Mania Matchmaker: Possible next fights for UFC 149: 'Faber vs. Barao' winners

There's really only one man's opinion that matters when it comes to who fights who inside the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Octagon.

That man is none other than UFC matchmaker Joe Silva. Pairing fighters together is what he does for a living and most of the time, he does a better than average job.

Even though his "say-so" is the only one that holds any water, that doesn't stop the rest of us geniuses in the mixed martial arts (MMA) community from trying to do his job for him by guessing on which fighters will square off against each other in the future.

Count me in as one of the many who would arrogantly take on such an effort.

After the jump, I'll boldly go where many men have gone before, as I make some educated suggestions on what should be next for the winners from the UFC 149 main card.

Hector Lombard vs. Tim Boestch ended up being about as far from what we thought and hoped it would be as it could have. If Lombard would have won and won decisively, he may have very well garnered himself a title shot versus Anderson Silva.

But he didn't. He looked unmotivated and disinterested.

Boetsch won but he did it in a way that didn't impress the fans or UFC President Dana White, who was critical of the fight during interviews later in the night.

Who does Boetsch fight next?

He surely doesn't get a title shot. I'm not even sure I'd be in a hurry to see him fight a top three middleweight.

I'd like to see him take on Alan Belcher. It's not really fair to "The Talent." He deserves a bigger name. But those kind of decisions aren't up to me, and no one who has any pull seems to be interested in helping Belcher out in such a way.

Belcher needs an opponent. If he beats Boetsch like he's beat the last four men who he's fought, then it will be hard not to put him "in the mix." If "The Barbarian" wins, then the same is also true.

Cheick Kongo vs Shawn Jordan was one of the worst fights I've ever seen. It was slow, it was boring, and I wouldn't even care if the UFC cut both of them, right after the fight.

I don't really care who Kongo fights next. Right now, I feel like it's a lose-lose.

If I say someone, I'll go with the winner of Travis Browne vs. Ben Rothwell, which takes place at UFC on Fox 4 in Los Angeles, Calif., on Aug. 4, 2012.

Can we be done talking about Kongo? Yes? Perfect.

James Head vs. Brian Ebersole was another fight that failed to hit the mark. It wasn't exciting, but Head was able to come out on top, after the three-round yawnfest.

If excitement is what you're after, Siyar Bahadurzada is the man you need to call.

Bahadurzada is riding a big hype wave. It's a fight that separates fact from fiction. Is "The Killer" for real? I think so, as do many others.

Plus, I think Head is a better fighter than this bout made him look. Ebersole and the strange manner in which he did his business contributed, in large part, to why this fight was a stinker.

Chris Clements vs Matt Riddle was one of the few shining moments of the UFC 149 main card. Both fighters delivered on their promise to "bring it."

With that said, Riddle "brought it" in a way that he never really has before. He fought smart. He fought hard, and he brought fireworks, but he stuck to a very sound gameplan and ended up winning with an impressive submission.

Dan Miller is the guy I'd like to see Riddle fight next. Between the Riddle and the AMA tough guy, there's zero chance (on paper) of that not being a fight that has the fans on their feet.

Those are my best guesses. They could be wrong. It wouldn't be the first time. That's why I get paid the big bucks.

Think you can do a better job? Put up or shut up! Leave a comment with your well thought out fight match ups for the UFC 149 main card winners.