5 fights to make following UFC 305: Dricus du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya
Last night saw the UFC put on a major show in Perth, Australia. The headliner saw one of the biggest grudges in the promotion finally settled.
UFC 305: Dricus du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya saw some major wins from some of the promotion's biggest stars, so what is next for them?
As always, the matchmakers have no shortage of possibilities for these fighters going forward.
Here are five fights to make following UFC 305: Dricus du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya.
#5 UFC heavyweight bout: Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Marcin Tybura
It's rare that the UFC matches a fighter coming off a win against one coming off a loss, but the promotion may find booking Jairzinho Rozenstruik's next bout a little tricky.
'Bigi Boy' came out on top in a largely lackluster fight against Tai Tuivasa last night, and still remains ranked in the heavyweight division at No.12.
However, the native of Suriname has also fought most of the fighters ranked around him, and the majority of those he hasn't are already booked.
More importantly, it'll be hard for him to take a real step forward unless he proves that he's tuned up his ground game.
Therefore, a smart booking for him to take next could be against Marcin Tybura, despite the Polish fighter being submitted by Sergey Spivak earlier this month.
'Tybur' is ranked above Rozenstruik at No.9, and he's powerful enough on the mat to really test 'Bigi Boy' there.
Given the lengthy tenure of both men, it's a wonder that they haven't already faced off in the octagon. Therefore, the matchmakers should make this one happen in the near future.
#4 UFC welterweight bout: Carlos Prates vs. Gilbert Burns or Sean Brady
Carlos Prates produced a true breakout performance last night. Faced with his toughest test to date in the form of tough veteran Li Jingliang, 'The Nightmare' stepped up, big time.
He knocked 'The Leech' out in the second round, becoming the first fighter to stop him with strikes. The win should put him on the cusp of the top fifteen at 170 pounds.
The UFC could match the Brazilian with someone like Michael 'Venom' Page or Vicente Luque next, but based on how good he looked last night, he could be ready for a much bigger step up.
Therefore, why not match him with the winner of the upcoming Gilbert Burns vs. Sean Brady clash?
With Burns ranked at No.6 and Brady at No.8, a win over either man would propel Prates into title contention. More to the point, both men are stalwart grapplers, and could test 'The Nightmare' in an area we haven't seen a lot of him in to date.
Would this be too much, too soon for the Brazilian? Perhaps, but with high risk comes high reward, and from what he's shown so far, he's absolutely ready for it.
#3 UFC lightweight bout: Dan Hooker vs. Justin Gaethje
The biggest upset at UFC 305 was produced by Dan Hooker. The veteran lightweight continued his surprising resurgence by beating the highly-regarded Mateusz Gamrot in a pretty wild fight, edging out 'Gamer' after three rounds.
Given Gamrot was ranked at No.5 coming into the bout, Hooker's win should propel him further up the ranks than he's ever been before. So who should he face next?
Perhaps the best fight out there for 'The Hangman', despite the risks it'd present, would be against Justin Gaethje.
'The Highlight' has not been seen since his crazy knockout loss to Max Holloway at UFC 300, but realistically, he's a big enough name that he can bounce back from that loss.
More to the point, Hooker is no stranger to the kind of crazy firefight that Gaethje can always bring, having fought the likes of Michael Chandler and Dustin Poirier in the past.
Producing a fight between 'The Hangman' and 'The Highlight' would almost certainly produce one of the wildest bouts that fans could possibly imagine. If Hooker could win, meanwhile, he could even be propelled into a title fight.
Overall, making this one over five rounds makes too much sense to ignore.
#2 UFC flyweight bout: Kai Kara-France vs. Tagir Ulanbekov
Despite not having won a bout in the octagon since March 2022, Kai Kara-France re-ignited his career last night with a huge knockout win over Steve Erceg.
Given that Erceg's last fight saw him edged out by current flyweight champ Alexandre Pantoja in the headliner of UFC 301, it's hard to play down how big a win this was for 'Don't Blink'.
However, it's hard to actually book the New Zealand native going forward. He's already fought - and lost to - Amir Albazi, and the other fighters highly ranked in the division are tied up.
Therefore, a good opponent for Kara-France could be Tagir Ulanbekov.
The Dagestani is somewhat unheralded, but he's also 4-1 in the UFC and looks like a very dangerous foe for anyone at 125 pounds.
If Ulanbekov could beat Kara-France, it'd be a coming-out party of sorts for him, while if 'Don't Blink' could win, a title opportunity could then open up depending on the results of some other fights.
It isn't the sexiest fight out there for the New Zealand-based star, but it is one that makes sense.
#1 UFC middleweight title: Dricus du Plessis vs. Robert Whittaker or Khamzat Chimaev
If Dana White is to be believed, the next challenger for Dricus du Plessis' middleweight title has already been decided.
The UFC CEO was quick to confirm that the next shot would go to former titleholder Sean Strickland, who most recently defeated Paulo Costa in a five-round bout.
However, as everyone knows, plans can always change in the UFC, and in this case, they probably ought to.
Had Israel Adesanya won last night, a Strickland rematch would've made sense given 'Tarzan' defeated 'The Last Stylebender' to win the middleweight title last year.
But given that du Plessis dethroned Strickland earlier this year - and the fight was not a barnburner - is there any money in a rematch? Probably not.
The better fight for 'Stillknocks' would see him face the winner of the upcoming Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev fight.
The bout is set to go down in October, assuming both men remain healthy. Sure, it means a slightly longer layoff for du Plessis, but does that really matter? Not at all.
Chimaev would be the freshest challenger at 185 pounds for some time, even if he hasn't really fought a top contender there just yet.
Whittaker, meanwhile, has been on a roll since his loss to du Plessis last year. A win over 'Borz' would move him onto a three-fight win streak, and he's done far more than Strickland to warrant another shot.
There's no doubt 'Tarzan' would be unhappy if he is overlooked, but that's the fight game. Du Plessis vs. Whittaker 2, or du Plessis vs. Chimaev are far better bouts to make right now.