Matches to Make After UFC Fight Night ‘Cyborg vs. Lansberg’

Blunt force trauma has become commonplace whenever Cris Cyborg climbs into the cage.

The former Strikeforce champion and reigning Invicta Fighting Championships titleholder annihilated a game but grossly outmatched Lina Lansberg in the UFC Fight Night 95 main event on Saturday at Nilson Nelson Gymnasium in Brasilia, Brazil. Lansberg, who had the wind of a six-fight winning streak at her back, absorbed a hellacious beating before finally succumbing to punches 2:29 into round two.

It was a rout in every sense of the word. According to FightMetric data, “Cyborg” landed 100 strikes, 84 of them significant, in a little less than seven and a half minutes. Justino also executed both of her attempted takedowns and passed the Swede’s guard on four occasions. By the time it was over, Lansberg was bleeding heavily from her nose and her left eye had nearly swelled shut. There could not have been a clearer picture of Justino’s supremacy.

“Cyborg” has finished each of her last six opponents and has not experienced defeat since submitting to an Erica Paes armbar in her professional MMA debut in May 2005.

In wake of UFC Fight Night “Cyborg vs. Lansberg,” here are five matches that ought to be made:

Cris Cyborg vs. Germaine de Randamie: Justino may have grown too dominant for her own good. Her inability to compete as a bantamweight leaves the UFC in an awkward position, with no place for the world’s most dominant female mixed martial artist to call home. With that said, Justino remains an undeniable draw and figures to draw high-profile assignments in the Octagon for the foreseeable future. However, until the UFC adds a featherweight division to its women’s MMA package, there will be no ladder for “Cyborg” to climb. De Randamie has rattled off back-to-back victories -- she finished Larissa Pacheco and Anna Elmose in consecutive bouts -- since her technical knockout loss to Amanda Nunes in November 2013. Of course, the UFC could always give Paes a call.

Renan Barao vs. Anthony Pettis: Efficient if unspectacular, Barao notched his first win at 145 pounds with a three-round unanimous decision over former Ring of Combat champion Phillipe Nover in the co-main event. The Nova Uniao mainstay was a willing frontrunner and largely outclassed Nover on the feet, as he countered effectively, scored with leg kicks and connected with two-, three- and four-punch volleys. Whether or not Barao can become an upper-echelon featherweight remains to be seen. Pettis made his divisional debut at UFC on Fox 21 in August, when he submitted Charles Oliveira with a guillotine choke.

Roy Nelson vs. Ben Rothwell: Even at 40, Nelson still packs quite a wallop. “Big Country” introduced Antonio Silva to his thumping right hand in the second round of their heavyweight showcase, as he felled the Brazilian with a powerful uppercut and knocked him senseless with the standing-to-ground punches that came next. Nelson has recorded two wins over his last three outings, a split decision loss to Derrick Lewis his only misstep. Rothwell has not fought since he dropped a unanimous verdict to Junior dos Santos on April 10 in Croatia. The 34-year-old Kenosha, Wisconsin, native defeated Nelson in 2007, as he pocketed a contentious split decision under the International Fight League banner.

Francisco Trinaldo vs. Beneil Dariush-Rashid Magomedov winner: Trinaldo has made himself impossible to ignore in the stacked 155-pound weight class. The 38-year-old Brazilian finds himself on a run of seven straight victories -- only Tony Ferguson has a longer current winning streak in the lightweight division -- and continues to vie for the public’s attention. In his latest effort, Trinaldo slashed open Paul Felder’s eyebrow with an elbow strike, necessitating a third-round stoppage. Since losing a decision to Michael Chiesa at UFC 173 two years ago, “Massaranduba” has beaten Felder, Yancy Medeiros, Ross Pearson, Chad Laprise, Norman Parke, Akbarh Arreola and Leandro Silva. Dariush will square off with Magomedov at a UFC Fight Night event on Nov. 5 in Mexico City.

Jussier da Silva vs. Kyoji Horiguchi-Ali Bagautinov winner: Da Silva has become something of a forgotten man in the flyweight division, with Demetrious Johnson, Joseph Benavidez and Henry Cejudo all beholden to the current season of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series. Nevertheless, the former Shooto Americas champion posted his third win in four appearances, as he was awarded a unanimous decision over Dustin Ortiz on the undercard. Da Silva now holds a 5-3 mark in the UFC, with his only losses coming to Benavidez, Cejudo and John Dodson. Horiguchi will sling the leather with Bagautinov at UFC Fight Night 97 on Oct. 15 in the Philippines.