UFC 287: Matches to make for Alex Pereira, Adrian Yanez, other UFC 287 losers

The next fights for UFC 287's losers.

The UFC returned with a bang after a rare week-off with UFC 287, a card that delivered from the beginning until the end. The Miami-crowd was fired up after 20 long years without a UFC event, and all the athletes made sure to step up and deliver some of their best performances inside a UFC Octagon.

Of course, not everyone could leave the '305' unscathed. UFC 287 had underdogs picking up wins, a huge retirement announcement, and a title change once was all said and done. Whilst some walked away with their hands raised, it's time to see what is next for UFC 287's losers.

What's next for Alex Pereira, Adrian Yanez and other UFC 287 losers

Raul Rosas Jr. vs. C.J Vergara

It was not meant to be for Raul Rosas Jr. The record-holder for the youngest UFC winner in the company's history when he made his debut, it appeared that Rosas Jr. was destined for the spotlight, and could easily break Jon Jones' record for youngest UFC champion ever.

Instead, the 18 year old was taught a lesson in MMA and composure. Despite Rosas Jr.'s relentless pace to begin the fight, Christian Rodriguez never panicked and eventually coasted to a unanimous decision victory once his younger opponent had gassed out. Unfortunately for Rosas Jr., it seems he needs to round out his MMA skills in order to make a proper impact but perhaps it also has to do with his weight class.

It was revealed earlier in the week that Rosas Jr. had cut too much weight and did in fact look smaller than Rodriguez despite being a few inches taller than him. Whilst he is still young, Rosas Jr. should look to maximize his potential, and the flyweight division is certainly less stacked than bantamweight.

C.J Vergara is a relatively known-commodity in the UFC and would give Rosas Jr. a chance to break into the men's 125-pound division without giving him an elite level opponent.

Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Randy Brown

In what was, to that point, the cleanest knockout of the night, Kevin Holland showed Santiago Ponzinibbio that his power is easily his biggest weapon. Knocking him down in the first round with a spinning back fist, a looping left-hook in the third left the Argentine on his face, out cold as Holland rained some ground-and-pound.

Despite the loss, Ponzinibbio continues to be one of the UFC's most exciting welterweights. He is not one to back away from a scrap and there's a reason that despite being unranked, he found himself in the pay-per-view portion of the crowd.

Randy Brown is another man who has become synonymous with high-intensity bouts. He might have just lost to Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 284 but this fight ensures it keeps both men with their hardcore fanbases in the public eye.

Adrian Yanez vs. Jonathan Martinez

Another prospect who had a taste of reality this Saturday night, Adrian Yanez was supposed to go in there and send Rob Font packing to continue his surge up the bantanweight rankings. Instead, Font sent him to the shadow realm in the very first round, even earning a 'Performance of the Night' bonus for his spectacular KO-win.

Much like Font at UFC 287, Yanez should be tasked with defending his spot in the rankings. It is still unknown how much he will drop but he could feasibly remain as the no.12-ranked 135er given he lost to the no.6-ranked Font. In comes Jonathan Martinez.

Coming off the biggest win of his career against Said Nurmagomedov, Martinez is another bantamweight on the rise. This fight would answer more questions about Yanez as well as establish another top-prospect in the shark-infested weight class.

Jorge Masvidal retired following his loss to Gilbert Burns

Alex Pereira vs. whoever is the light heavyweight champion

The script was completely flipped during UFC 287's main-event. Unlike their first fight in the octagon, champion Alex Pereira seemed to be in control of Israel Adesanya and he wasn't going to need a come from behind knockout to retain his title.

Instead, Adesanya landed a sneaky one-two combination that sent Pereira to the canvas, completely unconcious for what has to be the worst loss he has suffered in his career. The visuals weren't pretty as Pereira lay flat on his back with very little responses. A knockout like that can change a career, and at 35 years old, it's unknown what the impact will be for the future.

That's why he has to make the move up to light heavyweight. Not only has he flirted with the move ever since he's joined the company but it now makes perfect sense. He can take as much time off whilst 205 settles itself and fight whoever is the champion when he chooses to return.

It might not seemed 'deserved' but Pereira would easily be the biggest star of the 205 pound division following his fights with Adesanya. The former Glory light heavyweight champion could look to become just that in MMA, and a fight against whoever is holding the belt is likely to produce fireworks.