It had some bumps, some controversy, some funky judging and a horrible spot of refereeing and cornering—but in its entirety, UFC Tampa really couldn’t have gone much better than it did. The night’s least action-heavy fights ended with dramatic second round finishes, there were some fantastic subs and knockouts, and even when the fights went to decision they were fun and mostly competitive. Joanna Jedrzejczyk looked every bit like Joanna ‘Champion’ again, and Cub Swanson proved that he’s still a cut above the new breed of UFC prospects.

So, is there any way that Jedrzejczyk isn’t the strawweight top contender? Is there any more entertainingly unpredictable wild-man than Niko Price? And can the UFC look at getting Marvin Vettori, Deiveson Figueiredo, and Marlon Vera some main card bout placements?

I’ll be answering all those questions – and a whole lot more – using the classic Silva/Shelby fight booking style from the UFC of years past. That means pitting winners against winners, losers against losers, and similarly tenured talent up against one another. Stay tuned for the UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Askren - Fights to Make column for your chance to be selected and write up your own picks for UFC 244: Masvidal vs. Diaz. In the meantime, let’s get to the fights...

JOANNA JEDRZEJCZYK

The path forward for Joanna Jedrzejczyk couldn’t be clearer. She’s the division’s number one contender. With Rose Namajunas seemingly taking an extended absence from competition, and with Tatiana Suarez failing to really distinguish herself in her most recent bout, Jedrzejczyk has seemingly locked down her position as the next woman to fight for the title. And given her record as the most dominant fighter in the division’s history to date, it’s hard to deny her the opportunity—even for fans who feel like she should have to win more fights. The only question is, how soon will she be ready. She pretty clearly broke her foot early against Waterson, and if it doesn’t heal quickly, then the UFC could absolutely make Suarez vs. Zhang as a title fight in the meantime. But, that would still leave Jedrzejczyk perfectly positioned for a shot at whoever came out of that contest with the belt. Most likely, it’s going to be Joanna vs. Zhang next, but whoever has the title when she’s ready to go, Jedrzejczyk will be there to fight them.

MICHELLE WATERSON

Waterson made a real drive toward becoming a title contender. She showed clear technical improvements in her game, looked like she added muscle, and pulled out some great wins for her effort. But, this was something of a crash back to reality, that she’s still a somewhat small strawweight without a deeply technical boxing game. That doesn’t mean there aren’t a whole bunch of fights she can win, but she’s going to have to find some new technical layers if she wants to get to a championship level. Unfortunately for her, Nina Ansaroff is stepping away from the sport for the foreseeable future—because that would be a great chance for Waterson to try and stay around the title picture. And a bout with Tatiana Suarez would just be about the worst style match-up imaginable.

She could fight Alexa Grasso, it’s a reasonably tough matchup for both women looking to prove they can compete at the elite level. But, there’s one bout out there that seems much more like a fight fans need to see while both women are in their prime: Michelle Waterson vs. Carla Esparza. Two former Invicta champions who have had up & down UFC careers, but showed constant improvement throughout. And one of the few fights for both, that will be contested on an equal playing field for strength and size. It may be winner vs. loser, but this feels like the perfect moment for Waterson vs. Esparza.

CUB SWANSON

A somewhat vintage performance from Cub. He may not be the hardest hitter at featherweight, but give him a striking war and he’ll put on an absolute show. Part of me wants to constantly campaign for him to get that Jose Aldo rematch he deserved a few years ago, but it’s probably a bit out of reach right now. A rematch against Ricardo Lamas wouldn’t be out of the question though, or fresh action bouts against Darren Elkins, Andre Fili, and Chas Skelly are all surefire thrillers. Even Gilbert Melendez makes a certain amount of sense. Of the many, many fights on the table, however, I think a bout between Cub Swanson and Andre Fili makes the most sense. Fili has been looking to mold himself into a top 15 talent, and a win over Swanson would still go a long way to proving that. And for Swanson, a win over Fili could put him in position for more the kinds of elite match-ups that have marked the bulk of his career. Swanson vs. Fili is surefire featherweight entertainment.

NIKO PRICE

A huge win for Niko Price. Vick may not have cut his teeth at welterweight, but he has a pretty high profile in the UFC. Beating him should get Price another top flight action bout, especially considering the reputation he’s developed as a must-see KO artist. Fights against Alex Oliveira, Erik Koch, or Micheal Chiesa would all be decent ideas. Hell, Li Jingliang and Jake Matthews are out there too. Considering just about anything makes good sense for Price right now, I’ll say a bout with Erik Koch is the right move. Another fighter with a decent profile and a reputation to defend, but who also needs to prove that he’s among the current welterweight elite. Let Price show off his KO artistry against another fighter fans recognize, or let Koch show he’s not just yesteryear’s prospect. Niko Price vs. Erik Koch sounds like a great option.

MATT FREVOLA

Not without controversy, but still a thrilling performance for Matt Frevola. As has become the norm for him in his UFC career, he got badly rocked, but kept his composure and fought hard all fight to take the 3rd round and squeak out a decision. Lightweight is packed with interesting action fighters for him to take on; athletes like Nasrat Haqparast, Joaquim Silva, Davi Ramos, or David Teymur. But, I think there’s one over-powered wild-man who would provide an absolutely perfect next test for Frevola’s heart and chin: Magomed Mustafaev. Mustafaev blew past highly regarded striker Rafael Fiziev after an extended layoff. He’s got a thrilling combination of speed and power that make him a danger to anyone in the cage. If Frevola can get by him, then he’s unquestionably headed for the deep end of lightweight. Matt Frevola vs. Magomed Mustafaev sounds like a complete war.

RYAN SPANN

Not the best start for Spann, but a few hard hooks and a quick guillotine has him riding a 3-0 record in his Octagon career. In a division like light heavyweight that could get him a quick step up in competition. Bouts against OSP or Misha Cirkunov wouldn’t be at all outside the realm of possibility. Unfortunately a lot of other relative newcomers are already tied up with fights, or coming off a loss. But, there is one man that would provide that perfect mid-point test between the old guard at 205 and the young prospects: Ion Cutelaba. Cutelaba just demolished Khalil Rountree last time out, but has had enough of his own struggles against elite competition that he could use the chance to put another win on his record before diving into the rankings. Ryan Spann vs. Ion Cutelaba is the perfect fight to get either man a ranked opponent next time out.

DEIVESON FIGUEIREDO

Figueiredo got exactly the win he was looking for to set up the fight he wants. That’s an interim title bout against Joseph Benavidez. And to be honest, it’s hard to argue against it. Cejudo doesn’t seem like he’s about to come back any time soon, and there’s still no guarantee he goes back to 125 lbs when he does return. With Sergio Pettis possibly on his way out of the UFC, Figueiredo vs. Benavidez is really the only top ranked flyweight bout that makes any sense right now. I guess if they can’t make that happen, then Figueiredo vs. the winner of Kara-France vs. Moreno is okay, but it’s not the fight Figueiredo deserves. Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Joseph Benavidez is definitely a fight that has to happen.

MARLON VERA

Another slow-ish start from Vera, another brutal onset after the first round. Once Vera got Ewell backing up consistently, he started to pour on the kicks and follow with hard punches, just breaking his opponent down as Ewell’s cardio flagged. It’s time for the UFC to give Vera another more notable opponent. It’s been a while since his losses to Lineker and Douglas d’Silva, there’s no reason to keep him fighting the bottom of the division forever. Fights against Rob Font, Jimmie Rivera, or even Urijah Faber would all be fun. Hell I’d even love to see him against Cody Garbrandt. Of those, however, Font is probably the most realistic, given Vera’s lack of ranking. Rob Font vs. Marlon Vera; get the kid a chance to start really climbing the bantamweight ladder.

MARVIN VETTORI

This is the performance that Vettori has been building toward for a while now. One that shows his progression as a boxer to match the toughness and consistency that have always been mainstays of his game. He countered well, he targeted different parts of the body, and he let both his hands go with regularity. The result was a dominant win over an opponent in Sanchez who, despite his flaws, is still a remarkably tough-out in the middleweight division. Alongside his win over Cezar Ferreira and a debatable decision loss to current champ Israel Adesanya, it’s pretty clear that Vettori needs to step into the rankings and keep getting higher profile bouts.

Ian Heinisch is unfortunately injured, but that would make a fascinating style clash when he returns. The winner of Tavares vs. Shahbazyan would also be an easy fight to book. Still, there’s one opponent out there without a bout that I think would make for a great fight, and that’s Uriah Hall. Hall is fresh off his win over Antonio Carlos Jr. and looked like a more consistent and determined volume striker than ever before. A bout between the two men would be a great chance for both to prove their recent improvements are more than a one-off. Uriah Hall vs. Marvin Vettori for an all-striking affair.

OTHER BOUTS: Kron Gracie vs. Mike Trizano, James Vick vs. Alan Jouban, Amanda Ribas vs. Yan Xiaonan, Mackenzie Dern vs. Emily Whitmire, Luis Pena vs. Damir Hadzovic, Eryk Anders vs. the Darren Stewart/Deron Winn winner, Gerald Meerschaert vs. Alessio Di Chirico win or lose, Devin Clark vs. Khalil Rountree, Mike Davis vs. Alex da Silva, Thomas Gifford vs. Dan Moret, Alex Morono vs. Dhiego Lima, Max Griffin vs. Luke Jumeau, Tim Elliott vs. Jordan Espinosa, Andre Ewell vs. Cole Smith, Miguel Baeza vs. Callan Potter, Hector Aldana vs. Maki Pitolo, Andrew Sanchez vs. Zak Cummings, JJ Aldrich vs. Antonina Shevchenko, Lauren Mueller vs. Polyana Viana