On the heels of his first UFC loss, which came at the hands of former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida, Gegard Mousasi needed a win on Saturday to return to middleweight title shot conversation.
With an opening-round submission victory over Mark Munoz, Mousasi did more than return to the win column. The former Strikeforce champion, who is now 2-1 inside the Octagon, became the first fighter to force Munoz to tap.
Headed in a much different direction, Munoz has now lost three of his past four fights. At 36 years old, Munoz doesn’t have a ton of time left to make a run at the 185-pound championship.
Here are the fights UFC matchmakers should make for Mousasi, Munoz and the others who appeared on the UFC Fight Night 41 fight card.