UFC on Versus 4 Results: 5 Fights Charles Oliveira Should Take Next

At the moment, Charles Oliveira holds a victory over Nik Lentz for his performance at UFC Live on Versus 4. However, an illegal knee that led to Oliveira's submission win may end up resulting in the fight being overturned to a no contest.

Either way, it was still a dazzling performance from Oliveira, who is looking to break into the upper echelon of lightweights after losing to Jim Miller in his previous fight. Here are a few opponents who could take Oliveira to the next level.

Mac Danzig

Coming off of an upset win over Joe Stevenson, Mac Danzig went from being in danger of of getting released from the UFC to being on the edge of contending in the lightweight division.

Although the luster of his win over Stevenson has since worn off, as Stevenson's losing streak has been extended to four, Danzig would still make for an excellent opponent for Oliveira.

Winner of Dennis Siver vs. Matt Wiman

Another fringe contender with an upset win in his last fight, Dennis Siver will be looking to take another step froward with a win over Matt Wiman at UFC 132.

If Siver defeats Wiman, a fight between the German kickboxer and Charles Oliveira could provide stand-up fireworks and put the winner of that fight one fight closer to a title shot.

Sean Sherk

Albeit a controversial win, Sean Sherk fought admirably in his most recent fight against Evan Dunham. However, Sherk has been rehabbing injuries since that September 2010 fight and still has no fight scheduled.

With his extended absence, it is unlikely that Sherk will return with a fight against one of the top contenders in the lightweight division, so a fight with Oliveira seems like a real possibility to determine which fighter is more ready to mix it up with the top of the heap.

Nik Lentz

Nobody wants a fight to end in controversy. That was readily apparent in an emotional post-fight interview from Charles Oliveira, who apologized several times for his illegal knee that led to a win over Nik Lentz at UFC Live on Versus 4.

All signs are pointing to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission overruling the outcome of the fight and calling it a no contest. If that is the case, let's have Oliveira and Lentz go at it again. Even without a proper ending, the bout was the Fight of the Night, so would anyone object to seeing another great scrap between these two fighters?

Winner of Ross Pearson vs. Edson Barboza

This potential matchup is more geared toward Charles Oliveira fighting Edson Barboza than Ross Pearson, but a meeting with the Englishman wouldn't be a bad fight either.

Oliveira and Barboza are very similar in their approach, as both have excellent muay thai striking and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. This fight would be a surefire Fight of the Night candidate and would put one of the young Brazilians in position to test themselves against one of the elite fighters in the division.

Sean Smith is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, you can follow Sean on Twitter here.