UFC on Fox 23 Results: Matches to Make for the Winners and Losers

Valentina Shevchenko punched her ticket to a bantamweight title shot with a submission victory over Julianna Pena at UFC on Fox 23.

"Bullet" caught Pena off-guard in the second round with an armbar, and now, the division has a clear-cut championship bout to book. The rest of the card? Things aren't as transparent.

Jorge Masvidal ruined Donald Cerrone's upward swing in the welterweight division, and Francis Ngannou will force the UFC's hand in booking him against elite heavyweights.

What should the UFC do? That's what we're here for.

These are the matches to make following UFC on Fox 23.

Preliminary Fights: Quick Hits

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Jason Gonzalez def. J.C. Cottrell via submission (D'Arce choke) at 3:54 of the first round.

• Jason Gonzalez vs. Gregor Gillespie
• J.C. Cottrell should be cut from the roster.

Alexandre Pantoja def. Eric Shelton by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).

• Alexandre Pantoja vs. Hector Sandoval
• Eric Shelton vs. Louis Smolka

Marcos Rogerio De Lima def. Jeremy Kimball by TKO at 2:27 of the first round.

• Marcos Rogerio De Lima vs. Steve Bosse
• Jeremy Kimball vs. Ed Herman

Eric Spicely def. Alessio Di Chirico via submission (triangle choke) at 2:14 of the first round.

• Eric Spicely vs. Daniel Kelly
• Alessio Di Chirico vs. Jack Hermansson

Jordan Johnson def. Henrique da Silva by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

• Jordan Johnson vs. Ilir Latifi
• Henrique da Silva vs. Saparbek Safarov

Li Jingliang def. Bobby Nash by KO at 4:45 of the second round.

• Li Jingliang vs. Jonathan Meunier
• Bobby Nash vs. Danny Roberts

Raphael Assuncao def. Aljamain Sterling by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).

• Raphael Assuncao vs. Dominick Cruz
• Aljamain Sterling vs. Matt Schnell

Sam Alvey def. Nate Marquardt by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

• Sam Alvey vs. Jack Marshman-Thiago Santos winner (UFC Fight Night 105, Feb. 19)
• Nate Marquardt vs. Uriah Hall

Alex Caceres vs. Jason Knight

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Jason Knight def. Alex Caceres via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:21 of the second round.

Jason Knight took a big step forward in the featherweight division with his prime-time victory over Alex Caceres. The ever-exciting Knight showcased his growing skills with an exciting submission finish.

Caceres has now dropped two straight. The loss should move him back to the prelims against low- to mid-level competition. The loser of Charles Rosa vs. Shane Burgos (UFC 210, April 8) would make for a good opponent, given the circumstances.

Knight used his post-fight interview to call out Dooho Choi.

Sign us up for that scrap. It makes perfect sense and would be incredible.

Francis Ngannou vs. Andrei Arlovski

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Francis Ngannou def. Andrei Arlovski by TKO at 1:32 of the first round.

Is this the end of the line for Andrei Arlovski? That was once a widespread belief, but he returned to the UFC and got hot to move himself back into title contention. He'll be hard-pressed to do that again, but the division is so thin that it's a possibility.

The loser of Timothy Johnson vs. Daniel Omielanczuk (UFC Fight Night 107, March 18) would be a big crossroads fight for the former champion.

The knockout moves Francis Ngannou right into title contention. And he provided a shortlist of opponents he wants next, per Steven Marrocco and John Morgan of MMAJunkie.com: Cain Velasquez, Junior Dos Santos and Alistair Overeem.

If the UFC is looking for a hot title eliminator, then Velasquez should be tapped, but the fight to make is against Overeem. Ngannou vs. Overeem is a heavyweight fan's dream fight in 2017. The UFC shouldn't waste time examining other options.

Donald Cerrone vs. Jorge Masvidal

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Jorge Masvidal def. Donald Cerrone by TKO at 1:00 of the second round.

In 2016, Donald Cerrone rose to title contention in the welterweight division. He closed the year with a brilliant showing against Matt Brown, but the quick turnaround to fight in Denver cost him.

When Cerrone is ready to return, Jake Ellenberger would be a good opponent to put across the cage from him. They are both coming off losses to Masvidal and seeking to rise back up the ranks.

Masvidal got on the mic after the bout to challenge UFC President Dana White to a $200,000 bet. Masvidal doesn't believe White can find any welterweight who can beat him. There was a welterweight cageside who would be a fun and meaningful fight for Masvidal—Robbie Lawler.

Lawler recently left American Top Team, where he was a teammate with Masvidal. The winner of Lawler-Masvidal would be in a prime spot as a title challenger for the remainder of 2017.

Valentina Shevchenko vs. Julianna Pena

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Valentina Shevchenko def. Julianna Pena via submission (armbar) at 4:29 of the second round.

This was generally thought of as a striker vs. grappler matchup, but the striker submitted the grappler. MMA is a crazy sport.

Valentina Shevchenko will get her rematch against Amanda Nunes. That is almost a foregone conclusion, barring injury.

The brash Julianna Pena has to go back to the drawing board. The silver lining is that a trek back to title contention won't take long. Realistically, she's still only two fights away from a title shot. Ronda Rousey would be the ideal opponent, but there is no indication of when or if she'll return to the cage.

That leaves the only real choice as Raquel Pennington.

The newly minted women's featherweight division has taken Holly Holm and Germaine de Randamie from the shallow waters of bantamweight. It doesn't leave the division in good standing to find many new matchups. This is what we're left with, but at least we'll get to see Shevchenko challenge Nunes in a five-round bout later this year.