5 fights to make for UFC 292 winners

The dust has settled after this past weekend's eventful UFC 292 pay-per-view, which went down at Boston's TD Garden. Sean O'Malley stole the show on the night, putting away a dominant champion to become the new bantamweight king.

While Sean O'Malley was inarguably the biggest winner on the night, 'Sugar' and the other victors at the recently concluded pay-per-view will be eyeing bigger fights down the line.

On that note, here are five fights to make for the biggest winners at UFC 292.

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#5. Brad Tavares vs. Andre Muniz

Brad Tavares, a perennial contender in the middleweight division, snapped a two-fight skid at UFC 292 with his comfortable unanimous decision win over former champion Chris Weidman. The Hawaiian will be eager to re-enter the rankings and compile a win streak going forward.

Brad Tavares has always been a solid contender at 185 pounds. Three of the 35-year-old's last five losses have come against top middleweights Robert Whittaker, Dricus du Plessis, and Israel Adesanya, and he's recognized as a tough night out for anyone.

Tavares held a place in the top 15 for nearly six years until back-to-back losses saw him drop out of the rankings. After picking up his 20th career win this past weekend, he will be looking to get a number next to his name. The ideal next opponent for him is No.15-ranked Andre Muniz.

Muniz is coming off a TKO loss to Paul Craig and is unlikely to be offered a higher-ranked middleweight. The Brazilian's grappling prowess, opposite Tavares' well-rounded game, makes for an intriguing matchup.

Muniz vs. Tavares [Images via @andremunizsergipano & @bradtavares808 on Instagram]

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#4. Mario Bautista vs. Ricky Simon

Mario Bautista was gearing up to take on former champion Cody Garbrandt this past Saturday, but an injury to 'No Love' saw Da'Mon Blackshear step in on short notice. Ultimately, Bautista edged a decision win to extend his impressive win streak to five.

Mario Bautista is on the cusp of breaking into the middleweight top 15. While a win over Cody Garbrandt would've elevated his profile tremendously, his solid showing against Da'Mon Blackshear keeps his momentum going as he chases a place in the rankings.

The logical next step for Bautista is a fighter ranked between No.10 and No.15. A fight against Ricky Simon, who holds the No.12 spot, would be an excellent matchup, pitting two highly-touted prospects against one another. Simon is a smothering wrestler, so seeing how he fares against Bautista's submission game will be interesting.

This explosive matchup would be a solid addition to any fight card.

Bautista vs. Simon [Images via @mario_bautistamma & @rickysimonufc on Instagram]

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#3. Ian Machado Garry vs. Geoff Neal

Ian Machado Garry's stardom continued its ascent on Saturday night as the Irishman absolutely dominated welterweight veteran Neil Magny en route to a lopsided decision win. 'The Future' is emerging as a major disruptor in the 170-pound division.

With his statement-making masterclass against Neil Magny, Ian Machado Garry claimed the No.11 spot in the welterweight rankings. The undefeated 25-year-old is among the biggest stars in the division, and with his outspoken nature and edgy promotion style, he will have tons of attention on him going forward.

Garry was initially scheduled to fight No.8-ranked Geoff Neal at UFC 292, but an injury to the latter saw Magny step in. The original matchup should ideally be re-booked, considering the state of the division and the obvious animosity between the two.

Given how active Garry is, expect his next bout to be at Madison Square Garden in New York City in November or at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in December. If it comes against 'Handz of Steel', fans are in for a hell of a fight.

Neal vs. Garry [Image via @iangarry on Instagram]

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#2. Zhang Weili vs. Yan Xiaonan – UFC strawweight title fight

Zhang Weili's second title reign has been hugely impressive so far. The Chinese phenom regained the strawweight title last year with an effortless win against Carla Esparza and defended her belt this past weekend at UFC 292 against a dangerous challenger in Amanda Lemos.

With Rose Namajunas out of the picture in the strawweight title mix, there are many fresh matchups on the horizon for Zhang Weili. While large sections of the MMA community would like to see unbeaten phenom Tatiana Suarez challenge for gold next, the next fight to make is pretty obvious.

No.3-ranked Yan Xiaonan should be next in line for the throne. If she is offered the next title shot, this fight has to happen in China, with two Chinese fighters competing for a championship at the pinnacle of the sport.

The UFC has previously put on Fight Night events with a title bout atop the bill. If the UFC is working towards a return to China, the main event is a no-brainer.

Weili vs. Xiaonan [Images via @zhangweilimma & @xiaonan_yan on Instagram]

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#1. Sean O'Malley vs. Marlon Vera 2 – UFC bantamweight title fight

Sean O'Malley upset the odds in emphatic fashion at UFC 292, dethroning the longest-reigning bantamweight champion in promotional history to win the title. With his second-round TKO win over Aljamain Sterling, O'Malley kicked off 'The Sugar Era' in style.

The bantamweight division is in a unique position at the moment, with No.2-ranked Merab Dvalishvili and No.4-ranked Cory Sandhagen still recovering from injuries. Additionally, No.3-ranked Henry Cejudo and No.5-ranked Petr Yan are coming off losses, with O'Malley having already beaten Yan, albeit via split decision.

Apart from a rematch with Sterling, which seems unlikely to be next, there's only one fight to make for the new champ. Considering the history and bad blood between O'Malley and former foe Marlon Vera, predicting the next bantamweight title fight is easy.

Vera remains the only fighter with a win over O'Malley. 'Chito' defeated the current champion two years ago, but the bout was heavily influenced by the rare drop-foot injury 'Sugar' sustained after a leg kick. While it was undoubtedly a win for Vera, a rematch between the two is inevitable.

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