Matches to Make After UFC 210

Minus some superficial damage to his face, it could not have gone smoother for Daniel Cormier.

The American Kickboxing Academy Ace submitted Anthony Johnson with a rear-naked choke to retain the Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight title in the UFC 210 main event on Saturday at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. Cormier coaxed the tapout 3:37 into Round 2, as he continued his reign at 205 pounds in the absence of Jon Jones.

Johnson could not have employed a more puzzling game plan. “Rumble” chose to engage in Cormier’s wheelhouse, as he muscled his way into the clinch and pressed the two-time Olympian for takedowns. To the surprise of no one, he was not successful. Cormier withstood a first-round head kick that appeared to break his nose and dragged the Dublin, Georgia, native further and further out to sea. Midway through the second round, he tripped Johnson to the floor, moved to his back and set the stage for the choke with some patented ground-and-pound. The challenger offered little resistance and then retired in a post-fight speech fit for the Twilight Zone.

In the aftermath of UFC 210 “Cormier vs. Johnson 2,” here are five matches that ought to be made (online sportsbooks):

Daniel Cormier vs. Jon Jones: Cormier’s legacy remains incomplete, as a January 2015 loss to Jones hangs over the Lafayette, Louisiana, native’s head. Whether or not he gets an opportunity to avenge his one and only defeat will be determined this summer when Jones finishes serving his yearlong suspension for an anti-doping violation. In the deposed champion’s stead, Cormier has rattled off four straight victories against Johnson (twice), Alexander Gustafsson and Anderson Silva. Jones has not fought since UFC 197, where he cruised to a unanimous decision over Ovince St. Preux a little more than a year ago.

Gegard Mousasi vs. Chris Weidman: A compelling showdown between two elite middleweights in the co-headliner unraveled in a whirlwind of controversy, as Mousasi was awarded a second-round technical knockout against Weidman. Two knees -- one of which was deemed illegal by referee Dan Miragliotta -- from the former Strikeforce, Dream and Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder set off a strange sequence of events that ended with cageside physicians deeming an enraged Weidman unfit to continue and advising Miragliotta to call for the stoppage. Replays showed the knee was clean. Neither Mousasi nor Weidman appeared satisfied with the explanation, making a rematch a must.

Cynthia Calvillo vs. Jessica Penne-Danielle Taylor winner: Calvillo has done nothing but impress since she touched down in the UFC in March. The undefeated Team Alpha Male prospect made Pearl Gonzalez her latest victim, as she tapped the organizational newcomer with a third-round rear-naked choke in their women’s strawweight showcase. Now 5-0 with four finishes, Calvillo has the look of a potential star at 115 pounds. Penne and Taylor will square off at UFC Fight Night 108 on April 22 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Thiago Alves vs. Ryan LaFlare: Nearly eight years have passed since Alves challenged Georges St. Pierre for the welterweight championship, but the Brazilian still has something left in the tank. The 33-year-old American Top Team rep snapped a two-fight losing streak with a unanimous decision over Patrick Cote in a featured welterweight affair, as he returned to the more familiar haunts of the 170-pound weight class. The victory was Alves’ first since he cut down Jordan Mein with a body kick in January 2015. A former Ring of Combat champion, LaFlare last competed at UFC 208 on Feb. 11, when he laid claim to a unanimous verdict against Roan Carneiro.

Charles Oliveira vs. Evan Dunham: Free of the weight cut that hounded him at 145 pounds, Oliveira made a triumphant return to the lightweight division and submitted former Bellator MMA champion Will Brooks with a standing rear-naked choke in the first round. The submission game that has made “Do Bronx” such an intriguing talent was on full display against the highly regarded Brooks, who tapped 2:30 into Round 1. The resurgent Dunham has pieced together a four-fight winning streak since his July 2014 loss to Edson Barboza. He last fought at UFC Fight Night 94, where he earned a unanimous decision against Rick Glenn in September.