Mick Maynard's Shoes: What's next for Christian Leroy Duncan after UFC Vegas 122 loss?

Christian Leroy Duncan was given a rude welcome to the upper echelon of the middleweight division Saturday at UFC Fight Night 290 .

Although Duncan (15-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) had some solid moments in his first headlining opportunity against Brendan Allen (28-7 MMA, 16-4 UFC) at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas, he ultimately succumbed to a rear-naked choke in the fifth round .

Duncan was afforded the potentially career-changing main event spot on the power of a five-fight winning streak, but it was obvious his game still need some work if he's going to get past the likes of Allen or those ranked above him.

Some questionable in-fight decision making led to the demise of the Brit, and there's something more to be desired there if he wants to get over the hump. At 31, these are precious years for Duncan to develop if he wants to make another run.

The upside for Duncan, however, is that he still finds himself in the top 15 at 185 pounds. He's going to get a name UFC fans are familiar with, and the frontrunner for his next matchup should be Roman Kopylov, who is coming off an upset of Ateba Gautier at UFC 332 this month.

Duncan and Kopylov (16-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) are both powerful strikers with lots of tricks in their bag. A pairing between them seems inevitable in this division, and right now would be a good time to pull the trigger on booking it.