UFC on Versus 4 Aftermath: What's Next for Winners and Losers of the Main Card

For a show that went through so many changes, both early on and last-minute, UFC on Versus 4 delivered some exciting fights. I don't think anyone will forget the thunderous punch that Kongo landed while he was pretty much out on his feet to put Pat Barry to sleep.

Charlie Brenneman defeating Rick Story in front of his hometown fans and Matt Mitrione continuing his surprising ascension up the ladder of the UFC heavyweight division were just two of the compounding stories that came out of Pittsburgh, PA.

Being a fan of Matt Brown, it was nice to see him snap his three-fight losing streak and earn another fight in the UFC. His record may not be pretty, but Brown comes to fight and Dana White is a big fan of guys like him. John Howard suffered his third loss in a row and he will more than likely be sent packing; it's not like he's getting beaten to a pulp, but a loss is a loss.

I've been on a bit of a hiatus because of work and family obligations, but I am back and ready to see where these guys are headed next.

Matt Mitrione

Not only is "Meathead" improving his skills inside the Octagon, he is learning that moving around to different camps will not only shake things up, but allow him to learn valuable lessons from a diverse group of coaches. This time he left the comforts of Duke Roufus and traveled west to Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas.

Mitrione's hands get better each and every time out. He is combining his unusual speed that he has for a guy his size with the power he possesses to confuse and frustrate his opponents. He was taken down by Christian Morecraft a couple of times last night, but he was able to avoid any damage and eventually get back to his feet.

In all honesty, he needs a handful of fights before he can be considered a contender and that isn't a knock against him; it's a testament to the group of fighters who comprise the UFC heavyweight division. Some guys like Frank Mir and Roy Nelson would be good tests for him at some point, but their edge in experience may be too much for him at this point.

I could see the UFC matching him up with Travis Browne, who is coming off a big knockout win over Stefan Struve. Browne is 11-0-1, so he isn't all that much more experienced. If the UFC wants to see just how far Mitrione has really come, then they can throw him in the cage with Cheick Kongo.

Christian Morecraft

At 1-2 in the UFC, Morecraft is on the verge of being cut with another loss. He has defeated Sean McCorkle which was sandwiched in between losses to Stefan Struve and Mitrione. He doesn't offer the UFC anything that makes him standout, so he is not going to get any free passes.

If the UFC wants to get Pat Barry back in the win column, then they should match him up with Morecraft. They both lost last night and Barry offers the UFC far more than Morecraft ever will, both inside the Octagon and out.

Morecraft took a beating last night and at no point displayed any significant offense. Regardless of who he fights next, there is a good chance it will be his swan song in the organization.

John Howard

Howard is by no means a pushover—the man can throw down and hold his own in his fights—but when it comes down to it, he has suffered three losses in a row and that will more than likely mean "Doomsday" for Mr. Howard.

The only scenario I can see in which the UFC brings Howard back is if they finally get him and Anthony Johnson in the cage to settle their bad blood. Other than that, you can expect to see Howard fighting on the East Coast regional circuit for organizations like Ring of Combat.

Matt Brown

Brown knew he needed a win last night in order to keep his job and he went out there and did what was necessary to make sure he wasn't the one who would receive a pink slip this week. Brown is never flashy, but he puts on a good show every time out and last night was no different.

There isn't much going on for Brown other than fighting up-and-comers or fellow veterans who are in the same boat he is in. He was originally scheduled to face Rich Attonito last night, but moved up to face Howard when Martin Kampmann got hurt. Why not make that happen now?

Attonito made his welterweight debut last night and defeated Daniel Roberts, so with both fighters coming off of wins, it makes too much sense.

Rick Story

To be honest with you, I don't think Story should take this loss and harp on it too much. The stars were just too well aligned in favor of Charlie Brenneman winning last night. It didn't help that he was fighting on less than one month's rest and his opponent was changed 24 hours before he was scheduled to fight.

Story didn't have the usual aggression that he brings with him to his fights. He seemed winded early on and besides a few brief moments where he had Brenneman in trouble with a triangle choke, he was unable to get any offense in. Take nothing away from Brenneman, but the Rick Story who fought last night was not the same guy who we have seen beat Thiago Alves, Johny Hendricks and others over the past 20 or so months.

Before he should even consider an opponent, Story needs to take a rest. Once he is back to full strength, then the UFC should slot him in his spot as a rising contender, much like he was before last night's loss. He still has a bright future and sometimes a fighter needs to suffer a loss to get them back on track.

I'd really like to see him face Rory MacDonald should the young Canadian get by Mike Pyle at UFC 133 in August. Either that or have him take on the winner of Chris Lytle vs. Dan Hardy that is scheduled for August 14. You can't lose with any of those possibilities.

Charlie Brenneman

What happened last night was the equivalent of a kid dreaming about hitting the game-winning home run in the World Series or catching the Super Bowl-winning touchdown in front of his hometown fans. As many people put it, we saw a true life Rocky last night. The only thing is Brenneman is a real athlete and can really fight.

Brenneman put on a great performance last night, but it is my belief he loses to Story eight times out of 10 when Story is rested and there isn't so much turmoil surrounding the bout. Getting up to fight Nate Marquardt only to have the rug pulled out from under you is a tough situation to deal with. Kudos to Brenneman for stepping in, being prepared and implementing a perfect game plan.

The Spaniard isn't ready for anyone in the top 10 yet or the top 15 for that matter. He needs to work on his striking and submission defense; if he had been fighting a fresher fighter last night it is very likely he would've been choked out from the triangle choke Story locked in on him.

TJ Grant was his original opponent and only pulled out because he was sick, not because of an injury. I'd like to see that fight happen, but with Grant coming off a loss and Brenneman on a two-fight winning streak, it may not happen.

Who does that leave for Brenneman? How about the winner of the Dennis Hallman-Brian Ebersole fight scheduled for UFC 133 on August 8? Hallman and Ebersole are much more experienced fighters, which will help see just how far Brenneman is at this stage in his career.

Cheick Kongo

To me, Kongo is and will always be a middle-of-the-pack heavyweight. He will beat the lesser fighters, but lose to the better ones. What happened last night was one of the craziest things I have ever seen happen inside the Octagon and Kongo may have walked away with his hands up, but it was only because Pat Barry got careless.

Joe Rogan was screaming for Dan Mirgliotta to stop the fight because Kongo was out on his feet and many of the other referees probably would have, but luckily for Kongo, the fight continued and he landed the mother of all Hail Mary punches.

Kongo is what he is: a strong kickboxer with limited ground skills and not much else. One of the suggestions I had for Matt Mitrione was for him to fight Kongo and that matchup is very intriguing, but not all that likely to happen just yet.

If the UFC wants to get Shane Carwin back on track, then Kongo is the man for him. Other than that, how about Kongo vs. Joey Beltran? We all know Beltran can take as much punishment as his opponent can dish out, all the while chopping away like he did to Aaron Rosa.

Pat Barry

Pat Barry hurt Cheick Kongo badly and had him on the ropes; all he needed was one more clean shot and the fight would've been over. Barry got careless and walked in with his hands down and paid the ultimate penalty for his mistake. What should've gone in the books as an exciting knockout victory over Kongo will now go down as one of the craziest sequences to have ever taken place inside the Octagon.

Barry was promising a more mature, more focused fighter last night and we saw glimpses of that until he got eager and forgot to protect himself. Thankfully, he will live to fight another day and hopefully learn from the embarrassment that will come from last night's loss. Move over Pete Sell-Scott Smith and make room for Pat Barry-Cheick Kongo.

So what's next for Barry? I suggested that he face Christian Morecraft, who also lost last night to Barry's teammate, Matt Mitrione. Both fighters losing on the same card and needing a win makes perfect sense. The UFC wants to see Pat Barry succeed. He is very popular and fights a very exciting style, but he won't survive any more losses like the one he took home with him last night.