here to stay employed in the most competitive division in the UFC. A high stakes bout with Tommy Hayden could pit two guys that need a win together or else they could be sent packing from the UFC.

Takanori Gomi

Takanori Gomi got a knockout victory last night, saving himself from a possible cut. The Japanese star knocked out his opponent, showing his unorthodox, yet effective striking.

That big win gives Gomi options. Allow him to gain some momentum from this win before dumping him back into the deep end. Fabricio Camoes is coming off a big win and needs an opponent. Why not give him Gomi, in what could be a very competitive bout.

Joe Lauzon

Joe Lauzon found himself on the wrong end of a knockout last night, getting dropped by an Anthony Pettis head kick.

Lauzon is still a threat at lightweight, despite the loss. He will need to rebuild himself after last night, so a fight with Paul Taylor would serve as a great comeback fight versus a dangerous opponent. Taylor needs a solid opponent as well, so this fight could do both fighters a favor.

Bart Palaszewski

"Bartimus" just did not have what it took last night, losing a decision to Hatsu Hioki. Palaszewski was overwhelmed by the possible title contender, and was unable to get enough offense going to secure the bout.

Palaszewski is still a great featherweight fighter. He simply lost to the better man. Build him back up with a fight versus Bryan Caraway. It will test his grappling ability against a guy with great top control.

Hatsu Hioki

Hatsu Hioki definitely showed why he is a top featherweight in the world last night, besting Bart Palaszewski by decision.

Hioki may have earned himself a title shot with Jose Aldo. Dustin Poirier and Chan Sung Jung are set to fight on FUEL TV's main event in a couple months, and until then, Aldo has no scheduled opponent. The winner of Poirier and Jung seems to be in line for a title shot. Until then, give Hioki to Aldo for the title shot, and have the Poirier/Jung winner fight for the title after.

Yushin Okami

Last night was a devastating loss for "Thunder," as opponent Tim Boetsch won a great comeback victory. This leaves Okami in an interesting spot.

Having lost two fights in a row, Okami definitely needs a big victory. Put him across the cage against a guy like Rafael Natal, so that he can fight a credible opponent and get back on track.

Tim Boetsch

Tim Boetsch came away with a spectacular come from behind victory last night, knocking out a big name opponent in Yushin Okami.

Boetsch has looked great at middleweight, despite dropping his first two rounds last night. Undefeated at middleweight, a fight with Ed Herman would be a great match up at this point in both of their paths to the title.

Yoshihiro Akiyama

Dropping four fights in a row is never a good sign for a fighter, but cutting Akiyama would be a bad move. His drop to welterweight was encouraging, as he looked to finally be at his natural weight class.

Give him one more shot. The exciting Japanese star is great for marketing the sport in Japan. Have him further test his welterweight drop against Ultimate Fighter winner James Wilks, who has been MIA for some time now. It could serve as an important bout for both men.

Jake Shields

Jake Shields got back on track last night, taking all three rounds from Yoshihiro Akiyama. He is now back on track for big things in the welterweight division.

Jon Fitch is coming off a loss to Johny Hendricks in his latest bout and is looking for a solid named opponent to make his return against. Fitch is a big enough talent for Shields to face next, so this bout makes sense.

Cheick Kongo

Cheick Kongo lost in devastating fashion last night, getting knocked out by the freight train that is Mark Hunt. This loss sets Kongo back a ways.

Phil De Fries is also coming off a loss recently, and will need an opponent. He may be the sacrificial lamb that gets Kongo back on track in the heavyweight division.

Mark Hunt

Mark Hunt will not go away.

The "Super Samoan" came away with his third straight victory last night, knocking out a big name opponent in Cheick Kongo. Hunt continues to impress and prove all doubters wrong.

Stefan Struve also won a big bout recently. Putting him on the opposite side of the cage against Mark Hunt could serve as an important, exciting affair. Make it happen, Joe Silva!

Quinton Jackson

Quinton Jackson must have been hurt last night, because he did not look himself. He dropped an embarrassing loss last night to Ryan Bader.

Jackson is now on a two fight losing streak, and desperately needs to get back in the win column. He seems to have taken offense to a comment made by Rich Franklin, so that could be a fight we see next. Franklin only wants to fight big names, and there are few bigger than "Rampage."

Ryan Bader

Ryan Bader got a big victory last night, stiffling Quinton Jackson for the better of three rounds. This win makes it two in a row for Bader, so it seems he has recovered from back to back losses not long ago.

Phil Davis just recently dropped an important bout with Rashad Evans, and will be looking to recover from his first career defeat. Match him up with Bader, as their wrestling would cancel out and force them to use their other developing skills.

Frank Edgar

An unfortunate end for the guy who looks like he belongs on the cast of Jersey Shore. Edgar dropped the title last night, and it looks like he will not get an immediate rematch.

Edgar is still a top guy, but he needs to drop to featherweight, as he never cuts weight at lightweight. He will probably stay at lightweight, so a fight against Kenny Florian, if he is able to recover from his back injury, could be in order. What a fight that would be.

Anthony Pettis/Ben Henderson

It would appear that these two men are on a crash course to rematch for the title. It is set up the exact same way as the first fight, as Henderson is the champion and Pettis is the challenger.

Although I think Pettis is still a fight or two away from a title shot, it definitely looks like it is set in stone. Get ready for a crazy lightweight title shot, as these two men look to match the classic that was made at WEC 53.