UFC Fight Night 70 Results: Matches to Make for the Winners and Losers

At UFC Fight Night 70, Yoel Romero continued on his war path toward the top of the middleweight division.

Following two closely contested rounds, Romero exploded on Lyoto Machida in the third stanza. Immediately after scoring a takedown, Romero blasted Machida with a series of elbows, knocking the Brazilian unconscious and giving Romero a 6-0 UFC record.

Unfortunately, Romero's post-fight interview on Fox Sports 1 overshadowed his performance somewhat. With his thick accent, many took Romero to be making an anti-homosexual speech, but the Cuban later clarified during the post-fight press conference that he was not talking about that at all.

Either way, Romero is quickly becoming one of the biggest threats to 185-pound champion Chris Weidman. So, here is a look at what should be next for The Soldier of God and the rest of the UFC Fight Night 70 competitors.

Prelim Fighters

Jason Silva-USA TODAY Sports

Prelim Winners

Fighter	Matchup
Alex Oliveira	Leon Edwards vs. Pawel Pawlak Winner
Leandro Silva	Magomed Mustafaev
Tony Sims	Hector Urbina
Sirwan Kakai	Douglas Silva de Andrade

Prelim Losers

Fighter	Matchup
Joe Merritt	Lewis Gonzalez
Lewis Gonzalez	Joe Merritt
Steve Montgomery	Edgar Garcia
Danny Martinez	None (Release)

Levan Makashvili

UFC.com

Matchup: Jim Alers

Levan Makashvili picked up a split-decision win over Mark Eddiva in his UFC debut, but he followed that up with a close decision that went the other way against Hacran Dias.

Although he finished stronger than Dias, Makashvili put himself in a hole early on by allowing three takedowns in the first two rounds. That proved too much to overcome on two scorecards, as Makashvili's efforts in the third stanza weren't enough.

Only 26 years old, Makashvili has plenty of time to learn from this loss and turn things around. There's a good chance he could meet a fellow 1-1 UFC fighter like Jim Alers next.

Hacran Dias

UFC.com

Matchup: Brian Ortega

Coming off a win over Darren Elkins, Dias was widely predicted to cruise to a win over replacement opponent Makashvili on Saturday.

The win did not come so easily for the Brazilian, though. And, really, a split-decision win over an unproven adversary like Makashvili did more harm than good for Dias' positioning in the featherweight division.

"

.@Hacrandias grinds out a split decision over @LevanMakashvili #UFCFlorida pic.twitter.com/5pDGSvAyXV

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) June 28, 2015"

Dias is sure to get an opponent coming off a win in his next bout, but I wouldn't expect a big step up in competition. Instead, Dias could serve a gatekeeper role again in a bout with an opponent like Brian Ortega.

Steve Bosse

UFC.com

Matchup: Garreth McLellan

It is tough to say what will be next for Steve Bosse.

The former professional hockey player considered retirement before making his UFC debut against Thiago Santos at UFC Fight Night 70. Considering the nasty head-kick knockout he ended up receiving, Bosse might be wishing he had stepped away from MMA permanently.

"

Steve Bosse has been cleared from the hospital, per his mgr @stephanepatry. No major head injuries, he said. 90-day suspension.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) June 28, 2015"

While there is a good chance Bosse never fights inside the Octagon again, it's also going to be tough for him to hang up his gloves like that. If he does return at 185 pounds, Garreth McLellan could be a potential opponent, as he also sports an 0-1 UFC record.

Thiago Santos

Matchup: Elias Theodorou

Since losing to Uriah Hall less than one year ago, Santos has looked like a future contender in the middleweight division, albeit against lesser competition.

With his nasty win over Bosse on Saturday, the Brazilian now has two straight knockout wins coming in the opening round. At 31 years old, the time is now for Santos to start peaking, and all signs are that is exactly what he is doing.

"

Thiago Santos, straight shooter: "I saw he dropped his guard & knew he was going to do it again, so I kicked him in the head & it worked."

— Shaheen Al-Shatti (@shaunalshatti) June 28, 2015"

There are many exciting options for Santos now, but a clash with fellow up-and-comer Elias Theodorou could be particularly intriguing.

Eddie Gordon

UFC.com

Matchup: None (Release)

Only 11 months ago, Eddie Gordon steamrolled Dhiego Lima to become a TUF winner.

Following a submission defeat against Antonio Carlos Jr. on Saturday, though, Gordon has now lost three in a row. At 31 years old, it's unlikely that the Serra-Longo Fight Team member will be able to improve drastically either.

"

TAP OUT! Antonio Carlos Junior stays patient and finally puts Eddie Gordon away with rear naked choke! #UFCFlorida

— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) June 28, 2015"

Winning TUF doesn't give fighters the UFC job security that it once did. I'd say it more likely than not that Gordon's next bout takes place outside the Octagon.

Antonio Carlos Jr.

Matchup: Trevor Smith vs. Dan Miller Winner

Rebounding from a loss to Patrick Cummins, Carlos Jr. owned Gordon on the ground before locking up a submission in the third round.

He has some holes to fill, but Carlos Jr. could definitely have a bright future ahead in the middleweight class. The Brazilian is only 25 years old and now has two UFC victories under his belt.

Because he was so dominant on the canvas at UFC Fight Night 70, it'd be interesting to see Carlos Jr. paired with a better grappler. A matchup with the winner of a July contest between Trevor Smith and Dan Miller would probably be a better test.

Santiago Ponzinibbio

UFC.com

Matchup: Court McGee

Following a loss to Ryan LaFlare in his UFC debut, Santiago Ponzinibbio bounced back with two straight wins.

A bout with Lorenz Larkin on Saturday gave Ponzinibbio a chance to graduate from prospect to borderline contender. However, the TUF Brazil 2 contestant clearly wasn't ready for that step up, as he suffered a knockout loss in the second round.

Ponzinibbio still has the potential to make some noise at 170 pounds and shouldn't take a huge step down in competition. I'd like to see him brawl with Court McGee should timing allow.

Lorenz Larkin

Matchup: Gunnar Nelson vs. Brandon Thatch Winner

Just 10 months ago, Larkin had lost three in a row and was in danger of being released by the UFC brass.

Now competing at 170 pounds, Larkin has completely turned things around. The Strikeforce veteran has recorded two straight knockouts and is starting to look like a title threat considering he already owns a win over champion Robbie Lawler.

"

Whoa! Lorenz Larkin just pours it on in round 2 and absolutely unloaded on him until Herb Dean just had to stop it! #UFCFlorida

— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) June 28, 2015"

I don't see any reason to bring Larkin along slowly. Let's just say if Brandon Thatch beats Gunnar Nelson at UFC 189 and gets paired with Larkin, I'd certainly tune in.

Lyoto Machida

UFC.com

Matchup: Tim Boetsch

When Machida bounced back from a close contest with Chris Weidman by knocking out C.B. Dollaway, it looked like a championship rematch would be an eventuality.

The Dragon has now been stopped twice in a row, though. If he can't get it back together soon, it could be time to start bringing retirement into consideration, seeing as Machida is now 37 years old.

"

Get well soon, @lyotomachidafw! https://t.co/kQwdVCXTJr

— Dave Sholler (@Sholler_UFC) June 29, 2015"

Machida could use a break and a matchup with an opponent like Tim Boetsch. It's not a huge step down in competition, but Boetsch is an opponent Machida matches up really well against unless he really is declining in a hurry.

Yoel Romero

Matchup: Ronaldo Souza

Romero has an argument that he should be next in line to challenge Weidman for the belt.

I think that chance will go to Luke Rockhold. However, there's no way Romero shouldn't get his title shot with one more victory.

"

Imagine is @YoelRomeroMMA started MMA when he was 21!!

— Dana White (@danawhite) June 28, 2015"

Also deserving of a chance to compete for a UFC championship, Ronaldo Souza would make sense as an opponent for Romero in a middleweight title-shot eliminator.