Saturday night, UFC 183 emanated live on pay-per-view from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main event saw the return of former UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva, who spent the last 13 months on the shelf after breaking his leg against Chris Weidman in December of 2013. He picked up a unanimous decision win over the enigmatic Nick Diaz, who himself hadn’t fought for nearly two years due to retirement. Below, LWOS books the fights for the UFC 183 main card winners and losers:

Anderson Silva: Silva looked pretty good in his return to action, including kicking with the leg he broke 13 months ago. Post fight, the former champ didn’t give a definitive answer as to whether or not he would continue fighting, but if he chooses to take another bout, it should be against Vitor Belfort. Belfort was scheduled to fight Weidman for the title on February 24th at UFC 184, but the champ had to pulled out on Saturday after injuring himself in training. We’re not sure what’s next yet for Belfort, but I would love to eventually see him square off with Silva one more time. They originally fought in the main event of UFC 126 in February of 2011, with Silva knocking out Belfort with a highlight reel front kick.

Nick Diaz: Like Silva, Diaz left his fighting future in doubt as well. Diaz was coming into this fight off of a self-imposed retirement due to a lack of big fights being offered to him. If he hangs around, he’ll only accept the biggest fights possible, or, more likely, biggest fight possible: Georges St-Pierre. St-Pierre, the former UFC Welterweight Champion, is currently retired as well, but MMA fans and the UFC have been holding out hope he’ll return. If he returns but doesn’t want to go for the title right away, Diaz, arguably his biggest rival, is the man to welcome him back. They originally fought in March of 2013, with St-Pierre winning a unanimous decision. This potential rematch would be a huge grossing fight for the UFC.

Tyron Woodley: Woodley did not look very impressive on Saturday night, but he did enough to pick up the win over Kelvin Gastelum. Despite the dull showing from Woodley, he remains a top 10, possibly top 5, welterweight. Over the next few months, there are two big welterweight bouts scheduled: Johny Hendricks vs Matt Brown in March at UFC 185, and Rory MacDonald vs Hector Lombard in April at UFC 186. UFC President Dana White said one of those two winners will receive the next title shot against current champion Robbie Lawler. Woodley should fight the winner of Hendricks vs Brown or the winner of MacDonald vs Lombard, whichever winner doesn’t get Lawler next. A long winded answer, but there’s four good options out there for Woodley’s next opponent.

Kelvin Gastelum: While Woodley looked unimpressive, Gastelum looked even worse in the eye’s of the judges. Sickness led to a poor weight cut for Gastelum, and both led to a poor performance, the first loss of his career. White is forcing Gastelum to move back up to middleweight (this was the second time he’s missed weight), the weight class he was in when he won TUF 17. His next fight should be against fellow UFC 183 loser Tim Boetsch. I’ll expand on this below.

Al Iaquinta: Iaquinta has recorded three straight knockouts since an upset loss to Mitch Clarke in May of last year, including his standing (T)KO of Joe Lauzon on Saturday. Up next, Iaquinta should square off with Jorge Masvidal. The former Strikeforce title challenger is currently without an opponent after his scheduled foe for April, Benson Henderson, pulled out of the fight to replace an injured Stephen Thompson in the main event of UFC Fight Night 60 against Brandon Thatch in two weeks. Iaquinta and Masvidal both constantly move forward, and a bout between the two would be an absolute barnburner.

Joe Lauzon: Lauzon’s striking looked improved in the first round of his fight versus Iaquinta, but the New Yorker tagged Lauzon in round two, and it was all downhill from there for the TUF 5 veteran. Next, Lauzon should fight a fellow TUF alumnus, TUF 1 winner Diego Sanchez. Both are starting to exit their prime, but both have a penchant for winning Fight Night bonuses. A fight between them would be a treat.

Thales Leites: Leites is on a big time roll right now, and his win over Tim Boetsch netted him both a Fight of the Night bonus and a Performance of the Night bonus. His next test should be the heavy handed Costas Philippou. Philippou also has a finish victory over Boetsch, and he’s coming off of a brutal knockout win over Lorenz Larkin last May.

Tim Boetsch: Despite the loss, Boetsch remains an exciting fighter to watch who has the power to end a fight at any time. With he and Kelvin Gastelum both coming off of losses, a fight between the two would be a perfect reintroduction for Gastelum to the middleweight division. Both men come forward non-stop, and a fight between them would be a pure slugfest.

Thiago Alves: Alves looked a bit out of his depth in the first round, but come round two, he showed he still has vicious fight ending power. Next, a fight versus Hyun Gyu Lim would be exciting. Lim always pushes the pace, and he would be a good test for the former title challenger.

Jordan Mein: Mein looked outstanding in round one versus Alves, but a devastating body kick did him in in the second. His combination of youth and experience is a rare one in MMA, and he’s still capable of swiftly rising up the welterweight ranks. Next, he should take on fellow striker and former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Tarec Saffiedine. Saffiedine has been slowed recently by a loss to MacDonald and a litany of injuries, but if he can stay healthy, a bout between himself and Mein would be a striking fans’ delight.



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