UFC 134 Results: 5 Fights Paulo Thiago Should Take Next

Paulo Thiago is back!

On Saturday night, he was able to earn a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) victory over David Mitchell, and he saved his job in the process.

Thiago was on a two fight losing streak, dropping decisions to Martin Kampmann and Diego Sanchez, and he could have been on the precipice of being cut, but after a decisive victory, Thiago would appear to be back on track.

Here are five fighters he could face next.

Carlos Eduardo Rocha

Carlos Eduardo Rocha (9-1) recently lost the first fight of his career at UFC 126 when he was defeated by Jake Ellenberger via split decision.

Prior to that, Rocha had won all nine of his fights, with all nine being finishes, and eight being submissions.

Rocha is a handful for anyone, but it would be interesting to see these two black belts square off and see where they stand in the division.

Duane Ludwig

Duane Ludwig (21-11) is a very experienced fighter, and is currently on a two fight winning streak, with two decision victories in his return to welterweight.

In Ludwig's last fight, he won a unanimous decision over The Ultimate Fighter Season 7 winner, Amir Sadollah, and before that, he defeated Nick Osipczak by split decision.

Duane is mainly a striker, so we'd be able to see if Thiago's knockout over Koscheck was a fluke or not.

Dong Hyun Kim

Dong Hyun Kim (14-1-1 [1 NC]) is coming off the first loss of his career, a brutal knockout via flying knee and punches at the hands (and knees) of Carlos Condit in early July.

In the UFC, Kim is 5-1 [1 NC] and has shown to be one of the best grapplers in the division, as shown by his wins over Nate Diaz and Amir Sadollah.

Kim will be looking for someone with a big name to put himself into title talk, and Thiago would be looking for the exact same thing.

Brian Ebersole

Brian Ebersole (48-14-1 [1 NC]) probably wouldn't have the pleasure of any "getting those horrifying shorts of TV" bonuses if he took on Thiago, but he would be able to show the world that he is one of the best welterweights around.

Ebersole is 2-0 since joining the UFC, and he has victories over Chris Lytle and Dennis Hallman, who are no slouches in the cage.

A win over Thiago would further prove himself to be one of the best around.

Charlie Brenneman/Anthony Johnson Winner

This is the fight that I would most likely see happening, and at UFC on Versus 6, Charlie Brenneman (14-2) faces off against one of the biggest welterweights around, Anthony Johnson (9-3).

Both of these fighters are looking to make the jump to the upper echelon of the division, and with a win they put themselves one step closer.

A fight against Paulo Thiago after that puts the winner 2-3 fights from a title shot.

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