UFC on Fox 8 wasn’t the most anticipated card in UFC history, but it did provide several fighters with the platform to raise their stock in a big way.
Fighters like Demetrious Johnson, Robbie Lawler and Liz Carmouche all came out on top in front of a national television audience on Fox—a feat that is sure to be noticed when Dana White and Joe Silva sit down to determine their next opponents.
One of the most fun things to do after a card is to play the role of matchmaker, so let’s take a look at what the future might hold for the card’s biggest winners.
Liz Carmouche
Carmouche needed to make good on her opportunity to fight on the main card. After all, few fighters lose their debut fight and still wind up on the main card of a Fox event.
The former title challenger capitalized on the chance, though. After a back-and-forth first round that saw both fighters threaten with submissions, Carmouche took over in the second. She achieved multiple dominant positions, eventually raining down enough strikes to force the referee stoppage.
While she would probably like to think that the win puts her back in line for a title shot, that would be a little premature. As Jonathan Snowden of Bleacher Report pointed out before the fight, Carmouche had not beaten an opponent with a winning record before Saturday night.
It was a nice win, but watching her take on the winner of August’s Sara McMann vs. Sarah Kaufman bout would be a much better gauge of her title hopes. McMann is undefeated at 7-0, while Kaufman already owns a win over Carmouche.
Robbie Lawler
Most people expected either Rory MacDonald or Jake Ellenberger to emerge as the biggest winner in the welterweight division.
Instead, Robbie Lawler head kicked that idea into oblivion with his dominant second-round TKO win over Bobby Voelker.
It was probably the best version of the 31-year-old veteran we’ve seen. Voelker was a tough, underrated opponent, and Lawler looked crisper than usual as he picked him apart in the first round before sealing the deal in the second.
Many would love to see him get a rematch with Nick Diaz, but until he’s officially unretired, that’s not an option.
What is an option is pairing Lawler with Rory MacDonald. It’s unlikely that the fellow UFC on Fox 8 winner will fight Georges St-Pierre, and no one in the division is hotter than Lawler after this win.
Demetrious Johnson
This was by far the finest fight that “Mighty Mouse” has turned in since dropping down to flyweight. Any critics who said the champion couldn’t finish a fight were proved wrong. The 125er went for and got the submission victory in the fifth and final round.
Johnson could have sat on his lead on the scorecards—the first four rounds were unquestionably his, and John Moraga rocked him toward the end of the fourth round. Johnson went for the finish anyway and earned his first stoppage win as a flyweight.
With a win over everyone in the top four of the division, it’s likely Johnson is giving someone a rematch.
Joseph Benavidez makes the most sense. Their first bout for the title was a split decision, and he has since defeated Ian McCall and Darren Uyenoyama.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com