'TUF 20' Finale Results: Matches to Make for the Entire Fight Card

It wasn't a hard choice, but Carla Esparza gave up her Invicta FC belt to pursue UFC gold on The Ultimate Fighter 20. On Friday, that decision paid off in a big way.

After a close opening round, Esparza used her wrestling to take control against Rose Namajunas. Cookie Monster scored a takedown in the second round and another in the third before locking up a rear-naked choke to become the first UFC strawweight titleholder.

While TUF 20 didn't pull in excellent ratings, according to MMA Payout, the fighters impressed. If this latest season of the UFC reality show is any indication, the women's strawweight class should be a very entertaining addition to the Octagon.

Here are the matchups that could be next for Esparza, Namajunas and the rest of the TUF 20 finale competitors.

Prelim Fighters

USA TODAY Sports

Prelim Winners

Fighter	Matchup
Felice Herrig	Aisling Daly
Heather Jo Clark	Angela Hill
Joanne Calderwood	Tecia Torres
Tecia Torres	Joanne Calderwood
Aisling Daly	Felice Herrig
Angela Hill	Heather Jo Clark

Prelim Losers

Fighter	Matchup
Lisa Ellis	Alex Chambers
Bec Hyatt	Seohee Ham
Seohee Ham	Bec Hyatt
Angela Magana	Emily Kagan
Alex Chambers	Lisa Ellis
Emily Kagan	Angela Magana

Randa Markos

Credit: UFC.com

Matchup: Claudia Gadelha vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk loser

The No. 14 seed on TUF 20, Randa Markos, surprised everybody by reaching the semifinals.

With a submission loss to Namajunas, Markos failed to move on to the championship bout. However, with her performances on the show and a split-decision loss to Jessica Penne on Friday, Markos showed the strawweight division that she'll be a tough matchup for pretty much anybody. Marc Raimondi of MMA Fighting believes Markos is going to be the top-ranked competitor in the strawweight division:

"

Randa Markos is going to be the woman in this division that no one wants to face.

— Marc Raimondi (@marc_raimondi) December 13, 2014"

Considering she hasn't met Esparza, Markos could be a couple of strong showings from earning a title shot in this developing division. She might look to get back on track against the loser of a potential title-shot eliminator between Claudia Gadelha and Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

Jessica Penne

Credit: UFC.com

Matchup: Rose Namajunas

A former Invicta FC champion in the atomweight division, Jessica Penne didn't have much trouble with larger opponents in the strawweight class.

Penne advanced to the TUF 20 semifinals before losing to friend and eventual champion Esparza. Then, on Friday, Penne defeated fellow semifinalist Markos in a Fight of the Night performance that cemented her as one of the best fighters in the 115-pound division. The Ultimate Fighter notes Penne "outworking" Markos:

"

Jessica Penne out works Randa Markos in potential 'Fight of the Night http://t.co/QFEZ73yyuS #TUFFinale pic.twitter.com/1XwjoAr6ic

— The Ultimate Fighter (@UltimateFighter) December 13, 2014"

Both losing to Esparza, Penne and Namajunas are going to need a few wins to earn a rematch with the champion. There isn't a much better way to get them back into the title-shot conversation than by having them meet one another in what could be an intriguing grappling matchup.

Joe Proctor

Credit: UFC.com

Matchup: Michael Chiesa

Following back-to-back wins, Joe Proctor had a chance to earn a step up in competition against another rising lightweight, Yancy Medeiros.

Instead, Proctor hit another speed bump. The Massachusetts native was hurt by a spinning back kick and gave up his neck while recovering, resulting in a loss via guillotine choke in the opening round. Proctor shared his optimism for a comeback and expressed appreciation to supporters following his Friday loss:

"

Tonight wasn't my night but I'll be back better than ever. Thank you all my friends family and fans for the unbelievable support.

— Joe Proctor (@JoeProctor) December 13, 2014"

While this is a setback, Proctor has still shown improvement since his appearance on TUF 15. It'd be interesting to see him test his grappling against that season's winner, Michael Chiesa, who is coming off a loss to Proctor training partner Joe Lauzon.

Yancy Medeiros

Credit: UFC.com

Matchup: Alan Patrick

After some tough matchups with Rustam Khabilov and Jim Miller earlier in his UFC career, Yancy Medeiros appears to have hit his stride now.

Medeiros had no problems with Proctor on Friday, as he cruised to a submission victory. With two straight submission wins now, Medeiros looks to be ready for a step up in competition. UFC on Fox noted the manner by which Medeiros defeated Proctor:

"

Yancy Medeiros uses spinning back kick and guillotine choke to finish Joe Proctor http://t.co/4ApcxDJya1 #TUFFinale pic.twitter.com/EAx88MDEvd

— UFCONFOX (@UFCONFOX) December 13, 2014"

Coming off a win over John Makdessi, Alan Patrick is another solid up-and-comer in the lightweight division. A bout between Medeiros and the Brazilian could earn the winner a shot at a 155-pound contender.

K.J. Noons

Credit: UFC.com

Matchup: Daron Cruickshank

With two straight wins heading into the weekend, K.J. Noons had picked up some momentum in the lightweight division. However, he's now at a standstill of sorts following a no-contest with Daron Cruickshank.

Having surrendered two takedowns in the opening round, Noons appeared to be behind on the scorecards prior to an accidental eye poke that ended the bout. The incident occurred early in the second round, and Cruickshank was not able to continue as a result of the eye injury. KJ apologized to Cruickshank supporters for the eye poke and sent well wishes to his competitor:

"

Sorry to @Cruickshank155 and fans. I did not mean to do eye poke. Hopefully he has fast recovery and we can do again. So bummed.

— KJ Noons (@kjnoons) December 13, 2014"

A fighter who has had a tendency to take lengthy breaks between appearances, Noons might sit out until Cruickshank returns. A rematch seems like an inevitability.

Daron Cruickshank

Credit: UFC.com

Matchup: K.J. Noons

With wins in three of his past four outings, Cruickshank looked to be coming into his own heading into the TUF 20 finale on Friday. Cruickshank confirmed he had a "torn tear duct":

"

Ufc doc says I have a torn tear duct pic.twitter.com/wGNwgORtrj

— Daron Cruickshank (@Cruickshank155) December 13, 2014"

So, hopefully Cruickshank will be able to heal up quickly and return to action soon. It was determined that he suffered a torn tear duct as a result of Noons' eye poke during the second round. Cruickshank went on to confirm he was headed to surgery and was remaining optimistic about a "rematch ASAP":

"

Headed to surgery now. Hopefully I have a speedy recovery and can get my rematch asap. pic.twitter.com/F4bg45EViB

— Daron Cruickshank (@Cruickshank155) December 13, 2014"

Like most, Cruickshank believes a rematch would be the best course of action in this situation. That could depend on how Cruickshank's surgery goes, though.

Jeremy Stephens

Credit: UFC.com

Matchup: Clay Guida

When he was the aggressor, Jeremy Stephens looked good on Friday. However, Lil' Heathen was on his heels or his back for the final two rounds against Charles Oliveira.

Stephens surrendered one takedown in both the second and third rounds, and he wasn't able to escape from the bottom position effectively. Oliveira kept Stephens thinking about submissions, which allowed the Brazilian to pile up control time in a decision victory.

For how long they both spent in the UFC lightweight division, it's surprising Stephens and Clay Guida never clashed at 155 pounds. A meeting at 145 pounds would make sense right about now, though.

Charles Oliveira

Credit: UFC.com

Matchup: Nik Lentz vs. Thiago Tavares Winner

Because he missed weight, Oliveira's win over Stephens comes with an asterisk, but it was still an impressive performance by the Brazilian. UFC on Fox described Oliveira's win over Stephens a "ground clinic":

"

Charles Oliveira puts on ground clinic to earn decision win over Jeremy Stephens http://t.co/Ctejk9QhQT #TUFFinale pic.twitter.com/e0ZcyCPiuG

— UFCONFOX (@UFCONFOX) December 13, 2014"

Do Bronx started slow, but he took over once he was able to take Stephens down in the later rounds. A submission would have added an exclamation point to the victory, but it wasn't like Oliveira didn't try to finish. Stephens showed serious toughness in fighting off some nasty-looking armbars.

The UFC has tried to book a rematch between Oliveira and Nik Lentz, but it still hasn't happened. Should Lentz beat Thiago Tavares in February, it might be time to try again.

Rose Namajunas

Credit: UFC.com

Matchup: Jessica Penne

The No. 7 seed on TUF 20, Namajunas showed huge improvements en route to a shot at the new UFC strawweight belt.

In the end, Namajunas came up short against Esparza in the final. However, being only 22 years old, Namajunas is sure to get another crack at a UFC championship somewhere down the road. Namajunas defined her loss as an "investment":

"

Rose Namajunas on UFC title loss: 'This is just an investment in my future' http://t.co/r7aWTBSVBx via @MMAjunkie

— MMAjunkie (@MMAjunkie) December 13, 2014"

Whether she's in a title fight or not, Namajunas promises entertainment, whether it be standing or on the ground. A bout with Penne could produce some fun submission battles.

Carla Esparza

UFC.com

Matchup: Claudia Gadelha vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk Winner

The No. 1 seed on TUF 20, Esparza took care of business and made history by becoming the first UFC strawweight queen.

After submitting Angela Hill in the opening round, Esparza had tougher decision wins over Torres and Penne to reach the final. Against Namajunas, Esparza started a bit slow, but she eventually took over once she got her wrestling going. The Ultimate Figher announced Esparza' win:

"

And your NEW UFC Strawweight Champion...Carla Esparza! pic.twitter.com/N6Aw6VS1su

— The Ultimate Fighter (@UltimateFighter) December 13, 2014"

It's unlikely Esparza would face another TUF 20 contestant right away. So, she'll probably have her first title defense against the winner of a bout betweeen Claudia Gadelha and Joanna Jedrzejczyk.