Matches to Make After UFC 180

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A blow powerful enough to bring down a rhinoceros took out Mark Hunt.

Fabricio Werdum dispatched the 2001 K-1 World Grand Prix winner in the second round of their UFC 180 main event, as he captured the interim Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight crown on Saturday at Mexico City Arena in Mexico City. The notoriously durable Hunt succumbed to a crushing knee strike and follow-up punches and hammerfists 2:27 into round two.

Hunt knocked down the two-time Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist with right hands in the first and second round but could not close the deal. Werdum later met him in the center of the cage, delivering the knee-to-jaw contact that led to the finish. With that and subsequent shots on the ground, he became just the third man to stop the 40-year-old kiwi with strikes, joining Junior dos Santos and Melvin Manhoef.

In wake of UFC 180 “Werdum vs. Hunt,” here are six matchups that ought to be considered:

Related: UFC 180 Bonuses

Fabricio Werdum vs. Cain Velasquez: Werdum will keep the heavyweight throne warm until 2015, while Velasquez recovers from knee surgery. The 37-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt has redefined himself under the direction of Kings MMA frontman Rafael Cordeiro, morphing from one-dimensional grappler into one of the world’s most complete and lethal heavyweights. Since returning to the UFC, Werdum has beaten Hunt, Travis Browne, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mike Russow and Roy Nelson in succession. Velasquez, 32, has not fought since successfully defending his title against dos Santos at UFC 166 more than a year ago.

Kelvin Gastelum vs. Tyron Woodley: No fighter did more to raise his profile at UFC 180 than Gastelum, as the undefeated “Ultimate Fighter” winner submitted Jake Ellenberger with a first-round rear-naked choke in the co-main event. Still just 23, the fast-rising welterweight has compiled a perfect 5-0 mark inside the Octagon and has the look of a potential superstar. Gastelum walked through Ellenberger’s powerful punches, scrambled to the Nebraskan’s back out of a takedown and executed the choke with flawless technique. Woodley last appeared at a UFC Fight Night event in August, when he needed a mere 61 seconds to wipe out Dong Hyun Kim.

Ricardo Lamas vs. Conor McGregor: Lamas reaffirmed his place as one of the sport’s premier featherweights, as he snatched an opportunistic guillotine choke and forced a tapout from “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 14 finalist Dennis Bermudez. The Chicago native dropped Bermudez to a seated position with a stiff jab and secured the guillotine when “The Menace” attempted to return to his feet. Lamas is 9-2 over his last 11 appearances, losing only to longtime 145-pound king Jose Aldo and former Jungle Fight champion Iuri Alcantara. He would serve as a legitimate top-five test for McGregor, provided the Irishman can get past Dennis Siver in their UFC Fight Night main event in January.

Mark Hunt vs. Antonio Silva: Even in defeat, Hunt remains one of MMA’s feel-good stories. He clocked the aforementioned Werdum with the kind of power shots that might have buckled a lesser man. “Vai Cavalo” stayed in the fight, however, and capitalized on a narrow opening in the second round, where he leveled Hunt with a knee to the head and finished him with follow-up ground strikes. How much the 40-year-old Australia-based New Zealand native has left in the tank is anyone’s guess, but he figures to remain a factor in a thin heavyweight division for the foreseeable future. Silva -- win or lose against Frank Mir at UFC 184 -- has unfinished business with Hunt, as the two battled to a majority draw in one of the most memorable bouts of 2013.

Jake Ellenberger vs. Jordan Mein-Thiago Alves loser: On a three-fight losing streak, Ellenberger’s stock continues to plummet. The 29-year-old Reign MMA representative was victimized by Gastelum in the opening frame of their co-headliner, as he surrendered to a rear-naked choke from “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 17 winner. Once ranked among the world’s top 10 welterweights, Ellenberger has not won a fight since he smashed through Nate Marquardt in March 2013. Mein and Alves will lock horns at UFC 183 on Jan. 31.

Dennis Bermudez vs. Dustin Poirier: Bermudez finally stubbed his toe, as his guillotine choke-induced submission defeat to Lamas brought a swift end to his seven-fight winning streak. A stinging left jab from “The Bully” left him vulnerable to the subsequent choke, as Lamas locked the guillotine in place, rolled into a mounted position and left him no choice but to tap out. Still, the 27-year-old Bermudez remains one of the UFC’s most promising young featherweights. American Top Team’s Poirier finds himself on the rebound following his technical knockout loss to McGregor at UFC 178 in September. The 25-year-old Louisianan has never lost back-to-back fights.