5 fights to make after UFC 303: Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka 2
UFC 303 took place last night, and saw some tremendous performances. The headline bout, in particular, saw Alex Pereira produce utter brilliance.
So what should be next for the big winners from UFC 303: Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka 2? As always, there are some huge fights on the table for many of last night's stars, should the matchmakers go for them, of course.
Here are five fights to make following UFC 303: Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka 2.
#5. UFC bantamweight bout: Payton Talbott vs. Adrian Yanez
One fighter who won big last night was bantamweight prospect Payton Talbott. The 25-year-old needed less than 30 seconds to dispatch opponent Yanis Ghemmouri, showing everyone why there's so much hype around him.
The one knock on Talbott's win could hang over the quality of his opponent. Ghemmouri had only one bout in the UFC prior to last night, and it also ended in defeat.
It's clear at this point that Talbott needs a step up. Thankfully, he called his shot last night by asking for a fight with Adrian Yanez, and that's a bout that should definitely interest the matchmakers.
Yanez is not currently ranked in the top 15, but he was widely considered one of the best prospects at 135 pounds just a year or so ago. More to the point, he's back on the winning track in his own right after beating Vinicius Salvador in May.
Yanez is basically the perfect opponent for Talbott right now. He's limited enough to be beatable, but can seriously crack and has the ability to take anyone out if he's at his best.
He'd give the young prospect easily the toughest test of his career thus far, and based on how good Talbott has looked up to this point, it's a test he needs.
#4. UFC bantamweight bout: Macy Chiasson vs. Kayla Harrison
Given that Mayra Bueno Silva's last fight saw her edged out by Raquel Pennington in a UFC bantamweight title bout, it was hard not to be impressed by Macy Chiasson's showing against her.
After a tough first round, the TUF 28 champion took 'Sheetara' down in the second and split her head open with a brutal elbow shot. Moments later, referee Chris Tognoni called time, and the bout was stopped by the doctor.
The win is likely to move Chiasson into the top five at 135 pounds, so who should she face next? Incredibly, the best choice might be Kayla Harrison.
The two-time PFL champion smashed Holly Holm in her octagon debut earlier this year and was a contender to fight Pennington for the title next. However, with the news that 'Rocky' is likely to defend against Julianna Pena instead, Harrison is in need of a different opponent.
Given Chiasson's big win here and probable top five status, then, she'd make for the perfect match for the two-time Olympic gold medalist. Put a title shot on the line, and this fight makes absolute sense to book later in 2024.
#3. UFC welterweight bout: Ian Machado Garry vs. Colby Covington
It wasn't always a convincing display, but Ian Machado Garry got the job done last night.
Faced with a stylistically difficult opponent in former Bellator star Michael 'Venom' Page, 'The Future' was able to hang tough in the striking exchanges while using his ground game to work his way to victory.
Garry never came close to a finish, but the Irishman remains undefeated in the octagon, and is clearly a genuine title contender at welterweight.
Who should he face next? Realistically, the only option is Colby Covington. The former UFC interim champ has been involved in a war of words with Garry for a while now, and despite his lack of wins in the past few years, he remains a huge name in the division.
If Garry could knock 'Chaos' off, it'd be hard to deny his status as a top level 170-pounder, and he'd also be likely to do it the hard way given Covington's wrestling skills.
Overall, then, this would make for a perfect headliner for a big Fight Night event later in the year.
#2. UFC featherweight bout: Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes
Last night's co-headliner was supposed to see Brian Ortega face off with Diego Lopes in what could've been a featherweight title eliminator.
Unfortunately, things went badly wrong for 'T-City'. First, the former title challenger announced he'd be unable to make the 145-pound featherweight limit, resulting in the fight being changed to a lightweight one. Then, on the night of the event, the UFC announced that Ortega had taken ill, resulting in a bizarre but exciting last-minute fight between Lopes and Dan Ige.
Lopes duly won, and so the focus should now return to a fight between the Mexico-based Brazilian and Ortega.
Realistically, nobody should blame 'T-City' for last night's issues. He'd never missed weight before, and last night's fight was thrown together with very little notice.
Hopefully, then, the UFC don't penalize him and will instead put together the Lopes fight again. On paper, it should make for a fantastic spectacle, and the winner will almost certainly be propelled into contention.
Essentially, it's too good a piece of matchmaking to pass up on entirely.
#1. UFC light heavyweight title: Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev
It's probably fair to say that Alex Pereira's performance at UFC 303 was one of the best of 2024 thus far. Not only did he take out Jiri Prochazka for the second time, but he did it in style.
'Poatan' essentially knocked Prochazka out twice, decking 'BJP' in the last second of the first round with a left hook, and then finally finishing him in the second round with a brutal head kick.
After the bout, all the talk seemed to centre around the idea of Pereira moving up to heavyweight to challenge for the title there.
However, while that would undoubtedly be cool, 'Poatan' has unfinished business to attend to at 205 pounds first. That unfinished business should see him face Magomed Ankalaev.
The Dagestani has not tasted defeat in the octagon since 2018, and probably should've won the then-vacant 205-pound title in his bout with Jan Blachowicz in 2022.
More to the point, Ankalaev's takedown-heavy style has the ability to really test Pereira, who essentially looks unbeatable on the feet but whose ground game is a question mark of sorts.
Overall, this would clearly be the best light heavyweight title fight to make right now, and if Pereira could come away with a victory in it before the end of 2024, the year would undeniably belong to him.