UFC 246: McGregor vs Cowboy - What's next for the big winners from last night's show?

#4 Brian Kelleher

Brian Kelleher has probably booked himself another main card showcase with his performance last night

Brian Kelleher was one of the night’s surprise winners overall; originally set to be featured on UFC Fight Pass, his clash with Ode Osbourne was upgraded onto the pay-per-view at the last minute and he made the most of this unexpected showcase with a slick first round submission win.

Kelleher’s previous losses to Montel Jackson and John Lineker mean he’s still miles away from the title picture, but he’s almost certainly earned a step up – and another main card showcase – with his victory last night. So in a loaded division, who makes sense for him as his next opponent?

We're going with Raoni Barcelos. The grappling expert is currently 4-0 in the UFC, and most recently outpointed Said Nurmagomedov on the UFC’s final show of 2019, but none of his previous opponents were as tough as Kelleher is. ‘Boom’ stepped into hostile territory in 2018 to take on John Lineker in Brazil – so it’d perhaps make sense to book him against Barcelos on either of the UFC’s upcoming Brazilian shows – Fight Night 170 in March or UFC 250 in May.

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#5 Diego Ferreira

Diego Ferreira should be in line for a top 5 opponent next

Lightweight Diego Ferreira had shown plenty of flashes of greatness before last night, but his win over former UFC champion Anthony Pettis was undoubtedly the biggest of his career, and should set him up for a shot at a potentially top-5 ranked opponent next time out.

Ferreira is now on a 6-fight winning streak, has dangerous skills in literally every area, and is a deadly finisher too. The only issue with him is that he lacks a marketable personality, but eventually, if you keep winning in the UFC, the opportunities will come.

With that in mind, we'd like to see Ferreira against the winner of the upcoming fight between Dan Hooker and Paul Felder next. ‘The Hangman’ and ‘The Irish Dragon’ face off in the main event of UFC 168 on February 23rd, meaning with any luck, they’d be ready for a summer fight. If Ferreira could overcome that one, he’d definitely be in the title picture.