5 fights to make after UFC Fight Night: Robert Whittaker vs. Ikram Aliskerov
The UFC visited Saudi Arabia for the first time last night. In the event's headliner, a former champion shone brightly.
UFC Fight Night: Robert Whittaker vs. Ikram Aliskerov saw 'The Reaper' produce a stunning performance, while other fighters also performed excellently. So what is next for these fighters? As always, the matchmakers have plenty of options ahead of them.
With that in mind, here are five fights to make following UFC Fight Night: Robert Whittaker vs. Ikram Aliskerov.
#5. UFC light heavyweight bout: Volkan Oezdemir vs. Carlos Ulberg
Volkan Oezdemir produced one of the best showings of his UFC career last night. The Swiss fighter absolutely destroyed Johnny Walker with a violent combination in the first round of their light heavyweight bout, ending him with two right hands.
'No Time' went into the bout ranked at No.9 in the division, but it's highly likely he'll now leapfrog Walker and land at No.7 next week. Despite his win, it's difficult to see Oezdemir as more than a gatekeeper at this point. We know what he's capable of, but we also know what he isn't capable of.
Therefore, a good fight for him to take next could be against the surging prospect Carlos Ulberg, who was forced out of his planned clash with Anthony Smith next weekend.
'Black Jag' has won his last six fights and climbed into the top-15. He also won his last bout in just 12 seconds, violently dispatching Alonzo Menifield. However, he'd undoubtedly have a tougher time with Oezdemir. 'No Time' has a tremendously tough chin and has only been stopped by strikes twice in his lengthy career.
If Ulberg could get past him, he'd send a major message to the rest of the division, making this one a smart fight to book next.
#4. UFC middleweight bout: Kelvin Gastelum vs. Kevin Holland
It was difficult to quantify Kelvin Gastelum's win over Daniel Rodriguez last night. On one hand, the TUF 17 winner fought well and got his UFC career back on track by clearly outpointing 'D-Rod' over three rounds.
On the other hand, though, Gastelum was unable to make the 170 pound welterweight limit, forcing the promotion to change the bout to a 185 pound one instead. In many ways, Gastelum was lucky that Rodriguez agreed to the change.
After this debacle, it's clear that Gastelum needs to stay at 185 pounds for his next fight. However, it's probably fair to match him with another smaller middleweight, too. Therefore, a good opponent for him could be Kevin Holland, another fighter who seems to straddle the line between 170 and 185 pounds.
'The Trailblazer' also fought earlier this month, submitting Michal Oleksiejczuk. More interestingly, both he and Gastelum have the tools to bother the other, with Holland tending to struggle against opponents with a heavy top game and Gastelum with longer, lankier fighters.
Given their lengthy tenures with the promotion, it's surprising these two haven't faced off before. Therefore, it'd be well worth making it happen later in 2024.
#3. UFC middleweight bout: Sharabutdin Magomedov vs. Bo Nickal
Despite it being close to a proven method to get a desired fight, it feels like the art of calling out an opponent directly after a bout in the UFC has begun to fade somewhat.
That's why it's refreshing when it does happen, as it has done this weekend in the case of Shara Magomedov. 'Shara Bullet' defeated newcomer Antonio Trocoli in impressive fashion in Riyadh, knocking the Brazilian out in the thrid round of their middleweight tilt.
Not long after the fight, hot prospect Bo Nickal took to social media to call the Dagestani out, and Magomedov seemed keen to accept the clash.
Some observers might frown upon this fight, as it would pit two young, talented prospects against one another. However, the UFC has never really shied away from putting such bouts together, feeling that the losing fighter could always rebound anyway.
Therefore, why not go for it? It would be fascinating to see Nickal pit his fantastic wrestling against the dangerous striking of 'Shara Bullet', even if we'll likely have to wait until the next visit to the Middle East to see it.
#2. UFC heavyweight bout: Alexander Volkov vs. Jailton Almeida
It was difficult not to be impressed with veteran heavyweight Alexander Volkov last night. Despite being considered an underdog, 'Drago' picked apart heavy hitter Sergei Pavlovich, frustrating and outpointing him over three rounds.
Remarkably, Volkov is now on the longest win streak in the division, winning his last four fights. So who should be next for him? The best thing the UFC could do here would be to put Volkov's fight with Jailton Almeida back together.
The two men were initially pegged to fight at UFC 302, but for unknown reasons, the bout fell apart. Instead, 'Malhadinho' easily dealt with Alexander Romanov.
Volkov would undoubtedly give the young Brazilian a much stiffer test, and if Almeida could get past him, he'd be on the cusp of a title shot.
'Drago' would admittedly have less to gain, but such is the life of a high-end gatekeeper. Either way, it'd be good if the promotion could put this one together for the later part of this year.
#1. UFC middleweight bout: Robert Whittaker vs. Sean Strickland
Sure, he only knocked off a prospect in the form of Ikram Aliskerov rather than a highly ranked foe in Khamzat Chimaev, but Robert Whittaker was definitely last night's biggest winner.
'The Reaper' looked back to his absolute best in his violent win in Riyadh, needing just under two minutes to dispatch his Dagestani foe. So what's next for the former middleweight champ? On one hand, it'd be tempting to simply re-book his meeting with Chimaev for a later event in 2024.
However, there's no telling how long it might take 'Borz' to be ready to return, and after this win, it's more tempting to reward Whittaker with a higher-ranked foe anyway.
Therefore, why not put him up against a fellow former champ in Sean Strickland? 'Tarzan' last defeated Paulo Costa earlier this month. While the bout was lacklustre, he'd still give 'The Reaper' a huge test.
With Dricus du Plessis about to defend his crown against Israel Adesanya later in the summer, the UFC could easily put Whittaker against Strickland to decide the next top contender.
There might not be the time to get the bout onto the undercard of the du Plessis/Adesanya clash, but it'd be the perfect headliner for a big Fight Night card slightly later on in 2024.