Joe Silva’s Shoes: What's next for Holly Holm and UFC 193’s other winning fighters?

(ALSO SEE: Joe Silva’s Shoes: What’s next for Ronda Rousey and UFC 193’s other losing fighters?)

Holly Holm stole the show at Saturday’s UFC 193 pay-per-view event when she upset and knocked Ronda Rousey out cold to win the women’s bantamweight title.

Pegged as a significant underdog (8-1 to 12-1 for most of fight week), Holm (10-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) handled Rousey (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) from pillar to post before she ended the title fight with a second-round head-kick knockout to capture UFC gold.

Holm’s victory was the most notable outcome of the event, but other winners emerged, as well. Joanna Jedrzejczyk (11-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) defended her strawweight title in the co-main event while Mark Hunt (11-10-1 MMA, 6-4-1 UFC), Robert Whittaker (15-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC) and Jared Rosholt (14-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) picked up noteworthy victories.

After every event, fans wonder whom the winners will be matched up with next. And with another night of UFC action in the rearview mirror, it’s time to look forward, put on a pair of Joe Silva and Sean Shelby’s shoes, and play UFC matchmaker for UFC 193’s winning fighters.

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Jared Rosholt

Ruslan Magomedov

Should fight: Ruslan Magomedov
Why they should fight: Rosholt added another win to his impressive UFC record, but unfortunately an impressive record only goes so far when you consistently fail to deliver memorable action. That was again the case in Rosholt’s unanimous-decision win over Stefan Struve.

Rosholt relied heavily on his wrestling ability to take the fight from Struve. Grappling is and will always be his strong point, but Rosholt needs to turn the corner with his striking if he hopes to compete with the elite of the heavyweight division.

Although Magomedov’s (14-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) UFC record is perfect, he’s won all of his bouts by decision and has shown a lack of killer instinct that top fighters in the heavyweight division display with regularity.

Rosholt and Magomedov are both facing the same problem that’s preventing them from taking a leap into title contention. Perhaps a matchup between the two would produce a breakout performance.

Robert Whittaker

Roan Carneiro

Should fight: Roan Carneiro
Why they should fight: Whittaker earned the biggest victory of his career when he outpointed Uriah Hall via unanimous decision to prove why he’s a threat in the UFC middleweight division.

“The Reaper” played Hall’s game for three rounds and won. Would he do the same against a high-level grappler such as Carneiro (20-9 MMA, 3-3 UFC)? It would be a much riskier proposition.

The matchup would be a classic clash of striker vs. grappler, and both men are capable of pulling the fight into their respective strengths and ending it there.

If Whittaker could get past a jiu-jitsu specialist like Carneiro, he would further validate his status as a top fighter in the division and potentially enter the title discussion.

Mark Hunt

Travis Browne

Should fight: Winner of Travis Browne vs. Matt Mitrione at UFC Fight Night 81
Why they should fight: After a pair of decisive losses, Hunt showed his gas tank has yet to run dry when he scored a first-round knockout of Antonio Silva in the rematch of their memorable December 2013 classic.

Hunt arrived in the octagon in the best shape of his UFC career, and the hard work showed in his performance. He clipped “Bigfoot” with a hard shot and finished the fight quickly to get back on track.

“The Super Samoan” can share the cage with any heavyweight on any day, and he’s going to make a fight of it. He said he thinks he’s capable of one more title run, and at 41, there’s no time to waste.

The winner of January’s UFC Fight Night 81 matchup between Browne (17-3-1 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) and Mitrione (9-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) would be an established opponent who could help move Hunt up the rankings. Moreover, there’s high potential for a big knockout, as is the case ever time Hunt enters the octagon.

Joanna Jedrzejczyk

Claudia Gadelha and Joanna Jedrzejczyk

Should fight: Claudia Gadelha
Why they should fight: After her record-setting beatdown of Letourneau to defend her strawweight title for the second time, Jedrzejczyk appears to have what it takes to rule the 115-pound division long into the future.

With that said, Jedrzejczyk’s most formidable challenge may come in her next title defense, which should be a rematch against rival Gadelha (13-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC).

Jedrzejczyk and Gadelha fought once before. They competed in a title eliminator at UFC on FOX 13 in December in a very close fight that Jedrzejczyk won by split decision. The victory moved her into the title bout, which led the Polish fighter to her current position as champion.

Gadelha has been declared the No. 1 contender to Jedrzejczyk’s belt on multiple occasions. It’s a matter of if, not when, it happens, and a few minor changes to Gadelha’s tactics could make her the next next strawweight titleholder.

Holly Holm

Should fight: Ronda Rousey
Why they should fight: Watch the video above for an explanation of why Holm should rematch Rousey for her first title defense.

For complete coverage of UFC 193, check out the UFC Events section of the site.