Matches to Make After UFC Fight Night 138

Those who expected the clock to strike midnight on Anthony Smith were sorely disappointed.

“Lionheart” penned the latest chapter of his unlikely Cinderella story in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s light heavyweight division, as he submitted Volkan Oezdemir in the third round of their UFC Fight Night 138 headliner on Saturday at the Avenir Centre in Moncton, New Brunswick. Bloodied and exhausted, Oezdemir conceded defeat 4:26 into Round 3.

Smith struggled to find his footing for much of the first two rounds. Oezdemir battered him with leg kicks, trapped him in the clinch and even mixed in a takedown at one point. Through it all, Smith stayed calm and composed. He rattled Oezdemir with a sweeping right hand in the third round and followed up with knees, kicks and close-quarters elbows before delivering an unexpected takedown. Smith advanced to Oezdemir’s back, set his hooks and went to work on the choke. After making the necessary adjustment with his grip, the Factory X standout tightened his squeeze and drew the curtain on the Swiss kickboxer.

In the aftermath of UFC Fight Night “Oezdemir vs. Smith,” here are five matches that ought to be made:

Anthony Smith vs. Jan Blachowicz: Considered little more than a journeyman action fighter mere months ago, Smith has reinvented himself with a move to 205 pounds. The 30-year-old Nebraskan has pieced together a three-fight winning streak -- he victimized former champions Rashad Evans and Mauricio Rua before submitting Oezdemir -- and emerged as a dark horse contender. Smith has won 14 of his past 16 bouts overall, 12 of them finishes. Blachowicz, 35, last competed at UFC Fight Night 136 in September, when he disposed of Nikita Krylov with an arm-triangle choke. The onetime KSW titleholder has posted four straight victories.

Michael Johnson vs. Makwan Amirkhani: Quick hands and quicker feet carried Johnson to a unanimous decision over SBG Ireland export Artem Lobov in the featherweight co-main event. All three cageside judges scored it for “The Ultimate Fighter 12” finalist: 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27. A short-notice fill-in for Zubaira Tukhugov, Johnson answered the Russian’s merciless pressure with repeated jabs, crisp straight lefts and occasional kicks to the lead leg and body. His gas tank was perhaps his most valuable weapon, as he gradually wore down Lobov with continuous lateral and in-and-out movement. Amirkhani last competed at UFC Fight Night 130 on May 27, when he eked out a split decision over Jason Knight and improved to 4-1 inside the Octagon.

Misha Cirkunov vs. Ilir Latifi-Corey Anderson winner: Cirkunov made quick work of Patrick Cummins and his world-class mustache in their light heavyweight showcase, as he submitted the two-time NCAA All-American wrestler with a first-round arm-triangle choke. Cummins bowed out 2:40 into Round 1. Cirkunov cut off the Doylestown, Pennsylvania, native’s bid for a takedown, executed one of his own and landed in mounted. The Xtreme Couture rep progressed to the arm-triangle choke, cleared Cummins’ guard and forced the tapout. The win snapped a two-fight losing streak for Cirkunov. Latifi will lock horns with Anderson at UFC 231 on Dec. 29.

Sean Strickland vs. Vicente Luque: Relentless pressure, a sharp jab and straight power punches buoyed Strickland, as he put away Nordine Taleb in the second round of their featured welterweight prelim. Talib succumbed to blows 3:10 into Round 2. Strickland overcame a rough start, found his rhythm in the middle stanza and let his talent do the rest. He dropped Taleb with an overhand right, reset and drove the Tristar Gym mainstay to the canvas with clubbing punches at close range. Strickland then pummeled his counterpart with consistent ground-and-pound until referee Eric Nevitt had seen enough. Luque last appeared at UFC 229, where he carved through Jalin Turner with first-round punches on Oct. 6.

Nasrat Haqparast vs. Drew Dober: Haqparast employed the skills that have made him one of the sport’s most promising young lightweights, as he took a unanimous verdict from Thibault Gouti in a three-round clash on the undercard. Scores were 29-27, 29-28 and 30-26. Haqparast cut loose with rapid-fire punching bursts and did significant damage to the body, particularly late in the fight. He doubled over Gouti with body kicks in the third round, forced him to retreat and bullied him to the canvas. Once there, Haqparast maintained top position, applied his ground-and-pound and cruised to a decision. Dober, 30, finds himself on a three-fight winning streak after he outpointed Jon Tuck at UFC Fight Night 135 in August.