UFC Fight Night 229 went down on Saturday night in the promotion's Apex facility in Las Vegas, and there's no question it was one of the weakest cards of the year on paper. Thankfully, as is often the case, it ended up exceeding expectations.

In the main event, popular lightweight veteran Bobby Green turned back the clock with an upset knockout win over Top 10 contender Grant Dawson—and he only needed 33 seconds to do it. The win will send the unranked veteran rocketing into the Top 15, where fights with the division's toughest competitors await.

Drew Dober, another experienced lightweight with a dedicated following, also picked up an impressive knockout win on the card, stopping Ricky Glenn in under three minutes to rebound from a knockout loss to Matt Frevola. With that win, Dober is 4-1 in his last five, so he can probably anticipate a fight with somebody near the outer edge of the rankings too.

Joaquin Buckley was also back in action on the card, picking up a decision win over the always tough Alex Morono to improve to 2-0 as a welterweight.

Keep scrolling for the fights we're hoping to see next for Buckley, Dober and Green, as well as our suggestion for Dawson's next move as he looks to regain his footing.

Bobby Green vs. Dan Hooker

The oddsmakers didn't like Bobby Green's chances against Grant Dawson, but the fan favourite proved them wrong in emphatic fashion, knocking the No. 10 lightweight contender out in 32 seconds.

The win will send Green, who was unranked ahead of the weekend, crashing into the Top 15. It remains to be seen exactly where he'll land, but he can expect a big fight next time out regardless.

Our pick is a fight with another clever veteran in Dan Hooker.

Hooker, like Green, has long been among the lightweight elite, but has never been consistent enough to work his way into title contention, stumbling each time he faces the best of the best.

He's currently riding back-to-back wins over Claudio Puelles and Jalin Turner, and is ranked No. 9, one spot ahead of Dawson's pre-fight position, so it makes sense from a rankings perspective, and both guys are great strikers, so it checks the boxes in terms of entertainment too.

Grant Dawson vs. Jalin Turner

Grant Dawson's incredible 12-fight streak came to a crashing halt on Saturday thanks to the slick boxing of Bobby Green. It was a brutal setback for the 29-year-old, who looked like a future title contender, but there is no reason to assume he can't recover from it.

It'll all depend on how he performs in his next fight.

Our pick for his opponent is the No. 12-ranked Jalin Turner. The rangy lightweight finisher is currently riding back-to-back split decision losses to Dan Hooker and Mateusz Gamrot, however, both of those verdicts were debatable, so he still has plenty of upside too.

Much like Dawson, it's totally possible he will get back on track in short order.

Why not pit them against each other and see who really belongs among the lightweight elite?

Joaquin Buckley vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio

Joaquin Buckley's decision win over Alex Morono pushed him to 2-0 in the crowded UFC welterweight division, and given his previous success at middleweight and his popularity among fans, he can probably expect to be fast-tracked toward the Top 15.

Our pick for his next opponent is Santiago Ponzinibbio.

"The Argentine Dagger" was once ranked in the welterweight Top 15 himself, but has been hot and cold over the last few years, likely due to the fact that he's 37 years old and has been involved in some serious wars.

Still, he remains capable of beating all but the best welterweights, as he proved in his own recent win over Morono, a third-round knockout.

He suffered a knockout loss to Kevin Holland in his last fight, but Holland has proven himself as a top welterweight, so there's not much shame in that.

At this point Ponzinibbio looks like just the kind of test Buckley needs at 170 pounds, and as two of the flashier strikers in the division, it should be a great fight.

Drew Dober vs. Diego Ferreira

Drew Dober got back to winning ways on Saturday, rebounding from a knockout loss to Matt Frevola with a knockout win over Ricky Glenn.

The win was an affirmation that Dober remains a high level lightweight. He's now 4-1 in his last five, and is probably deserving of an opportunity to reclaim his former position on the fringes of the rankings.

What better way to give him that opportunity than by matching him up with No. 15 contender Diego Ferreira.

The Brazilian, who is dangerous on the mat and on the feet, doesn't currently have a fight booked, and like Dober, recently got back to winning ways with a nice stoppage, his against Michael Johnson.

The two lightweights are definitely in each other's orbits as far as the rankings go, and interestingly, have been booked to fight each other twice previously to no avail.

Now's the time to try again. Hopefully, third time's the charm.