5 Fights We Need to See After UFC Fight Night 211

UFC Fight Night 211 went down inside the promotion's Apex facility on Saturday night in Las Vegas, and it was a memorable night of action for all those who tuned in. Unfortunately, Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, were the only people able to enjoy it live, but that's not what we're here to discuss.

Headlining honours for the card went to strawweight contenders Mackenzie Dern and Yan Xiaonan, who were ranked Nos. 5 and 6 in the division heading into the event. Dern, a decorated submission grappler, had some success in Rounds 2 and 5 but was otherwise outfought by her Chinese foe, who won a unanimous decision as a result.

Beyond the main event, the card was almost totally devoid of ranked fighters—a frustrating trend of late. The only other ranked fighter on the bill was No. 12 featherweight contender Sodiq Yusuff, who impressed by tapping Don Shainis with a guillotine choke in just 30 seconds.

First-round submissions were actually a theme of the night. Rising middleweight Brendan Allen picked up one of his own on the undercard, tapping out Polish veteran Krzysztof Jotko inside a round, while ageless Argentine bantamweight Guido Cannetti also entertained the Zuckerbergs with a fast tap, slapping a rear-naked choke on Randy Costa just over a minute into the first fight of the night.

Keep scrolling for the fights we're hoping to see for the card's big winners when the dust has settled.

Chinese strawweight Yan Xiaonan picked up one of the better wins of her career in the UFC Fight Night 211 main event, surviving a few scares on the canvas to defeat submission specialist Mackenzie Dern by unanimous decision.

The win separated Yan from a close decision loss to Marina Rodriguez, and a TKO defeat at the hands of reigning strawweight queen Carla Esparza, and it reasserted her as one of the top fighters in her division.

A title shot is definitely still a win or two away, but she can probably expect a big name in her next fight. Our pick is a matchup with former champion Rose Namajunas, who will soon be looking to get back on track after an utterly forgettable decision loss to Esparza earlier this year.

Namajunas, who is not only one of the top fighters in the strawweight division, but also one of its most popular figures, will be a big test for Yan. But if the Chinese fighter beats the former champion in this pay-per-view-worthy scrap, she can probably expect a title shot next.

In fact, if Zhang Weili dethrones Esparza at UFC 281 this November in New York, it's possible we could see her and Yan meet in an all-China title fight sometime in the near future.

Mackenzie Dern didn't get the win she sought at UFC Fight Night 211, but the popular strawweight contender is unlikely to lose much ground in defeat given the competitive nature of her decision loss to Yan Xiaonan.

It will be interesting to see what direction matchmakers take with Dern's next fight, as she has already fought many of the fighters in the strawweight Top 10, and several of those she has yet to meet are occupied with other challenges.

That said, our pick for the Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist is a fight with the loser of the upcoming strawweight title fight between reigning champion Carla Esparza and former champion Zhang Weili, slated for UFC 281 in November. Giving Dern a fight with a fighter like Esparza or Zhang admittedly feels like rewarding her for a loss, but it still seems like a better choice than matching her up with somebody way below her in the rankings, like Michelle Waterson-Gomez or Angela Hill.

Jessica Andrade, another former strawweight champion, would also be a good choice for Dern, but the Brazilian was last slated to fight France's Manon Fiorot up at flyweight, which gives the impression she's focused on that weight class at the moment.

Sodiq Yusuff seemingly had places to be after UFC Fight Night 211.

The Nigerian American featherweight was in action on the main card, taking on Don Shainis, and sealed the deal with a guillotine choke just 30 seconds into the first round.

Yusuff's win was really no surprise. He is the UFC's No. 12-ranked featherweight, while Shainis was making his debut with the promotion. Still, it should set him up for a big opportunity in his next fight.

If he has his way, that next fight will pit him against two-time featherweight title challenger Chan Sung Jung—better known as "The Korean Zombie"—whom he called out post-fight.

Jung, ranked No. 6 at featherweight, has been considering retirement but will seemingly treat his dedicated supporters to at least one more fight. A fight with Yusuff is probably a bit low-profile for the fan favorite's retirement fight—he deserves a special opponent for his last trip the Octagon—but it makes sense if he sticks around for a few more.

So we're here for it, with the caveat that it's not Jung's last fight. If the Zombie does decide he's only got one left in him, match him up with somebody with a little more clout, and pit Yusuff against skidding No. 11-ranked contender Dan Ige.

Brendan Allen has always shown a lot of potential, but he has struggled with consistency in order to make a serious run in the UFC middleweight division.

From the looks of it, he might finally be finding his groove.

Allen was back in action on the UFC Fight Night 211 main card, taking on Poland's Krzysztof Jotko, a 17-fight UFC veteran who remains a tough test for just about anybody outside the division's top dogs. But the American prospect made it look easy, forcing a tap with a rear-naked choke with a little less than a minute remaining in the first round.

It was Allen's third win in a row, after defeats of Sam Alvey and Jacob Malkoun, and it should get him another solid test in his next appearance.

Our pick is a fight with his fellow submission specialist Gerald Meerschaert, who has also taken some tough Ls in the Octagon but recently earned himself some credibility with a gutsy, third-round submission win over knockout artist Bruno Silva.

It would be a great fight between two entertaining grapplers who have long been floating on the cusp of the rankings. Throw it on a Fight Night main card and see who's ready to take another step toward the top of the middleweight heap.

Father Time is no match for Guido Cannetti.

The Argentine bantamweight returned to the cage in the opening bout of the UFC Fight Night 211 broadcast, submitting flashy 28-year-old striker Randy Costa with a rear-naked choke in just over a minute. It was an impressive performance under any circumstances, but it was made all the more so by the fact that Cannetti is 42 years old.

You occasionally see heavyweights perform into their 40s, but in the lower weight classes, where speed is so crucial to success, it is pretty unusual.

Cannetti is clearly an exception to that rule, and it will be exciting to see how long he can continue to defy the ticking clock.

Our pick for his next opponent is England's Davey Grant. Grant, like Cannetti, is riding a nice win, having recently scored a third-round stoppage against tough Hawaiian Louis Smolka. He is also 36 himself, which is getting up there for a bantamweight, and at 14-6 overall, he has a very similar record to Cannetti (10-6).

It makes all the sense in the world.