What's next for UFC 261 winners?

Another UFC event is in the books.

Kamaru Usman retained his welterweight title for the fourth time. Two other championship fights took place, with one fighter keeping her belt, and another taking the throne for the second time.

Here's what should come next for UFC 261's notable winners.

Kamaru Usman

Defeated: Jorge Masvidal via second-round knockout
Should fight: Leon Edwards if he beats Nate Diaz

While there still isn't a clear-cut No. 1 contender in the welterweight division, there are several interesting options for Usman's next title defense.

UFC president Dana White said after Saturday's fight that Colby Covington will get the next shot. Covington is 1-0 since suffering a TKO loss to Usman in a back-and-forth fight in December 2019. The rematch isn't a bad route, but it feels like Covington still needs to earn one more victory before solidifying himself as the rightful challenger.

Edwards should get the next crack at Usman if the Brit gets past Diaz during UFC 262 on May 15. Beating Diaz wouldn't necessarily warrant a title shot on its own, but Edwards' body of work since 2016 needs to be recognized. He was riding an eight-fight winning streak - including triumphs over Donald Cerrone, Vicente Luque, and former lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos - before a bout against Belal Muhammad in March ended in a no-contest.

Edwards has lost to Usman previously. But that took place in 2015, well before either fighter was a top contender in the division. So, unlike the Covington rematch, facing Edwards would be somewhat of a fresh matchup.

If Diaz pulls off the upset against Edwards in the May 15 co-main event, then a bout between Usman and Covington would make the most sense. Stephen Thompson would be a possibility for Usman too if he's victorious against Gilbert Burns on July 10.

Rose Namajunas

Defeated: Zhang Weili via first-round knockout
Should fight: Yan Xiaonan vs. Carla Esparza winner

The strawweight clash between Yan and Esparza at UFC Fight Night on May 22 should determine Namajunas' next opponent. And that's not really up for debate.

Yan is the division's No. 3-ranked contender. She holds a 6-0 record in the UFC, which includes wins over Claudia Gadelha, Karolina Kowalkiewicz, and Angela Hill.

Esparza, a former UFC champion and the fourth-ranked strawweight, has won four straight contests, including decisions over Marina Rodriguez and Michelle Waterson. This matchup would create an intriguing angle, as Esparza finished Namajunas to win the inaugural 115-pound title in 2014.

Based on who deserves a title shot the most, this is by far the best option for the first defense of Namajunas' second reign.

Valentina Shevchenko

Defeated: Jessica Andrade via second-round TKO
Should fight: Lauren Murphy vs. Joanne Calderwood winner

Assuming Shevchenko's next fight will be another women's flyweight title defense, it should come against the winner of the Murphy-Calderwood clash, which is set for UFC 263 on June 12.

Shevchenko will once again need to face someone a bit lower in the rankings after defeating the No. 1 contender in Andrade. "Bullet" against either Murphy or Calderwood would make the most sense, even if neither matchup is especially attractive.

Murphy, who's ranked No. 3 at 125 pounds, has won four straight fights. She beat former title challenger Roxanne Modafferi before earning a dominant finish over Liliya Shakirova this past October.

Calderwood, meanwhile, is ranked No. 6, is only coming off one win, and she's 2-2 over her past four outings. But beating Murphy would move her into the division's top five, making Calderwood the obvious candidate for the next title shot against Shevchenko.

The only competitive fight for Shevchenko is against two-division champ Amanda Nunes. Until that materializes, we're stuck with these matchups.

Uriah Hall

Defeated: Chris Weidman via first-round TKO
Should fight: Jack Hermansson vs. Edmen Shahbazyan winner

Hall's rematch with Weidman didn't go as planned, but the UFC will hopefully get "Prime Time" another fight within weeks.

There are a number of options for the No. 9-ranked middleweight. The matchup that stands out is the winner of the Hermansson-Shahbazyan bout, which is scheduled for UFC 262.

Though he's riding a four-fight winning streak, Hall doesn't quite deserve a top-five opponent. Beating either No. 7 Hermansson or No. 10 Shahbazyan would likely set him up for a big fight, moving Hall one step closer to a title shot against champion Israel Adesanya.

If the UFC wants to give Hall a bit more of a push, he could take on Darren Till, though it's unclear how long Till's recovery from a broken collarbone suffered earlier in April will take. A rematch with Kelvin Gastelum would also be compelling.

Anthony Smith

Defeated: Jimmy Crute via first-round TKO
Should fight: Magomed Ankalaev

Even though Smith's fight against Crute ended in bizarre fashion, "Lionheart" deserves full credit for the win. The kick that hurt Crute's leg was intentional, and Smith's jab looked sharper than ever. The 32-year-old entered his 51st professional fight as an underdog, but Smith proved there's still a lot he can offer in the sport.

Following two straight wins over Crute and Devin Clark, the No. 6-ranked light heavyweight arguably deserves to fight someone higher than him in the rankings. But unfortunately, the best opponent available appears to be Ankalaev, who's ranked No. 7.

Dominick Reyes and Jiri Prochazka are set to face off in the May 1 main event, and the winner will likely get a title eliminator against Aleksandar Rakic. That leaves Ankalaev, who's been a terror in the division lately, running through the likes of Nikita Krylov and Ion Cutelaba (twice) to earn his top-10 spot. The rising contender deserves to fight a big name, and Smith fits that bill after battling for the 205-pound title in 2019.

If Smith gets past Ankalaev, that would prove he's ready to get back to facing the division's top contenders.