UFC Fight Night 224 was the kind of card that looked like a dud on paper, but ended up overdelivering in terms of action. That seems to happen a lot in MMA. It's as if the fighters on these under-the-radar cards feel extra pressure to entertain.

Whatever the case, the fans who actually tuned in were rewarded with some great fights.

In the main event, long-time strawweight contender Mackenzie Dern picked up one of the best wins of her career, adding some impressive striking to her trademark grappling attack, and ultimately capturing a one-sided unanimous decision win over Angela Hill.

The co-main event saw rising middleweight contender Anthony Hernandez score one of his best wins to date, battering former Top-15 contender Edmen Shahbazyan to a third-round stoppage.

Beyond the main and co-main events, the biggest of the highlight of the night came courtesy of Joaquin Buckley, who never fails to entertain in the Octagon. This time around the former middleweight made a successful welterweight debut with a sizzling head-kick KO of Andre Fialho.

Former Top-15 lightweight Diego Ferreira also picked up an impressive knockout win on the card, flattening accomplished veteran Michael Johnson with a crushing one-punch KO.

It will be interesting to see which way the UFC matchmakers go with the card's biggest winners. They work in mysterious ways. But here are four fights we're hoping to see when the dust has settled.

Mackenzie Dern vs. Rose Namajunas

Mackenzie Dern has never looked better than she did in her unanimous-decision win over Angela Hill in the UFC Fight Night 224 main event.

The BJJ black belt flaunted plenty of her patented grappling skill, but also showed some improved stand-up in the fight. She even dropped Hill in the first round.

After the win, she called for a fight with former strawweight champion Rose Namajunas. Namajunas remains one of the division's best fighters, sitting at No. 2 in the rankings. Some fans even consider her the top dog based on her two recent wins over reigning champ Zhang Weili. Because of that, this potential matchup feels like a big step up for Dern, who was ranked No. 8 heading to her clash with the No. 14-ranked Hill. But when you think about it, it starts to make some sense.

First and foremost, Namajunas hasn't fought in over a year, since she lost the strawweight title to Carla Esparza in one of the worst fights of 2022. Despite her accomplishments, she is not exactly on top of the world right now, so a fight with somebody a bit down the rankings might actually be the right move.

Dern is also a pretty big name in the division, which is important, given that Namajunas might be its biggest star. The former champ needs a good B-side in her fights, and the BJJ specialist would be just that.

The main reason to book this fight, though, is that it could actually be quite competitive. Namajunas would probably be a reasonable betting favorite, but most of the former champ's losses have come against grapplers, and Dern is one of the best in the weight class.

This one makes sense for a lot of reasons, and would be a great addition to a pay-per-view main card.

Anthony Hernandez vs. Jack Hermansson

Anthony Hernandez picked up his fourth-straight victory in the UFC Fight Night 224 co-headliner, defeating Edmen Shahbazyan by third-round TKO. Shahbazyan was once considered one of the middleweight division's hottest young contenders, so it was a nice feather in Hernandez's cap.

From here, it feels like time to give Hernandez a Top-15 foe. He has a lot of momentum, and he seems to be catching on with the fans too. He's ready. Unfortunately, pretty much everyone on the outer edge of the middleweight Top 15 is booked up, which means the only choices are to give him somebody further up the rankings, or give him another opponent outside the rankings.

It would not be a big deal to give him a fight with another unranked opponent, but our choice would be to five him a big step up against No. 10-ranked middleweight Jack Hermansson, the lowest-ranked member of the Top 15 without other commitments .

Hermansson has been struggling with consistency of late, going 3-3 in his last six fights, so he is not really in position to decline a fight with an unranked foe. Besides, the UFC seems to be trying to force some kind of high-speed turnover in the middleweight division right now anyway, having recently booked Top-10 contenders Paulo Costa and Sean Strickland against unranked foes with much less momentum than Hernandez.

A fight between Hernandez and Hermansson also looks fun on paper, as both guys are among the division's better grapplers.

There's a lot of reasons to like this one. Book it.

Joaquin Buckley vs. Jeremiah Wells

It remains to be seen what Joaquin Buckley can accomplish in the welterweight division, but the former middleweight looked excellent in his debut in the weight class, extending his highlight reel with a dazzling head-kick knockout win over Andre Fialho.

As a new face in the crowded welterweight division, Buckley has a ton of exciting options going forward. And as a fighter with an increasing cache among fans, he will probably get a meaningful matchup next time out.

Our pick is a fight with his fellow American Jeremiah Wells. Wells has won his first four bouts in the Octagon, first rattling off a trio of stoppages, then out-dueling fellow knockout artist Matthew Semelsberger to a split-decision win in his last appearance.

He has a lot of momentum on his side, and at 36 years old, doesn't have a ton of time to waste. He deserves a high-profile opponent next time out, and Buckley increasingly fits that bill based on his propensity for violent finishes alone.

This fight makes sense for both guys, and it seems very unlikely that it wouldn't end with some kind of blink-and-miss-it knockout. Get the bonus checks ready.

Diego Ferreira vs. Thiago Moises

Former Top-15 lightweight Diego Ferreira needed a win in his UFC Fight Night 224 bout with Michael Johnson. He hadn't fought since December of 2021, when he suffered a third-straight loss at the hands of former KSW champion Mateusz Gamrot.

The Brazilian got the win he needed in spectacular fashion, flooring Johnson with a right-hand in the second round.

Ferreira's victory over Johnson won't be enough to push him back into the Top 15. While Johnson has beaten some of the lightweight division's greatest fighters, he is clearly in the final chapter of his career, so beating him in 2023 only means so much.

Still, Ferreira will probably get a tough test next time out—probably somebody who, like him, is a win or two from crashing into the rankings.

Our pick is his fellow Brazilian Thiago Moises. The pair have similar skillsets, which should result in an interesting fight, and after stumbling against the lightweight division's best fighters, both are firmly back on track.

Lock them in the Octagon together and see who's ready for another crack at a ranked opponent.