Matches to Make After UFC 181

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He did what Josh Thomson, Shinya Aoki, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Jorge Masvidal, Diego Sanchez, Clay Guida, Benson Henderson and 14 others could not: Anthony Pettis finished Gilbert Melendez.

Pettis submitted the former Strikeforce and World Extreme Cagefighting titleholder with a mounted second-round guillotine choke to retain the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight crown in the UFC 181 co-main event on Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. Melendez, whose 26-fight career stretches back to 2002, tapped out 1:53 into round two.

Provided he can put his injury woes behind him, Pettis possesses all the necessary ingredients for mixed martial arts superstardom. The 27-year-old Roufusport representative will carry a five-fight winning streak into 2015, where there will be no shortage of would-be successors seeking to unseat him.

In wake of UFC 181 “Hendricks vs. Lawler 2,” here are six matchups that ought to be considered:

Related: UFC 181 Play-by-Play

Anthony Pettis vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov: Pettis was again sensational, as his mounted guillotine choke resulted in Melendez’s surrender a little less than two minutes into the second round. Defending the UFC’s lightweight championship for the first time, “Showtime” withstood incessant pressure, repeated clinches and occasional takedowns from Melendez. In the second round, Pettis countered a takedown from the Cesar Gracie protégé, locked down the guillotine choke and forced the submission. He has won five straight fights against increasingly difficult opposition, from Jeremy Stephens, Joe Lauzon and Donald Cerrone to Henderson and Melendez. Recovering from knee surgery, Nurmagomedov has not fought since he cruised to a unanimous decision over Rafael dos Anjos at UFC on Fox 11 in April.

Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald: When Lawler lost five times in the span of eight fights from June 6, 2009 to July 14, 2012, no one could have foreseen his rise to the top of the welterweight division. The 32-year-old American Top Team representative added the signature piece to his career resume in the UFC 181 headliner, as he captured the organization’s 170-pound crown and avenged a March 15 defeat to Johny Hendricks with his split decision victory against the “Bigg Rigg.” Lawler has gone 6-1 since returning to the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2013 -- a run of sustained success that includes a win over MacDonald at UFC 167. Spawned by Montreal’s Tristar Gym, the 25-year-old MacDonald last appeared at a UFC Fight Night event in October, when he stopped Tarec Saffiedine on third-round punches.

Travis Browne vs. Junior dos Santos-Stipe Miocic winner: Browne chewed up and spit out Brendan Schaub in a pivotal heavyweight battle, dispatching “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 10 finalist with unanswered punches from the back mount. The 6-foot-7 Hawaiian staggered Schaub with a right uppercut, trailed him to the canvas and went to work, achieving full mount three times before securing the stoppage. Browne has won seven of his past nine bouts, losing only to former EliteXC champion Antonio Silva and current interim UFC titleholder Fabricio Werdum. Dos Santos will lock horns with Miocic in the UFC on Fox 13 main event on Dec. 13.

Gilbert Melendez vs. Benson Henderson-Eddie Alvarez loser: Twice Melendez has tried to strike UFC gold, and twice he has failed. The Cesar Gracie disciple came up short in his bid to dethrone Pettis, submitting to a mounted guillotine choke from the Roufusport juggernaut in the second round. Still, Melendez remains one of the sport’s premier fighters at 155 pounds and figures to factor into the equation atop the division for the foreseeable future. Henderson -- who spoiled Melendez’s Octagon debut with a controversial decision win in April 2013 -- will toe the line against a former Bellator MMA champion in Alvarez at UFC Fight Night “McGregor vs. Siver” on Jan. 18 in Boston.

Johny Hendricks vs. Tyron Woodley-Kelvin Gastelum winner: Hendricks relinquished what turned out to be a brief, nine-month hold on the UFC’s welterweight throne, as he wound up on the wrong side of a split decision against Lawler. A four-time NCAA All-American wrestler and two-time national champion at Oklahoma State University, the 31-year-old Team Takedown export was superb in spurts -- punching combinations punctuated by leg kicks were things of beauty -- and downright pedestrian in others. According to preliminary FightMetric data, Hendricks out-landed Lawler in terms of significant strikes in the second, third and fourth rounds while also accounting for all five takedowns in the rematch. It was not enough, leaving the bearded Oklahoman to return to the proverbial drawing board. Woodley and the fast-rising Gastelum will square off at UFC 183 on Jan. 31.

Tony Ferguson vs. Rustam Khabilov: Ferguson may not be flying under the radar much longer in the crowded lightweight division. “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 13 winner survived an early blitz from Abel Trujillo and ultimately submitted the Blackzilians representative with a second-round rear-naked choke, Ferguson, 30, has rattled off four straight wins and seems due for a step up in competition. Khabilov fits that bill, provided he can resolve the visa issues that forced him from the UFC 182 lineup on Jan. 3.