UFC Fight Night 72 Results: Matches to Make for the Winners and Losers

He has some work to do to earn his first shot at UFC gold, but Michael Bisping refuses to go away in the middleweight division.

At UFC Fight Night 72, Bisping edged Thales Leites via split decision. The win gave Bisping back-to-back victories for the first time since a December 2011 triumph over Jason Miller. It also meant the end of Leites' eight-bout winning streak.

With his name value, Bisping could climb back into title shot conversation with another more convincing win in his next outing. The tough part will be deciding who the Englishman should be paired up against.

Here are the matchups that should be made for Bisping, Leites and the rest of the UFC Fight Night 72 competitors.

Prelim Fighters

Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

Prelim Winners

Fighter	Matchup
Paddy Holohan	Ray Borg vs. Gene Herrera Winner
Ilir Latifi	Robert Drysdale
Mickael Lebout	Cody Pfister
Rob Whiteford	Sam Sicilia
Jimmie Rivera	Ian Entwistle
Daniel Omielanczuk	Bilyal Makhov

Prelim Losers

Fighter	Matchup
Vaughan Lee	Chris Cariaso
Hans Stringer	Jared Cannonier
Teemu Packalen	Lukasz Sajewski
Paul Redmond	None (Release)
Marcus Brimage	Yves Jabouin vs. Felipe Arantes Loser
Chris De La Rocha	Shamil Abdurakhimov

Leonardo Mafra

Credit: UFC.com

Matchup: Tae Hyun Bang

Leonardo Mafra bounced back from a loss to Rick Story at UFC Fight Night 45 with a victory over Cain Carrizosa in March. However, it was right back to the loser's circle for Mafra at UFC Fight Night 72.

Midway through the opening round of his bout with Stevie Ray, Mafra was stopped with punches. Now 1-2 inside the Octagon, Mafra has some work to do to prove he has the potential to become a threat to high-level lightweights.

Also coming off of an opening-round stoppage loss, Tae Hyun Bang would make sense as an opponent for Mafra in his next outing.

Stevie Ray

Credit: UFC.com

Matchup: Tony Sims

Only three months into his UFC career, Ray has made quite an impression.

In April, Ray stopped Marcin Bandel in a successful Octagon debut. Then, at UFC Fight Night 72, the Scottish lightweight scored a knockout win over Leonardo Mafra.

"

#UFCGlasgow highlights: Stevie Ray delights hometown crowd with TKO finish of Leonardo Mafra https://t.co/PhGb40mrao pic.twitter.com/lHDh4aulQx

— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) July 19, 2015"

Having scored a knockout in his UFC debut despite moving up to welterweight, Tony Sims would be a good opponent for Ray now. Since Sims competed at 155 pounds leading into his UFC career, it seems likely that he'd move back down to the lightweight division.

Pawel Pawlak

Credit: UFC.com

Matchup: Matt Dwyer

Following his first UFC win against Sheldon Westcott, Pawel Pawlak was paired with fellow up-and-comer Leon Edwards at UFC Fight Night 72.

Pawlak did well to go the distance with Edwards. However, knocked down and unable to record a takedown on four attempts, he was beaten on the scorecards.

"

That Leon Edwards head kick was absolutely brutal. Props to Pawel Pawlak for surviving that. Tough guy.

— Mike Bohn (@MikeBohnMMA) July 18, 2015"

Like Pawlak, Matt Dwyer has gone 1-2 inside the Octagon. So, he'd be a logical adversary for Pawlak's next bout.

Leon Edwards

Credit: UFC.com

Matchup: Alan Jouban

A loser in a split decision against Claudio Silva in his UFC debut, Leon Edwards has responded like any bright prospect should to their first UFC loss.

The England-based welterweight followed that defeat up with a knockout win over Seth Baczynski. Then, at UFC Fight Night 72, he cruised to a unanimous decision win over Pawlak.

"

Leon Edwards looks like he could be special. It's rare to see a counterstriker that smooth that soon into his career, and he can crack.

— Patrick Wyman (@Patrick_Wyman) July 20, 2015"

Having shown solid stand-up skills in his past two outings, Edwards would appear to be a great opponent for Alan Jouban, who is also best identified as a dangerous striker.

Cortney Casey

Credit: UFC.com

Matchup: Seo Hee Ham

Facing Joanne Calderwood in Scotland, Cortney Casey was given a tough task in her UFC debut.

Although Casey came out on the wrong end of a decision, she certainly gained some admiration from UFC fans. Cast Iron lived up to her nickname, absorbing over 227 strikes over three rounds while returning 106 blows to Calderwood.

"

Cortney Casey is death proof. #UFCGlasgow

— Tommy Toe Hold (@TommyToeHold) July 18, 2015"

Since she too was beaten by Calderwood in her UFC debut, Seo Hee Ham would make sense as Casey's next opponent should both fighters be ready to go again at around the same time.

Joanne Calderwood

Credit: UFC.com

Matchup: Heather Jo Clark

Although she hasn't been the immediate title threat some thought she would be in the UFC women's strawweight division, Calderwood has had success.

Facing Casey at UFC Fight Night 72, Calderwood gave her home fans in Scotland a show. In an action-packed decision win, Calderwood earned Fight of the Night honors.

"

The strawweights always, always bring it! What warriors both @DRkneevil and @CastIron_Casey at #UFCGlasgow! http://t.co/gosOvR1NqX

— UFC UK (@UFC_UK) July 18, 2015"

There will be some push for Calderwood to take on another top contender now. However, she could use some more time to develop her wrestling, so a matchup with Heather Jo Clark should be next.

Ivan Jorge

Credit: UFC.com

Matchup: James Moontasri

At 34 years old, Ivan Jorge needs to put some wins together in order to get his shot at contending in the lightweight division.

Instead, the Brazilian has alternated wins and losses over his first four UFC appearances. At UFC Fight Night 72, Jorge suffered a submission loss to Joseph Duffy around three minutes into the opening round.

"

Ivan Jorge might not be the highest tier of competition, but Joseph Duffy just became the first man to submit him since his debut in 2001.

— Mike Bohn (@MikeBohnMMA) July 18, 2015"

There are a lot of options for Jorge's next adversary, but I am guessing that the UFC will go with James Moontasri, who also suffered a loss in July.

Joseph Duffy

Credit: UFC.com

Matchup: Johnny Case

To start his UFC career, Duffy has looked like a very strong prospect in the lightweight class.

He began with a knockout win over Jake Lindsey in March. Now, the Irishman has another opening-round stoppage win over Jorge on his resume.

"

#UFCGlasgow highlights: Joseph Duffy submits Ivan Jorge with picture perfect triangle choke https://t.co/uISTTuDWoP pic.twitter.com/jpwmwV6SQU

— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) July 19, 2015"

Another up-and-comer without a UFC loss, Johnny Case would be a great opponent for Duffy.

Ross Pearson

Credit: UFC.com

Matchup: Erik Koch

Every time it looks like Ross Pearson is ready to make a move into title contention, it seems like he slips up and takes a big step backward.

At UFC Fight Night 72, Pearson surrendered five takedowns to Evan Dunham. The result was a decision loss for Pearson, who has alternated wins and losses over his past six official contests.

"

TOUGH. AS. NAILS!!! Wow! @RossTheRealDeal http://t.co/EeAzozUwoT

— UFC UK (@UFC_UK) July 18, 2015"

Pearson is definitely most fun to watch against fellow strikers. Therefore, a matchup with Erik Koch would be particularly intriguing.

Evan Dunham

Credit: UFC.com

Matchup: Dustin Poirier

Heading into 2015, Dunham had suffered three straight losses and looked to be facing the end of his UFC career.

Instead, Dunham has rebounded with back-to-back wins. A decision win over Rodrigo Damm in January wasn't too impressive, but Dunham showed a re-commitment to his grappling against Pearson, and that could mean another run toward the top of the lightweight division.

"

#UFCGlasgow Highlights: Evan Dunham beats Ross Pearson in an exciting three-round fight https://t.co/Ai1URA0yWp pic.twitter.com/g3ERw4FX1G

— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) July 19, 2015"

With two wins since moving back to 155 pounds, Dustin Poirier is ready to take on a battle-tested lightweight. Dunham would be an excellent test for Poirier and could take a big step forward himself by beating The Diamond.

Thales Leites

Credit: UFC.com

Matchup: Gegard Mousasi vs. Roan Carneiro Loser

With five straight wins since returning to the UFC roster, Leites looked like he was on his way toward another shot at the middleweight championship.

Unfortunately, his place in line for a championship bout came down to judges at UFC Fight Night 72. In a close contest with Bisping, Leites was named the loser on two scorecards.

"

For everyone saying Thales Leites got robbed, well, no. There were a few close rounds. No one got robbed. So chill the eff out.

— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) July 18, 2015"

Because he barely lost, I don't see Leites losing too much ground in the 185-pound class. He should get the loser of a September clash between Gegard Mousasi and Roan Carneiro.

Michael Bisping

Credit: UFC.com

Matchup: Dan Henderson

It wasn't his most impressive win, but Bisping found a way to beat Leites on the scorecards.

With the victory, Bisping has two wins in a row for the first time since 2011. It's not much, but it's a start toward Bisping's long-awaited shot at the middleweight championship.

"

"I'm capable of fighting for that title," says @bisping after his win at #UFCGlasgow: http://t.co/7P024JSL8x pic.twitter.com/7f8PRHyJz5

— UFC UK (@UFC_UK) July 20, 2015"

Beating one middleweight in particular would surely earn Bisping a shot at one of the top-ranked 185-pounders. Although Dan Henderson, in an interview with Damon Martin of Fox Sports, didn't seem at all interested, Bisping should get a chance to avenge the most embarrassing loss in his MMA career, a brutal knockout at UFC 100.

Statistics via UFC.com.