4 Fights We Need to See After Noche UFC

What a fighter Diego Lopes is. 

The Brazilian-Mexican featherweight may have come up short in his first UFC title bid against Alexander Volkanovski earlier this year, but he is clearly still one of the best fighters in his division. He proved that in the main event of Saturday's Noche UFC card, when he knocked out the surging Jean Silva with a stunning, spinning elbow. Given how recently he lost to Volkanovski, it's unlikely a title shot will be next for him, but there's no question he'll once again be matched up with one of the division's top contenders soon. 

The same is true for rising bantamweight David Martinez, who scored the biggest win of his career in Saturday's co-headliner, defeating long-time contender Rob Font by decision. Martinez, who took the fight on short notice, wasn't ranked ahead of time, but after beating the ninth-ranked Font, can count on a place in his division's top-15—possibly its top-10. Whatever the case, he'll get another big name next time out.

Outside the top two fights of the night, the most important matchup of the card was inexplicably buried on the undercard—a strawweight clash between former title challengers Tatiana Suarez and Amanda Lemos. It certainly wasn't her best performance, but Suarez ultimately won the fight by decision to put herself back into title contention at a time when the division is wide open, thanks to long-time champ Zhang Weili's move up to flyweight.

The card also featured a high-stakes lightweight clash between experienced Octagon veterans Alexander Hernandez and Diego Ferreira. That one ended with one of the best wins of Hernandez's career: a second-round stoppage set up by a right cross. It was a great performance, and very possibly enough to send him into a fight with a ranked opponent. 

Here are the fights the UFC should make next for Lopes, Martinez, Suarez, and Hernandez.

Movsar Evloev vs. Diego Lopes II

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Diego Lopes looked as good as ever on Saturday. It was just the kind of performance he needed to rebound from his failed title fight with Alexander Volkanovski last time out. However, he most likely has more work to do before booking a rematch with the champ, and it seems like the next featherweight title shot will go to England's Lerone Murphy anyway. 

Assuming Murphy is next for Volkanovski, the other obvious fight to make is a rematch between Lopes and Russia's Movsar Evloev. Lopes fought Evloev on short notice in his UFC debut, and miraculously gave the unbeaten Russian the toughest test of his career over three fun rounds.

Evloev probably deserves a title shot even more than Murphy, but seems to have done something to offend UFC brass. If he's going to need to keep fighting to get his opportunity, a rematch with Lopes is the perfect choice. After their competitive first fight—and plenty of trash talk in the years since—they've got a score to settle. 

David Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee

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It's an interesting time for the bantamweight division. Over the last year or so, the top 15 has experienced an influx of new contenders, with the arrivals of fighters like Montel Jackson, Marcus McGhee, Vinicius Oliveira, and Aiemann Zahabi. David Martinez's Noche UFC win over No. 9 bantamweight Rob Font will make him the latest bantamweight to crack the rankings. As a reward, he should be matched up with the No. 13-ranked contender, McGhee. 

McGhee is riding a July decision loss to former champion Petr Yan. While it wasn't the result he wanted, he was competitive with the former champion to justify his position in the top 15. He'd make a perfect test for the rising Martinez—even if he's ranked below Font.

It's the kind of matchup that needs to be made at bantamweight, where so many new contenders are attempting to assert themselves as serious threats to dominant champion Merab Dvalishvili, who has already cleared out much of the top-10. The winner will take another step toward the throne. The loser might lose their ranking position. 

Tatiana Suarez vs. Yan Xiaonan

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Tatiana Suarez is one of several strawweights who will benefit greatly from long-time champ Zhang Weili's departure from the division. That's because she recently lost to the Chinese star, and would have had to move mountains to earn a rematch. With Zhang leaving the division, Mackenzie Dern and Virna Jandiroba are set to clash for the vacant championship at UFC 321 in October. Suarez hasn't fought either of those women yet, so the division is suddenly wide open for her. If she can win another fight, she will almost certainly be the first challenger for whomever wins the belt next month. 

In terms of her next opponent, the obvious choice is Yan Xiaonan. Yan is another of Zhang's many conquests, and despite a recent loss to Jandiroba, remains the division's No. 3 contender—one spot behind Suarez. She's the highest-ranked fighter available for Suarez, and if she pulls off a win, she'll put herself right back in title contention. In other words, it's the best choice available for either of them. 

Alexander Hernandez vs. Grant Dawson

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Alexander Hernandez has had an interesting run in the UFC.

After stunning wins over Beneil Dariush and Olivier Aubin-Mercier in his first two Octagon appearances, he was one of the hottest young contenders in the lightweight division. Yet his momentum was then derailed by a brutal stoppage loss to Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone, which was followed by a long, hot-and-cold stretch.

By the time of his split-decision loss to Damon Jackson last April, it seemed like he would never live up to the promise he showed in his first UFC fights. However, it may have been early to count him out. Since losing to Jackson, Hernandez has won four straight fights, defeating Austin Hubbard, Kurt Holobaugh, Chase Hooper, and Diego Ferreira at Noche UFC. The last two wins were particularly impressive, as both came by way of stoppage. 

After his Saturday win over Ferreira, Hernandez called for a fight with Michael Chandler. It's an opportunity he has earned, but probably not an opportunity he'll get, as Chandler remains one of the biggest names in the division and still has too much clout to be fighting anyone outside the rankings. As such, Hernandez will probably end up fighting somebody a little further down the rankings, with a little less of a name. Grant Dawson appears to be a good option.

Dawson, ranked No. 13, boasts an incredible 23-2 overall record. While he infamously had his momentum derailed by a quick knockout loss to King Green a few years back, he has since rebounded with three consecutive wins, including a decision win over Fereira last time out. Assuming both he and Hernandez are healthy, they should be matched up on a fall Fight Night main card.