By Zane Simon @TheZaneSimon

UFC Hamburg was… not great. A card that offered little of interest outside the top 3 fights turned in little of interest to fans. That’s not always the case. As the UFC itself often likes to tout, sometimes the cards that seem the least exciting turn out to be the best. But, sometimes they just turn out to be the least exciting. Still, Josh Barnett and Andrei Arlovski brought their A-game and it’s time to figure out what the next step for them should be.

Also of note, Joe Silva is getting ready to leave the UFC; by year’s end one of the most important jobs in the MMA industry will be up for grabs. So, I’d like to consider this series something of my ongoing resume. When you get right down to brass tacks, it’s hard to see who’s got a better handle on this fantasy matchmaking game. Now, let’s get to the fights!

JOSH BARNETT: There’s a big obvious fight out there staring Josh Barnett in the face if he can get it. Fabricio Werdum. Much like a bout against Andrei Arlovksi, a fight with Werdum has seemed like something that would make sense for ages. Of course, Werdum is already booked, against Travis Browne, and if he wins that is likely in title contention again. Barnett could try for a bout with Junior Dos Santos, too. After beating Arlovski he’s going to be ranked up near the top of the division, so he might as well get big fights. But I think his other best option is, if Alistair Overeem loses to Stipe Miocic, ask for that Overeem fight. It’s another long time vet that Barnett somehow never fought and would make for a great throwback headliner. Barnett vs. Overeem off a loss feels like the most reasonable pick.

ANDREI ARLOVSKI: The fight to make is Andrei Arlovski vs. Mark Hunt. But, that requires the UFC to find their way back into Hunt’s good graces and that doesn’t seem like it’s about to happen. If the UFC can’t make Hunt/Arlovski then they could do a rematch with Ben Rothwell, but I’d say Arlovski would be better off trying to get Gabriel Gonzaga. It feels like a more winnable fight right now, rather than fighting for a probably 4th loss in a row. Still, if all things shake out perfectly, Arlovski vs. Hunt is where it’s at.

ALEXANDER GUSTAFSSON: Gus has two options right now that I can see. He should either fight Glover Teixeira or Ryan Bader. Teixeira was my pick after Teixeira’s loss to Johnson, just because they haven’t fought before and are both kicking around at the very top of the division. And honestly, after Gus’ lackluster win over Jan Blachowicz, I’m still not so sure it’s not a good idea. However, if Glover needs some recovery time after a bad KO and assuming both Gus and Bader want to fight again soon, then Ryan Bader vs. Alexander Gustafsson is probably the right fight to book right now.

RYAN BADER: Obviously I wrote this out above, but just to throw another option in… If the UFC can’t book Gus vs. Bader, then Bader should take on Shogun Rua. Rua has won two straight and if he could beat Bader it would be a real kick toward getting him another huge fight or two, and for Bader it’s just the kind of name win to keep building him back up as a legit top 5 talent.

ILIR LATIFI: A bad loss would be a bigger setback for a fighter like Latifi if the LHW division weren’t so talent starved. Instead, Latifi can bounce right back and fight Patrick Cummins in the battle of recently KO’d fringe top-10ers. If he can’t get the Cummins fight, then Latifi vs. Tom Lawlor is a great matchup too. Still, I think the UFC should work for Latifi vs. Cummins first.

ASHLEE EVANS-SMITH: The UFC should probably re-book Evans-Smith vs. De Randamie. That fight didn’t make a ton of sense the first time, and is definitely better now that AES has another win under her belt. If De Randamie is going to be out for too long due to injury, then Katlyn Chookagian just picked up a really good win in her debut and AES would be just the right next step up. De Randamie if she’s healthy, or Chookagian if need be.

RUSTAM KHABILOV: Khabilov is now 6-2 at lightweight and he’s got a solid groove going in the division without having really marked himself out as a potential contender. If the UFC wanted to go just on record (as the often like to) then Kevin Lee makes for a sensible next fight. Both men are powerfully built wrestlers who have struggled to put together consistent striking games. Khabilov could also lobby for fights against guys like Erik Koch or Michael Chiesa but that Kevin Lee fight may be the most appropriate (and less dependent on Chiesa/Koch being healthy).

OTHER BOUTS: Blachowicz vs. O’Connell, Hein vs. Laprise, Tae Hyun Bang vs. Matthews, Ayari vs. Morono, Wallhead vs. Meunier, Sobotta vs. Moraes, Dalby vs. Walsh, Macedo vs. Elmose, Lapilus vs. Birchak, Issa vs. Doane, Colombo vs. Ledet, Danho vs. Grabowski, Hermansson vs. Dongi, Askham vs. Samman, Silva vs. Vick