(ALSO SEE: Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for UFC 224’s winning fighters?)

UFC 224 took place Saturday at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro with a five-fight pay-pay-per-view main card.

It was a rough night for the losing fighters. Four of the five main-card bouts ended in decisive stoppages, with Raquel Pennington (9-6 MMA, 6-3 UFC) arguably taking the worst of it in the main event. “Rocky” suffered a bloody beating from champion Amanda Nunes (16-4 MMA, 9-1 UFC) to fall short of the women’s bantamweight title.

Prior to Pennington’s title-fight loss, Ronaldo Souza (25-6 MMA, 8-3 UFC), Amanda Cooper (3-4 MMA, 2-3 UFC), Brian Kelleher (19-9 MMA, 3-2 UFC) and Vitor Belfort (26-14 MMA, 15-10 UFC) all failed to have their hands raised.

After every event, fans wonder whom the losing fighters will be matched up with next. And with another night of UFC action in the rearview mirror, it’s time to look forward, put on a pair of Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard’s shoes, and play UFC matchmaker for UFC 224’s losing fighters.

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Vitor Belfort

Vitor Belfort

What’s next: Retirement
Why: In a matchup of Brazilian legends, Belfort lost to fellow former UFC champion Lyoto Machida by spectacular second-round knockout.

Belfort said the fight will be the last of his career, but he did not officially label it a retirement bout. His UFC contract was completed with the fight against Machida, though, and all signs point to “The Phenom” either hanging up his gloves for good after a more than 21-year career or taking his talents to another organization.

Given the fact he’s 41, Belfort might be better suited for an organization such as Bellator or Rizin FF, which would surely matchmake him in a more generous manner. Losing to Machida is nothing to be ashamed of, but it might spell the end of Belfort’s long and storied UFC tenure.

Brian Kelleher

Thomas Almeida

Should fight: Thomas Almeida
Why they should fight: Kelleher wasn’t able to capitalize on his callout of John Lineker when he suffered a third-round knockout loss to the dangerous Brazilian.

“Boom” specifically requested the bout with Lineker, but he couldn’t get the job done at UFC 224. He didn’t look totally out of his depth against one of the higher-ranked contenders in the 135-pound division, and that’s promising for his future in the division.

Kelleher could quickly rebound from the setback against a name such as Almeida (21-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC). The Brazilian has a style similar to Kelleher’s, and that could give him the chance to right the wrong of this most recent fight.

Amanda Cooper

Chan-Mi Jeon

Should fight: Chanmi Jeon
Why they should fight: Cooper talked a big game prior to her fight with Mackenzie Dern, but she was unable to come out on the winning end of her most notable fight to date. She gave it a good go, though, before suffering a first-round submission loss.

It will forever remain unknown what would have happened if Dern had made weight, but with a seven-pound weight advantage (that was likely even larger on fight night) and a big skill disparity on the ground, the situation was clearly too much for “ABC.” However, that doesn’t mean it’s time for Cooper to give up.

It’s obvious Cooper has no resistance to scrapping anyone at 115 pounds; 20-year-old prospect Jeon (5-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC) could be a winnable fight for her and vice versa.

Ronaldo Souza

Thiago “Marreta” Santos

Should fight: Thiago “Marreta” Santos
Why they should fight: Once again Souza fell short when he was on the cusp of a title shot when he suffered a split-decision loss to Kelvin Gastelum in a crucial middleweight co-headliner.

Former Strikeforce champ “Jacare” has experienced setbacks in some other key moments in his career, but the defeat to Gastelum might be his most frustrating after he was on a high following a knockout win over Derek Brunson in January.

If Souza’s previous losses have shown anything, though, it’s that he knows how to bounce back. He’s done it each and every time. A name such as Santos (17-6 MMA, 9-5 UFC) would present a dangerous fight to Souza, but if he could win, it would put him back on track once again.

Raquel Pennington

Should fight: Germaine de Randamie
Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Pennington should fight former UFC champ de Randamie (7-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) next.

For complete coverage of UFC 224, check out the UFC Events section of the site.