What’s next for Justin Gaethje and Donald Cerrone after UFC Vancouver

Justin Gaethje took on Donald Cerrone in the main event of UFC Vancouver. It was a critical fight in the lightweight division, and one with the potential to propel the winner to the cusp of a title shot.

In the end, it was Gaethje who got it done. The former World Series of Fighting champ knocked out Cowboy in the first round to extend his winning streak to three. It also puts Cerrone on a two-fight losing streak and makes him 2-2 at lightweight since dropping back down to the division earlier this year.

Following the fight, here is what we think should be next for the two of them.

Justin Gaethje

Justin Gaethje called for the winner of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson — assuming that fight happens next. It makes a ton of sense for that to happen, and have him on standby as a backup fighter in case something happens to either fighter.

But, there is another fight that makes sense for Justin Gaethje, and that is to fight Conor McGregor. If the Irishman returns to the Octagon, this fight makes plenty of sense. The two were rumored to fight in July. Now, if they do fight, the winner would no doubt deserve the next title shot.

Yet, whether or not McGregor fights again is to be seen. If he does, McGregor-Gaethje is the fight to make, if he doesn’t, having Gaethje fight the winner of Nurmagomedov-Ferguson should be next.

Donald Cerrone

Donald Cerrone moved down to lightweight to make a run for the lightweight title and suffered another setback. Yet, he is still confident he will win the title before his career is over with.

Cerrone should still be in the top-five of the division after the rankings get updated. But who he fights next is a big question. A fight against Paul Felder makes a ton of sense. However, they are good friends and have been hesitant to fight one another. If they do not want to fight each other, Cerrone could very well be Dustin Poirier’s next opponent. Both need to win their next fight to try and get another title shot, so the stakes for the fight would be high.

Who do you think should be next for Justin Gaethje and Donald Cerrone after UFC Vancouver?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 9/13/2019.