The Vanquished: What’s Next for the UFC 244 Losers?

Jorge Masvidal on Saturday in New York claimed the symbolic BMF title with his technical knockout of Nate Diaz in the UFC 244 headliner at Madison Square Garden. Despite the disputed nature of the finish, Masvidal was undeniably impressive and appeared to be well on his way to a decisive victory, cut or no cut.

Meanwhile, Darren Till returned to the win column with a split decision over Kelvin Gastelum; Stephen Thompson put on a technical masterclass in route to a unanimous decision over Vicente Luque; Derrick Lewis edged Blagoy Ivanov via split decision; and Kevin Lee made an emphatic return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight division with a head kick knockout of Gregor Gillespie.

What becomes of the UFC 243 losers? A few ideas:

Nate Diaz vs. Stephen Thompson: Diaz may want his rematch with Masvidal, but in reality, he was most likely going to lose a lopsided decision based on the 15 minutes of action to which we were treated. UFC President Dana White did not seem too receptive to the idea of a rematch, so why not match Diaz with Thompson instead? “Wonderboy” got back in the win column with an impressive unanimous decision over Luque earlier on the card and expressed an interest in facing the Stockton, California, native afterward. He also does not figure to try to wrestle with Diaz, so he certainly qualifies as a potential opponent.

Kelvin Gastelum vs. Robert Whittaker: Gastelum had an underwhelming performance, as he was ultimately outpointed by Till in their three-round middleweight affair. It also put him on a two-fight losing streak but should not impact his stock drastically. In fact, it would make perfect sense for him to finally face Whittaker, who is coming off a knockout defeat to Israel Adesanya that cost him the middleweight crown in October. Given their credentials and their place in the rankings, the winner of that fight could also stake a claim for the next title shot after Paulo Henrique Costa or whoever winds up facing Adesanya next.

Vicente Luque vs. Anthony Pettis: Luque’s six-fight winning streak came to an end, as he was outclassed by Thompson in their welterweight contest. If anything, his stock probably rose, given how he kept fighting back and displayed his heart by absorbing a lot of damage. “The Silent Assassin” should still remain No. 14 in the UFC rankings, and a bout with the 12th-ranked Pettis would make sense.

Blagoy Ivanov vs. Sergei Pavlovich: Ivanov took a ton of damage from Lewis but certainly did enough to have felt bitter about not getting the judges’ verdict. It puts his UFC record at 2-2, with all of those fights going the distance. It is difficult to see him dropping below his current ranking at No. 8 when considering who is ranked below him. An interesting matchup for him could come in the form of the No. 13-ranked Pavlovich, who is fresh off a knockout victory against Maurice Greene.

Gregor Gillespie vs. Beneil Dariush: Gillespie suffered his first-ever professional defeat in devastating fashion, as he was head kicked into another dimension by Lee. As a result, “The Gift” will likely be on the sidelines for a while. Once he returns, pair him with someone looking to get back in the 155-pound rankings in Dariush, who recently made it three wins in a row with his submission of Frank Camacho at UFC Fight Night 162.