UFC Fight Night 119 took place in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and saw a short main event.

Derek Brunson ousted Lyoto Machida in just 2:30 of the first round: a violent performance for a rising star in the middleweight division, and a sad turn of events for an MMA legend.

Also in action, the controversial contender Colby Covington defeated Demian Maia by decision before unleashing a thoughtless, degrading promo on the Brazilian crowd.

Those were just the premier bouts of the evening. A full slate of fights offered a full night of action in Brazil, and now the focus turns to the future of the winners and losers. That's exactly what we are here to parse out. Who will each of the participants fight in their next outing? Let's break it down.

Here are the matches to make following UFC Fight Night 119.

Preliminary Fights Quick Hits

Marcelo Golm def. Christian Colombo via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:08 of the first round

• Marcelo Golm vs. winner of Walt Harris vs. Mark Godbeer (November 4)
• Christian Colombo should be cut from the roster.

Deiveson Figueiredo def. Jarred Brooks by split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)

• Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Ben Nguyen
• Jarred Brooks vs. Hector Sandoval

Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos def. Max Griffin by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-28)

• Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos vs. Donald Cerrone
• Max Griffin vs. Salim Touahri

Jared Gordon def. Hacran Dias by unanimous decision (29-26, 29-27, 30-26)

• Jared Gordon vs. winner of Scott Holtzman vs. Darrell Horcher (December 9)
• Hacran Dias vs. Nasrat Haqparast

Antonio Carlos Junior def. Jack Marshman via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:30 of the first round

• Antonio Carlos Junior vs. Tim Boetsch
• Jack Marshman vs. Sam Alvey

Vicente Luque def. Niko Price via submission (D'arce choke) at 4:08 of the second round

• Vicente Luque vs. winner of Court McGee vs. Sean Strickland (November 11)
• Niko Price vs. Bryan Barberena

John Lineker vs. Marlon Vera

John Lineker def. Marlon Vera by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

It wasn't the blistering performance expected, but John Lineker did enough to beat a very game Marlon Vera.

Vera showed enough that he should earn some respect, but a loss is a loss. Perhaps the best service the UFC could give Vera is a matchup with the 0-2, inside the Octagon, Kwan Ho Kwak.

Lineker is ranked in the top five of the division, and as such, he should get a top-10-level opponent. If you look at the current slate of bantamweight contenders, there are only two names that jump out—Thomas Almeida and Pedro Munhoz.

Munhoz would make a lot of sense, considering they fought on the same card, but the fight to make is Lineker vs. Almeida. That's a barnburner. Additionally, the excitement of the contest should propel the winner into serious contention in 2018.

Thiago Santos vs. Jack Hermansson

Thiago Santos def. Jack Hermansson by TKO at 4:59 of the first round

A last-second TKO performance gives Thiago Santos three straight victories, which should mean big things for his upcoming new year.

Jack Hermansson shouldn't fall too far from where he had been previously. He was an undercard middleweight who fought notable mid-tier competition. That's a great role to go back into following the loss. On November 19, Elias Theodorou meets Dan Kelly. The loser of the contest would make for suitable opposition.

Santos is back into contention.

Brunson called out Luke Rockhold in his post-fight interview in the cage, but I don't suspect that will happen. I'll touch on why when we get to Brunson, but let's just say I think the Brazilian we are discussing here and now should be next for the UFC Fight Night 119 main event victor.

Francisco Trinaldo vs. Jim Miller

Francisco Trinaldo def. Jim Miller by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

This is tough to say, but the UFC should cut Jim Miller.

He has failed in his last three outings and did not look good against Francisco Trinaldo. In fact, after the second round, he told his corner that he had nothing left. That's a good sign an aging fighter is done. Miller's UFC run should come to a close as the next crop of lightweights come through the ranks.

It would be a disservice to Miller to allow them to make their names off his UFC tenure.

Trinaldo is no spring chicken himself, but he got the win. His only loss since 2014 came in March against top-contender Kevin Lee. As such, there's no reason not to put him back against a ranked foe to see if he can pick up a big win.

Michael Johnson is out there needing a fight. Book it, and let's see what's what.

Pedro Munhoz vs. Rob Font

Pedro Munhoz def. Rob Font via submission (guillotine choke) at 4:03 of the first round

Rob Font got desperate and decided to grapple. That's not what you want to do against Munhoz. A one-armed guillotine was wrapped up swiftly and finished the fight.

Font is a solid, fun fighter who needs to regroup. Henry Briones is someone who is a favorable matchup for him and an easy fight to book.

Munhoz should enter serious contention territory now. He needs to fight a true contender. But who?

On November 11, there are two key bantamweight tilts: Raphael Assuncao vs. Matthew Lopez and John Dodson vs. Marlon Moraes. He should fight the winner of one of those bouts. It's too early to tell which he should face because the performances on that evening will determine who goes where.

Munhoz should be a very interested observer on that evening.

Demian Maia vs. Colby Covington

Colby Covington def. Demian Maia by unanimous decision (29-27, 30-27, 30-26)

Maia got off to a fast start but quickly faded. Covington's wrestling helped him defend each and every takedown attempt en route to a decision victory.

Maia looked done as a serious threat, and Father Time is undefeated. Perhaps he should get one more fight in the UFC as a swan song. Deciding who that should be becomes quite difficult. It should be someone with a little name recognition, but not a young buck who will terminate him in extreme fashion.

Perhaps a Ben Saunders?

We all know Covington wants a title shot. In no way, shape or form should that happen after his showing against Maia. He got outstruck and bloodied against a jiu-jitsu specialist. Nothing about his performance was worthy of a title shot in one of the most stacked divisions.

Following UFC Fight Night 116, I proposed Kamaru Usman against the winner of this bout. On Twitter following UFC Fight Night 119, Usman expressed extreme interest in this fight. So, book it. It's the right fight to make.

If Covington wins this fight, then a title fight may be the right call. But he needs at least one more fight, and Usman is the best matchup.

Derek Brunson vs. Lyoto Machida

Derek Brunson def. Lyoto Machida by KO at 2:30 of the first round

Brunson rudely welcomed Machida back to the cage. Machida looked good physically and mentally, but he just couldn't take the power of Brunson.

Machida should go on the senior circuit following that performance. Fighting the next crop of contenders is not going to go his way, but he still has skills to be a threat to various members of the roster. A fight against someone like Brad Tavares would be the route to take.

Tavares has been searching for a breakthrough for years but lacks the explosiveness of a Brunson. Machida would test him thoroughly, and it would be a good measuring stick for both fighters.

Brunson called out Rockhold after the fight, but that's not the fight to book. Brunson should fight Santos.

Brunson still needs a couple of wins before challenging for the title, and the current state of the division means he won't get a shot until at least the summer or fall of 2018 even with those wins. Santos is a credible fight for him, it keeps them both active and it would have major implications on the rankings.

Timing is everything, and the timing isn't right for a Brunson vs. Rockhold tilt.