After UFC 196, theScore's Alexander K. Lee picks which matchups should be made for the winners and losers of the event's two marquee fights.
Nate Diaz vs. Robbie Lawler
With a stunning submission finish of Conor McGregor at UFC 196, Nate Diaz may have accidentally made himself the No. 1 contender at 170 pounds.
Welterweight champion Robbie Lawler needs an opponent and the options are thin. A rematch with Carlos Condit is in limbo as Condit ponders retirement and prospective contenders Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson and Rory MacDonald are booked to face each other in June.
It's time to give Nate the chance to follow in brother Nick's footsteps. Nick knocked Lawler out in 2004 and you can bet that Nate would love to replicate that feat. No matter who wins, the fight could reach legendary levels of violence.
Dana White is already on board with this matchup and sometimes what's best for business is also what's best for the fans.
Miesha Tate vs. Ronda Rousey
Miesha Tate punched her ticket for a third meeting with Ronda Rousey when she ripped away the UFC women's bantamweight championship from Holly Holm on Saturday.
This is another match from the president's choice department as White told ESPN that the plan all along was to have the Holm-Tate winner go on to face Rousey.
Tate and Rousey have fought twice before, with Rousey winning via arm bar both times. Those definitive victories made the UFC skittish to match them up again, but Tate has been unbeatable since a loss to Cat Zingano and her perseverance was never more evident than in her win over Holm.
Can a prime Tate finally overcome Rousey? She's earned the right to find out.
Conor McGregor vs. Frankie Edgar
According to McGregor himself, the next step is to go back down to featherweight and there are only two fights there that make sense: Jose Aldo or Frankie Edgar.
The Aldo fight has more cachet due to the storied rivalry between the two, but denying Edgar a title shot would be criminal at this point. All "The Answer" has done is win five straight fights, including a first-round drubbing of Chad Mendes.
The wrestling of Edgar would be a serious problem for McGregor and the UFC may not want to put their golden goose in such hot water coming off of a loss. But if McGregor is serious about competing at 145, he has to fight Edgar.
Holly Holm vs. Cat Zingano
Holm showed the grit of a true champion by fighting Tate instead of waiting around for a Rousey rematch and she ended up going out on her shield against Tate.
Whenever she decides to fight again, she has a perfect opponent waiting for her in Cat Zingano. "Alpha" has not competed since losing to Rousey in 14 seconds in a title fight last February and she'll be looking for a big match right away to re-establish herself.
Zingano would be willing to stand with Holm, but she also has the jiu-jitsu skills to further test her ground game after Holm's frightening submission loss. Should she get past Holm, Zingano could earn a rematch against Tate who she defeated back in 2013.
While the UFC may be loathe to put one of their top 135ers on a two-fight losing streak, the division is thin enough that it wouldn't take long for Holm or Zingano to build themselves back up.
After all, there was another well-known female fighter who lost two straight fights before going on a streak that led to championship gold.
That fighter? Miesha Tate.
