UFC on Fox 22 Results: Matches to Make for the Winners and Losers

The UFC showcased a slate of up-and-coming fighters in Sacramento on Saturday, and none shone brighter than Michelle Waterson.

The former Invicta FC atomweight champion went through Paige VanZant like a buzz saw. It was effortless.

In the co-main event, Mickey "The CM Punk Destroyer" Gall ousted Sage Northcutt.

What's next for these two potential stars? That's what we're here to suss out. We won't waste any more time and get right to the matches to make following UFC on Fox 22.

Preliminary Fights Quick Hits

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Paul Craig def. Luis Henrique da Silva via submission (armbar) at 1:59 of the second round

• Paul Craig vs. Tyson Pedro
• Luis Henrique da Silva vs. Ion Cutelaba

Mizuto Hirota def. Cole Miller by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)

• Mizuto Hirota vs. Doo Ho Choi
• Cole Miller should be cut

Colby Covington def. Bryan Barberena by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

• Colby Covington vs. Emil Meek
• Bryan Barberena vs. Bojan Velickovic

Alex Morono def. James Moontasri by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

• Alex Morono vs. Leonardo Santos
• James Moontasri vs. Sabah Homasi

Josh Emmett def. Scott Holtzman by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

• Josh Emmett vs. Carlos Diego Ferreira (eligible to return from suspension on April 30)
• Scott Holtzman vs. Gilbert Burns

Leslie Smith def. Irene Aldana by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

• Leslie Smith vs. Alexis Davis
• Irene Aldana vs. Veronica Macedo

Eddie Wineland def. Takeya Mizugaki by TKO at 3:04 of the first round

• Eddie Wineland vs. John Dodson
• Takeya Mizugaki should be cut

Hector Sandoval def. Fredy Serrano by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)

• Hector Sandoval vs. Dustin Ortiz
• Fredy Serrano vs. John Moraga

Sultan Aliev def. Bojan Velickovic by split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)

• Sultan Aliev vs. Belal Muhammed
• Bojan Velickovic vs. Bryan Barberena

Alan Jouban vs. Mike Perry

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Alan Jouban def. Mike Perry by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

Alan Jouban put on a tactical performance against the heavy-handed Mike Perry. He stood out of danger and made Perry look like the one-dimensional fighter that he is.

Perry should be cut. There's no reason for the UFC to keep him around given his past transgressions. You can find them listed here, courtesy of Justin Golightly of MiddleEasy.

Jouban, during his in-cage post-fight interview, stated he wants a top-15 level fighter. Jake Ellenberger fits the mold.

Ellenberger lost his last fight when he got his toes stuck in the fence. It wasn't a clear-cut result. A fight against Jouban gives him a chance to show that it was a fluke while Jouban gets an opponent with a little bit of cache.

Urijah Faber vs. Brad Pickett

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Urijah Faber def. Brad Pickett by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)

This was Faber's retirement fight. Thus, no match to make for him.

Pickett is next. He'll have his retirement fight next, and it should be in London.

The UK's Davey Grant would serve as a rightful opponent. They're both coming off losses: Grant could get a big win to thrust himself back up the ranks or Pickett gets a big send-off with a victory.

No need to overthink this for Pickett's retirement. Grab the UK'r and sign it.

Sage Northcutt vs. Mickey Gall

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Mickey Gall def. Sage Northcutt via submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:40 of the second round

Mickey Gall is a true, legitimate prospect. As such, there's no need to rush him into big fights. He has a lot of work yet to do. Gall called out former active fighter Dan Hardy in the post-fight interview, but no one can count on that happening.

Claudio Silva should be a fighter who's eyed on the active roster. He's 2-0 in the UFC but has not doing anything especially thrilling. He's good enough to test Gall but not a mismatch.

Northcutt is still a bright prospect, but he's way behind Gall in his progression. The UFC should retain his contract but allow him to fight on smaller promotions that they air on UFC Fight Pass. However, that's unlikely. He'll get another UFC bout.

First and foremost, he has to drop back to 155. He's not a welterweight. Secondly, the UFC should pick Joe Schmoe off the regional circuit and feed him to Northcutt. Foster his development. Don't put him in bouts he's not ready for anymore.

Paige VanZant vs. Michelle Waterson

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Michelle Waterson def. Paige VanZant via technical submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:21 of the first round

The UFC's promotional arm was fully behind Paige VanZant, and she got blown out of the water. Waterson torched her.

VanZant may have opportunities outside of the cage that will take her from active competition. It's hard to gauge when, or even if, she'll return. If so, the UFC needs to wait and nab a substandard fighter off of Invicta FC for her return bout.

Waterson put herself right into contention with this performance.

After the fight, Waterson said she wants to return soon and fight a top-five level opponent. That should make the UFC matchmakers job easy. UFC 208 is due up in Brooklyn in a couple months and No. 5-ranked Jessica Andrade needs a fight.

It's not the best option for Waterson, but it fulfills her request and is an essential title eliminator.