Oct 22, 2022; Abu Dhabi, UAE; Islam Makhachev (blue gloves) celebrates with the title belt after defeating Charles Oliveira (red gloves) during UFC 280 at Etihad Arena. Mandatory Credit: Craig Kidwell-USA TODAY Sports
MMA: UFC 280-Oliveira vs Makhachev
Just like that the fight card of the year is officially over. When the expectations are so high, it’s hard to live up to them. With two of the three biggest fights on the card mostly ending in a disappointing fashion for the majority of fans, it’s hard to say 280 lived up to the hype. The good thing is that there are a ton of ways the UFC can pivot from here. The possibilities of matchmaking are endless, so to take a poor attempt at that, here are 10 Fights to Make After UFC 280.
Islam Makhachev
He did it. Despite the groves of skeptics who thought he was undeserving of the title fight in the first place, Islam stepped into the ring with the assassin that is Charles Oliveira and took him out with ease. Do Bronx, the man that finished every contender put in front of him, was dominated and ultimately finished by Islam, making Makhachev the most dangerous 155-pounder in the UFC and one of the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet.
As exciting as the fight was and the thrill of a dominant fighter finally being put away, I wish the matchmaking was as open-ended as the possibilities of the fight were. Islam Makhachev will more than likely defend his title for the first time in a Champ vs. Champ fight against the featherweight king and undisputed pound-for-pound number 1 Alexander Volkanovski.
UFC management said it’s the next fight to make, Alexander Volkanovski said it’s the next fight to make, and even Islam Makhachev quickly said that’s the next fight to make. We got a unanimous agreement from all parties, so it’s the fight to make.
Book: Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski (Lightweight Title Fight)
Charles Oliveira
Charles Oliveira might not have technically been the lightweight champion going into his title fight against Islam Makhachev, but everyone and their mother knew Do Bronx was the best 115 lb. fighter in the world going into it. His resume more than proved it. Sure, some were shocked by Islam’s steamrolling over him in Saturday’s main event, but his dethroning was definitive and boasts for a new era of someone to wear the lightweight crown.
As for where Oliveira goes now, it’s tough because he’s already faced – and finished– most of the best top contenders in his division. One name that Oliveira was set to take on that fell through when Charlie Olives pulled out was another man on this card: Beneil Dariush. Since Islam’s next fight is already all but booked, both Oliveira and Dariush would make themselves the undisputed number 1 contender for the next title shot, regardless what happens between Poirier and Chandler.
This fight guarantees fireworks and fans deserve to see two of the best in the world go at it at the highest stakes.
Book: Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush
Aljamain Sterling
Well he did it again. For the third time in a row, Aljamain Sterling pulled the win out of his hat to the displeasure of his doubters. It’s disappointing it wasn’t a competitive fight due to Dillashaw’s immediate injury, but that’s the hand Aljo was dealt. He played that hand the only way he could and did what he had to do in the octagon and pull away the win.
Sterling defended his belt for the second time, and opened up a ton of variety for who can get the rights to his third. Petr Yan is obviously out of the question coming off a loss. Cory Sandhagen won his last fight impressively, but surely needs at least another before rematching Sterling. No one wants Merab Dvalishvili to get that shot after his snoozefest win over Aldo. Marlon Vera has a very good claim to the shot, but probably a step behind the other two names that now precede him.
If there’s one thing you have to come to terms with as an MMA fan is that matchmaking isn’t fair. If it was, Henry Cejudo’s name would be far behind Vera’s in the priority of a title shot, but sadly for Chito, that’s not how this game is played. The minute Henry Cejudo throws his name in the ring, he supersedes every contender as an option for the next bantamweight title shot. One contender he might now be able to pass up, though, is the man who just dethroned the division’s top contender: Sean O’Malley.
O’Malley brings more of a draw than Cejudo does, despite never holding a championship before – or in Cejudo’s instance: two. Sean O’Malley is one of the biggest names for even the most casual of fight fans, and a title fight has all the makings of out-selling whatever the UFC can do with Cejudo. It’s not like it’s unwarranted anymore either. O’Malley can make a legitimate claim to that number 1 ranking in the division after his controversial win over the previous best. Book him for the big bucks while you have the chance.
Book: Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley (Bantamweight Title Fight)
Sean O’Malley
A win is a win. Despite pretty much every media scorecard and the dismay of most of the people who watched the fight and hopped on social media. To cut to the chase, most of what there is to say about O’Malley has been said a hundred times before, but even if you disagree with the result of the judge’s scorecards, even making it a debate against Petr Yan is the most impressive feat of his young career.
Thoughts on his booking have been stated in the paragraphs above this, so just make the money fight while you can. Let O’Malley fight for the title and see what he’s made of.
Book: Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley (Bantamweight Title Fight)
Petr Yan
A really bad taste in the mouth for Petr Yan. Once the undefeated, undisputed best fighter in the bantamweight division, a disqualification and two very controversial decisions in back-to-back-to-back fights, Petr Yan is unexpectedly on a 3-fight losing streak.
Argue whether or not Yan beat O’Malley and Sterling in their rematch; what’s fact is fact: Petr Yan has 3 L’s in his last four fights on his resume. Luckily, his stock hasn’t dropped. There’s still huge populations of fight fans that believe Petr Yan is still the best bantamweight on Earth and that could help him bounce back to another shot at the title he lost in the worst of ways with the right victory.
The TJ Dillashaw fight is right there for the taking, but after his embarrassing title-fight performance, that’s not what’s going to propel him back to a title shot. The plan is simple: kill the next guy up. In that case, it’s Marlon “Chito” Vera that has a target on his head. Stylistically, this is a dream, and it makes it all the better that it’s going to come as a title eliminator. 5 rounds of Yan vs. Chito will make every fight fan in attendance’s ticket worth the price of admission.
The only thing that matters for Petr Yan next time around is simple: a win with no controversy.
Book: Petr Yan vs. Marlon Vera (5 rounds)
TJ Dillashaw
If you shoot your shot, you best not miss – and oh boy did TJ Dillashaw miss.
Sometimes it sucks that MMA fighters are so tough. At times you end up in these rare lose-lose-lose scenarios because fighters refuse to quit. The first loss is obvious on TJ. Just one fight since his two-year suspension, a very close decision at that, and TJ was given a shot at the title he never lost. He squandered that opportunity on the biggest scale by fighting injured and because of the subsequent injury, put on an extremely uncompetitive fight. If TJ wants to fight his way back to another title fight, he’s going to have to work three times as hard now.
The second loss is Aljamain Sterling. A man whose title run was already 2-for-2 with asterisks next to the wins, a third is added onto that only adds more ammunition in the guns of his critics. Being the only person to ever gain ownership of a title via disqualification only to rematch the man he took the title from with a razor close decision, now to winning his second defense against an opponent who was obviously injured coming out the gates. Perhaps it doesn’t matter for Sterling who is continuing to add wins to his resume and is retaining the belt, but after three title fights, he has yet to have that definitive win added to his already buffed up resume, and TJ stole that before it was even possible with their bout at UFC 280.
The third loss was the most obvious: the fans. Dillashaw has a plethora of haters, but no one wants to see the fight go down for that, especially because it’s the co-main event of the biggest fight card of the year. The fans were robbed of what looked to be a great style matchup, and put a sour taste in their mouths just as the card was hitting its climax.
So now all three parties can do is move onto the next one. For TJ, he’s got some options available. Because of his two-year hiatus, there’s a pool of bantamweights Dillashaw has never faced as they rose the ranks during his absence. Dillashaw is still one of the most dangerous guys in the division when healthy, and this injury shouldn’t be too big of a setback before he can get back in the battle against top contenders again.
Based on the name of the fighters’ matchups listed above, there’s one name left in the top 5 of the division that’s left without an opponent. Merab is ideally one fight away from fighting for a title (if he even chooses to fight his good friend and training partner Aljamain Sterling for that title), and it would be a huge win for both parties to get to where they want to be. If Sterling is still the champion after Dillashaw picks up another win, he’ll probably need one more to get his rematch against Aljo, but beating Dvalishvili puts him in the right direction.
Book: TJ Dillashaw vs. Merab Dvalishvili
Beneil Dariush
In a normal, fair scenario, Beneil Dariush is unquestionably the first title defense for the newly crowned lightweight king Islam Makhachev. Unfortunately for Dariush, MMA isn’t like any other sport. You’d think 8-straight wins with some of the most exciting fights and finishes over that span, a dominant win over Tony Ferguson when that still meant something, and dethroning another force of a contender in Gamrot on Saturday’s card, Dariush should be getting the title shot he deserved before this fight, but champ vs. champ fights will ruin that.
The Pound-for-Pound King Alexander Volkanovski announcing his intentions of moving north 10 pounds has put a halt in the progression of the lightweight division’s contenders, with Beneil Darisuh’s name being the first on that list. What can he do to stay active and prove he’s undoubtedly the next-best guy up? Take out the most recent champion before Islam.
Book: Beneil Dariush vs. Charles Oliveira
Mateusz Gamrot
Some may argue that this is the first legitimate loss Mateusz Gamrot has suffered in the UFC banner (don’t show this to Arman Tsarukyan). Losing to someone like Dariush shouldn’t be much of a setback, especially in a fun, and mostly exciting bout. This is a loss Gamrot has nothing to be ashamed of.
A quick turnaround can erase this memory and maintain his stock, and with someone as active and resilient as Gamrot, he’ll surely look to get back in the cage and amend this loss. There’s a lot of options for Gamrot: the loser of the Poirier/Chandler matchup is surely enticing, Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev are both patiently waiting in the wings. All great options, but after a loss to a veteran like Dariush, maybe the best step to take is another very seasoned and respected vet a step lower to really prove his worth amongst the 155 pounders. If Rafael Dos Anjos is still in the business of taking on younger contenders, he’s the name Gamrot should be aiming for.
Book: Mateusz Gamrot vs. Rafael Dos Anjos, or the loser of Dustin Poirier vs. Michael Chandler
Manon Fiorot
In a division desperately lacking in contenders, the women’s flyweight division has a fresh face at the top with Manon Fiorot. There’s a decent chance Valentina takes another shot at Taila Santos after their razor-thin decision in Shevchenko’s most recent title defense, and with that Fiorot might need another fight before getting the shot at gold.
Katlyn Chookagian, with all her criticisms, was still the number 1 ranked fighter in the division, and Fiorot now has a win over her. Why not give her the title shot? Was it as decisive of a win as someone would hope for? No. Was it a finish? No. A win over the top-ranked contender in the division is still that, and in most scenarios enough to earn a title shot. Plus, it would be the only potential title fight in that division that wouldn’t be a rematch.
Book: Valentina Shevchenko vs. Manon Fiorot (Flyweight Title Fight)
Belal Muhammad
Belal Muhammad is now riding a 9-fight unbeaten streak, including that no-contest against the current belt-holder Leon Edwards. Four dominant wins against Demian Maia, Stephen Thompson, Vicente Luque, and the formerly undefeated Sean Brady is as good of a last-4 wins anyone could have in the welterweight division. Finally getting around to a finish this time around, Belal has a legitimate argument for a title shot if not for the former champ Usman calling dibs on the next shot.
One more fight should do the trick for the Chicago-native, and inside the top 5 is what will get him there. Dana White said he hopes to book Colby Covington and Khamzat Chimaev in a fight against each other in early 2022, so that leaves one guy left with Belal inside the top 5 looking for a scrap. Gilbert Burns is the perfect last stop before finally getting a shot at gold.
Book: Belal Muhammad vs. Gilbert Burns
