UFC 163 went down at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil this past Saturday night and as always with the Brazilian crowd, pandemonium erupted from all corners for the support of their local fighters.

In the main event, Jose Aldo (23-1), the consensus #4 pound-for-pound fighter in the globe, dispatched his South Korean counterpart, Chan Sung Jung (13-4), via TKO in the 4th stanza. While it was unfortunate for the “Korean Zombie” to have sustained a dislocated shoulder prior to the stoppage, Aldo pounced on the visibly injured fighter before forcing an intervention from referee Herb Dean after a series of unanswered punches.

UFC 163 Aftermath: What’s next for the main card winners?

The co-main event, in the mean time, ended in more controversial circumstances. Lyoto Machida (19-4) took on Phil Davis (12-1, 1 NC) in an important 205-lbs bout. Davis defied the odds against the favorite, Machida, in a Unanimous Decision win. Machida was as calm as ever, landing accurate and crisp strikes, even defending almost half a dozen takedown attempts from the decorated wrestler, Davis. “Mr. Wonderful”, though, was active on his feet, but was struggling to connect with clean punches. He did, however, secure a takedown at the end of rounds 1 and 2, and that may have been a factor in the judges’ final call.

With all said and done, controversies aside, it’s time for MMASucka.com to seat in the matchmaker’s armchair, and derive a couple of bouts that we think could take place on a future UFC card. Feel free to speculate and discuss, in the comments section below.

Lets get started!

• *John Lineker vs. John Moraga

Call us crazy, but this is a fight that is sure to develop in the near future. With Moraga (13-2) coming off a defeat in his title clash with reigning champion Demetrious Johnson, a win over Lineker would certainly put his name back in the contenders’ mix. And vice-versa, of course. Lineker (22-6) is now riding on a 3-fight winning streak and if he manages to pull off a victory over a former contender in Moraga, he could very well be facing “Mighty Mouse” by July next year – that is if he makes weight, instead of turning match-ups into catchweight contests.

• *Thales Leites vs. Antonio Braga Neto

What would be the outcome of a Nova Uniao fighter going up against a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion? The result could very well be intriguing. Leites (21-4) showed his improved stand-up skills against the Brit, Tom Watson, en route to a one-sided Unanimous Decision win at this past Saturday’s UFC 163. Leites did well in the clinch game, setting up takedowns whilst tagging Watson multiple times as well. A match-up with UFC newcomer Antonio Braga Neto (9-1, 1 NC) could possibly set the stage for a list of future no.1 contenders. Neto won in his promotional debut, submitting Anthony Smith at UFC on FUEL TV 10.

• *Cezar Ferreira vs. Ronny Markes

“TUF: Brazil” winner Cezar Ferreira (6-2) looked absolutely outstanding and needed just 47 seconds to finish Thiago Santos. The 28-year-old Vitor Belfort-protege and Team Blackzilians native tagged Santos in the opening settings, and finished him off with a slick Guillotine choke in the 1st frame. Ferreira, one of many Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners, would be, perhaps, best suited to face fellow Brazilian Ronny Markes next. Markes, now on a 3-fight winning streak, holds a record of 14-1, and could be a test to see if Cezar Ferreira truly belongs in the upper echelon of the UFC’s Middleweight ranks.

• *Phil Davis vs. Dan Henderson

Phil Davis’ wrestling was hardly on display against Lyoto Machida this past Saturday night, with “The Dragon” shrugging off most of the American’s takedown attempts. Then again, a match-up with Dan Henderson (29-10) could provide the same outcome. “Mr. Wonderful” has improved by leaps and bounds in his striking and should a fight with Henderson materialize, his skills will be truly tested. This is a bout that may set up a future title contender as well.

• *Jose Aldo vs. Ricardo Lamas

This match-up was a no-brainer. Lamas (13-2) has been tearing through the Featherweight division, picking up wins over the likes of Cub Swanson, Erik Koch and Hatsu Hioki. The 31-year-old possesses a great wrestling pedigree to go along with fast and crisp striking which may be a threat to Jose Aldo’s 145-lbs throne. No one has yet been quite able to solve the “Jose Aldo riddle”, with contenders falling short one after the other. Can Ricardo Lamas snap Aldo’s 16-fight winning streak? He has the tools, you know.

*Pictures are credited to the Ultimate Fighting Championship

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