UFC 129 Results: Who should the Preliminary Card Winners Take on Next?

UFC 129 in Toronto, Canada kicked off with a stacked preliminary card featuring up-and-comers and UFC veterans, including Nick Diaz, Jason MacDonald, Rory MacDonald, Jake Ellengerger and John Makdessi.

For the first time ever, all of the preliminary fights were broadcast. Five were shown on Facebook, while the other two were broadcast on Spike TV.

There was no shortage of knockouts and submission, as five of the seven fights ended by one or the other.

The main card is stacked with Georges St. Pierre, Jake Shields, Lyoto Machida, Jose Aldo and Randy Couture, but the preliminary cards always put on good fights, and it happened again tonight.

Featherweight: Pablo Garca Def. Yves Jabouin by Submission (Triangle Choke)

Featherweight Pablo Garza earned the second victory of his UFC career after submitting Canadian fighter Yves Jabouin in the first round.

After taking a few early leg kicks, Garza locked up a traingle choke and got the finish, the second of his UFC career.

With one head-kick knockout and a flying triangle-choke to his credit in the UFC, it's time to take on one of the top featherweights on a UFC main card.

Possible opponents include Eddie Wineland (18-7-1) and Zhang Tiequan (13-1). Both have had success in the WEC, and Zhang won his first UFC bout versus Jason Reinhardt at UFC 127.

The 145 pound division is relatively open in terms of contenders, so Garza has a solid opportunity to take advantage of his position.

Lightweight: John Makdessi Def. Kyle Watson Via KO (Spinning Back Fist)

Shotokan Karate black-belt John Makdessi picked up the ninth win of his MMA career and his second win inside the UFC Octagon after defeating Kyle Watson by a vicious spinning back-fist in the third round.

The 25-year-old is a dynamic and exciting lightweight fighter coming up in the division. He currently trains at the TriStar Gym with Jon Jones and Georges St. Pierre.

With a 22-0 record in kickboxing, Makdessi has learned the tools of the trade and showcases them in his MMA bouts with a variety of kicks, including turning side-kicks, front kicks and spinning back-kicks.

Being in the most stacked division, Makdessi needs to continue to put on standout performances.

For his next test, a fight with Paul Taylor (11-6) could be a PPV fight and a guaranteed war. Taylor is one of the toughest and most technical boxers in the division. If not the Brit, then maybe Makdessi can get a fight with Waylon Lowe (10-4) on the preliminary card of an upcoming event.

Middleweight: Jason MacDonald Def. Ryan Jensen Via Submission (Triangle Choke)

In a must-win situation for fighters Jason MacDonald and Ryan Jensen, the Canadian emerged victorious to pick up his first win in the UFC since UFC 88

In front of 55,000 hometown fans, MacDonald got a quick triangle choke to earn the submission victory in the first round; his sixth in the UFC.

So what's next for "The Athlete"?

South Korean fighter Yang Doni (10-1) is in search of a test that can boost his career into the spotlight of Korean fighters. He is 1-1 inside the UFC with a win over Rob Kimmons and had nine knockout victories in his MMA career.

Bantamweight: Ivan Menjivar Def. Charlie Valencia Via TKO (Elbow and Strikes)

Bantamweight Charlie Valencia took his 12-6 MMA record and WEC experience into the Octagon for the first time to fight Ivan Menjivar.

Unfortunately for Valencia, he got knocked out in the very first round after taking an elbow that broke his nose.

Menjivar improves to 22-8 and makes a strong statement finishing someone with as much experience fighting the best as Valencia. Menjivar also fought Georges St. Pierre early in his career.

The bantamweight division is a good division to be in. The fighters at the top are talented and skilled, but there aren't as many as them as there are in other divisions.

Many bantamweights are booked with upcoming matches, but Antonio Banuelos (18-7) and Edwin Figueroa (7-1) need fights and could provide dramatic results.

Welterweight: Claude Patrick Def. Daniel Roberts Via Unanimous Decision

Toronto's own Claude Patrick improved his record to 14-1 in MMA and 3-0 in the UFC with his win over experience grappler Daniel Roberts.

Patrick quickly realized he could take advantage of Roberts standup and rocked him late in the first round. It was a back-and-forth grappling match for the majority of the second round. The third was all Patrick as he outgrappled Roberts.

A fight with welterweight prospect John Hathaway (15-1) could be an encouraging incentive for the rising welterweight. After a fast rise in the division, Hathaway has fallen short by losing a fight to Mike Pyle and earning a close split-decision over Kris McCray.

If the 30-year-old doesn't get Hathaway, then a fight with Mike Pierce (12-3) could be next.

Welterweight: Jake Ellenberger Def. Sean Pierson Via KO (Punch)

Hard punching Jake Ellenberger defeated veteran Canadian fighter Sean Pierson in the first round of their welterweight bout.

It was lights out after Ellenberger landed a left hook that put Pierson out on the feet. A long fall to the canvas followed with blood pouring out of a cut on Pierson's face.

Now 24-5 with three big wins in the UFC, "The Juggernaut" makes a big step into the top 15 of the division and is ready to face a tougher challenger.

A bout with welterweight Mike Pyle (27-7-1) could be the right answer to improving his status in a division dominated by wrestlers like Josh Kosheck, Jon Fitch and Georges St. Pierre. A bout with Fitch (23-3-1) was supposed to happen at UFC 126 but was scratched when Fitch took on B.J. Penn instead.

Welterweight: Rory MacDonald Def. Nate Diaz Via Unanimous Decision

21-year-old prospect Rory MacDonald got the biggest win of his career after defeating TUF 5 winner Nate Diaz on the main event of the Spike TV portion of UFC 129.

The Canadian used accurate striking and takedown defense to secure a comfortable lead in a competitive fight through the first two rounds. In the third, he opened up with his offense and suplexed the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu student three times.

With a young fighter like MacDonald, it's important to bring him up the right way and not give him too big of a test early. This was the case when MacDonald took on Carlos Condit in his UFC debut, but the win tonight proves he is doing all the right things.

For his next fight, a matchup with the loser of Thiago Alves vs. Ricky Story could be a great fight and an excellent test for the youngest fighter in the UFC.

UFC 129: Results, News and More