UFC 185 Results: Matches to Make for the Winners and Losers

At UFC 185, both the lightweight and women's strawweight belts changed hands.

Facing blossoming star Anthony Pettis, 155-pound challenger Rafael dos Anjos was an underdog heading into his bout on Saturday. Yet, the Brazilian made it look easy. Dos Anjos scored nine takedowns en route to a dominant decision win in his first UFC championship contest.

Likewise, only recently becoming a contender in the strawweight class, Joanna Jedrzejczyk was not picked by many to dethrone Carla Esparza. Nonetheless, the Polish fighter was able to overwhelm Esparza with strikes in the second round.

With another UFC event in the books, here is a look at who should be next for new champions Dos Anjos and Jedrzejczyk as well as the rest of the UFC 185 competitors.

Prelim Fighters

Prelim Winners

Fighter	Matchup
Ross Pearson	K.J. Noons
Elias Theodorou	Josh Samman
Beneil Dariush	Leandro Silva vs. Drew Dober Winner
Jared Rosholt	Viktor Pesta
Ryan Benoit	Chico Camus
Joseph Duffy	James Moontasri
Germaine de Randamie	Sarah Moras

Prelim Losers

Fighter	Matchup
Sam Stout	Daron Cruickshank
Roger Narvaez	Daniel Sarafian vs. Ricardo Abreu Loser
Daron Cruickshank	Sam Stout
Josh Copeland	None (Release)
Sergio Pettis	Chris Beal
Jake Lindsey	None (Release)
Larissa Pacheco	None (Release)

Chris Cariaso

Credit: UFC.com

Matchup: Louis Gaudinot

Not long ago, Chris Cariaso earned a 125-pound title shot with three straight wins. Now, Kamikaze has lost two in a row and needs to turn things around in a hurry.

At UFC 185, Cariaso was given a tough matchup against Henry Cejudo. Following a submission loss to champion Demetrious Johnson, Cariaso was being paired with another high-level grappler, one who won gold in Olympic wrestling. The result was a predictable one, as Cariaso allowed six takedowns en route to a decision loss.

Cariaso acknowledged Henry was the better fight in their matchup and thanked his supporters via Twitter:

"

I didn't get the win tonight. Henry was the better fighter tonight. I just want to thank everyone who… https://t.co/iTZfDhUXzJ

— Chris Cariaso (@chriscariasomma) March 15, 2015"

With losses against two very tough opponents, Cariaso isn't likely to be in a must-win situation like most UFC competitors who have lost multiple bouts in a row. So, I'd expect him to be matched up with another noteworthy flyweight who has fallen on hard times.

Louis Gaudinot, who doesn't have a UFC win since May 2012, would be a logical adversary for Cariaso.

Henry Cejudo

Credit: UFC.com

Matchup: Jussier Formiga

When a weight-cutting issue ruined his originally scheduled UFC flyweight debut against Scott Jorgensen, it looked like Cejudo would be forced to compete at 135 pounds for the rest of his career.

Cejudo did ultimately make his UFC debut in the bantamweight division and picked up a win over Dustin Kimura. However, on Saturday, Cejudo finally made his way down to 125 pounds and took it to former flyweight title challenger Cariaso in a dominant decision victory. Motivated by his win, Cejudo tweeted encouraging and empowering comments to his Twitter followers:

"

Believe in your dream. You can do anything. #UFC185. #besomebody.

— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) March 15, 2015"

As a former Olympic champion, Cejudo clearly has the athletic ability to reach the top. The UFC is probably going to look to push him toward a title shot as quickly as it can as well.

That's why a matchup with Jussier Formiga, who has beaten Zach Makovsky and Scott Jorgensen in his past two appearances, seems likely.

Roy Nelson

Credit: UFC.com

Matchup: Josh Barnett

While Roy Nelson has come up empty in two straight outings, his performance at UFC 185 reminded everybody in the heavyweight division that he's never easy to put away.

Big Country was battered by Alistair Overeem through nearly three full rounds. However, as time expired, Nelson knocked Overeem down with a left hand and had an opportunity to score an amazing come-from-behind victory. Derrick Burnsed noted Nelson's highly visible injury to his ribs:

"

Damn! Look at Roy Nelson's ribs pic.twitter.com/BtGNiImHFg

— Derrick Burnsed (@DerrickBurnsed) March 16, 2015"

It was too little too late for Nelson on Saturday, but the late rally showed Nelson doesn't plan on fading out of heavyweight title contention without a fight. A bout with fellow veteran Josh Barnett would give Nelson a good chance to bounce right back in a big way.

Alistair Overeem

Credit: UFC.com

Matchup: Junior dos Santos

Overeem possesses one of the scariest offensive arsenals in the heavyweight division, but his defensive shortcomings have prevented him from reaching the top of the weight class.

Both sides of Overeem were on display in his UFC 185 bout with Nelson. For more than two rounds, Overeem had his way with Nelson, landing devastating kicks and knees to the body. However, The Reem had to survive a late scare in order to walk away with a decision win. MMAJunkie.com's Mike Bohn noted that Overeem's striking percentage now has him sitting atop the UFC record books: 

"

Statistically speaking, @AlistairOvereem's now most accurate striker in UFC history. Lands 74.5%, a rate well above Anderson Silva (63.2%).

— Mike Bohn (@MikeBohnMMA) March 15, 2015"

At one point, Overeem was set to challenge Junior dos Santos for the heavyweight championship. While an Overeem failed drug test spoiled that matchup in 2013, it's still a bout that is intriguing for many reasons. There is some bad blood between the heavyweight contenders, and a meeting would likely result in some entertaining striking, so the UFC should consider booking Overeem and Dos Santos now.

Matt Brown

Credit: UFC.com

Matchup: Brandon Thatch

Following a loss to now-champion Robbie Lawler, Matt Brown was given an opportunity to rebound against former champion Johny Hendricks.

Those big fights were welcomed by Brown, but they have now left him with two losses in a row. The Immortal still deserves to be considered a welterweight contender, but he clearly has some holes to fill after allowing nine takedowns against Hendricks on Saturday. In defeat, Brown remained optimistic and promised his supporters a "stronger" return:

"

I have amazing friends and fans I sincerely appreciate your support. I'll be back stronger than ever very soon...... #fact

— Matt Brown (@IamTheImmortal) March 15, 2015"

A step down in competition should be expected. Preferably, Brown would be matched up with somebody willing to brawl with him, so a bout against Brandon Thatch, who is looking to bounce back from a loss to Benson Henderson, would be interesting.

Johny Hendricks

Credit: UFC.com

Matchup: Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald Winner

With a split-decision loss to Robbie Lawler in their rematch, Johny Hendricks looked to be lined up for a rubber match with the welterweight champion. However, he instead opted to meet Brown at UFC 185 while waiting for Lawler to recover from an injury.

Many expected the bout between Hendricks and Brown to be more entertaining than it was, but Bigg Rigg played it smart and used his wrestling to dominate his opponent on the ground. It wasn't the most thrilling victory in Hendricks' career, but he maintained his spot as the top contender at 170 pounds. UFC on Fox highlighted the Hendricks win and his next fight:

"

Johny Hendricks cruises past Matt Brown and now awaits the winner of Lawler vs. MacDonald http://t.co/0eCkpfnWfZ pic.twitter.com/FFIv8ImAVp

— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) March 15, 2015"

Because he took the bout with Brown, Hendricks will now have to wait for the winner of a July contest between Lawler and Rory MacDonald. Whether Hendricks impressed or not in his win at UFC 185, he's still the most deserving welterweight contender of a shot at the winner of that upcoming championship bout.

Carla Esparza

Credit: UFC.com

Matchup: Randa Markos

Having cruised through a formidable tournament field on The Ultimate Fighter 20, Esparza looked to be set up for a long championship reign.

She ran into a surging Jedrzejczyk on Saturday, though. Only able to score one takedown on 17 attempts, Esparza was forced to stand with a much better striker, and that led to a rough knockout loss in the second stanza. Post-fight, Esparza tweeted her thoughts on the match and expressed her appreciation to sponsors and supporters:

"

Life... pic.twitter.com/capSAOtbjp

— Carla Esparza (@CarlaEsparza1) March 15, 2015"

Esparza remains one of the best in the strawweight division, but she'll have a lot of work to do to earn a rematch with the new champion. In a developing 115-pound division, Esparza could really fight anybody right now, but a contest against Randa Markos seems to be one of the more interesting stylistic matchups.

Joanna Jedrzejczyk

Credit: UFC.com

Matchup: Felice Herrig vs. Paige VanZant Winner

With a win over Claudia Gadelha to earn her title shot, we knew Joanna Jedrzejczyk was good, but there were still questions about her defensive wrestling.

At UFC 185, Jedrzejczyk silenced those questions by forcing Esparza to stand. One of the heaviest hitters in women's MMA, Jedrzejczyk bombarded the champion with punches and took the title with a knockout in the second round. Following Jedrzejczyk's dominant performance, UFC on Fox questioned whether she could be stopped:

"

After her violent #UFC185 title win, can anyone stop the new strawweight champ? http://t.co/JI4T7dRq6P pic.twitter.com/bo11XKG3hz

— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) March 15, 2015"

In a developing strawweight division, no contender really stands out as next in line to challenge Jedrzejczyk. At the moment, an upcoming bout between Felice Herrig and Paige VanZant is the only scheduled contest between two 115-pounders coming off UFC wins.

The winner may not be deserving of a title shot, but the UFC has been pushing VanZant hard, so it wouldn't be surprising to see her or Herrig get the next title shot.

Anthony Pettis

Credit: UFC.com

Matchup: Michael Johnson

With five straight wins and four straight stoppages, Anthony Pettis appeared ready to become one of the best lightweights ever, and Dos Anjos was going to be another step on that path.

However, Pettis' defensive wrestling came back to haunt him, and his defensive striking didn't look that great either on Saturday. Showtime was hurt by Dos Anjos early on and gave up a number of takedowns on his way to a deflating decision loss. Fox Sports' Damon Martin noted that this bout confirmed Pettis' declaration that "the lightweight division is the toughest":

"

Anthony Pettis was absolutely correct - the lightweight division is the toughest in the entire UFC http://t.co/7ejzetsOl2 #UFC185

— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) March 15, 2015"

At 28 years old, Pettis has probably not seen his last chance to compete in a UFC title bout, but he's going to have to make some statements in order to earn a rematch with Dos Anjos after the beating he took at UFC 185. For now, Pettis should take a step back and serve as a test to Michael Johnson, who has won four in a row and is ready to prove he's prepared to fight for the 155-pound belt.

Rafael dos Anjos

Credit: UFC.com

Matchup: Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Donald Cerrone Winner

Not many predicted we'd be talking about Dos Anjos' first title challenger after UFC 185. However, that's the situation we are now in.

The Brazilian didn't just beat Pettis. He dominated the former UFC and WEC champion, winning all five rounds on all three scorecards. And to make Dos Anjos' win even more impressive, MMAFighting.com pointed out that he "fought with [a] torn MCL":

"

New UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos fought with torn MCL http://t.co/uruCEXaD1w pic.twitter.com/1X1IRaMH3z

— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) March 15, 2015"

Before Dos Anjos was booked to challenge Pettis, Khabib Numagomedov was viewed as more deserving, but he was rehabbing from an injury. Now healthy, Nurmagomedov could set up a rematch with Dos Anjos should he beat Donald Cerrone in May.