Booking the 5 next fights to make sense of the UFC lightweight title picture
The UFC's lightweight division reached a crucial juncture after Dustin Poirier defeated Conor McGrgeor at UFC 257. Apart from the spectacular main-event, former Bellator Champion, Michael Chandler also made a strong case for himself with a highlight-reel knockout of Dan Hooker in the co-main.
More recently, Islam Makahachev has also established himself as a top lightweight by living up to the hype with a dominant grappling display against Drew Dober at UFC 259. With no indication from Khabib Nurmagomedov of ending his retirement, the lightweight division is potentially looking at a new king in the months to come.
In the aftermath of UFC 259, we look at the next 5 logical fights to make sense of the lightweight title picture:
#5 Logical lightweight fight: Dan Hooker vs Beneil Dariush
Beneil Dariush is currently on a phenomenal 6-fight win streak after picking up a split decision win against Carlos Diego Ferreira at UFC Vegas 18. While Dariush thinks that he deserves a shot at the top of the highly competitive lightweight division, he isn't exactly willing to 'beg'.
Dan Hooker, meanwhile, comes off a one-sided loss to Michael Chandler at UFC 259. However, this doesn't discredit his past performances like the Fight of the Night performance against Dustin Poirier or the three-fight win streak before that. Currently ranked #8 and #9 respectively Dan Hooker and Beneil Dariush certainly deserve a matchup to assert themselves as the better lightweight.
#4 Logical lightweight fight: Rafael Dos Anjos vs Charles Oliveira
Currently ranked at #7 Rafael Dos Anjos will look to establish a win streak after his Fight of the Night performance against Paul Felder last year. While RDA might be some distance from the title picture, a matchup against Charles 'De Bronx' Oliveira will certainly be stylistically impressive.
Charles Oliveira, on the other hand, is coming off the most impressive win of his career after a thorough domination of Tony Ferguson at UFC 256. Oliveira has won his last eight bouts inside the Octagon and is certainly eyeing a title shot in his next outing. However, with Poirier and Gaethje in the picture, RDA could be a deserving opponent for Charles Oliveira to drive his point home.
#3 Logical lightweight fight: Tony Ferguson vs Islam Makhachev
Islam Makhachev has recently called out Tony Ferguson after submitting Drew Dober with an arm-triangle from half-guard at UFC 259. Though Islam Makhachev has a long pending fight with RDA, the Dagestani fighter revealed that he has another opponent of choice. Islam Makhachev told media in the post-fight interview:
"RDA or Tony Ferguson. But, my dream fight is Tony because we have some deal with him like couple of years. Now he still pressure Khabib. I don’t understand this guy. I want to just help him retire. He’s old. His mind is a little bit crazy. That’s why I just want to help him.”
Tony Ferguson, meanwhile, is at a crucial juncture in his career after losing his title shot to Justin Gaethje and dropping the subsequent bout to Charles Oliveira. 'El Cucuy' will certainly respond to the callout considering the fact that team Khabib has been rooting for Makhachev as the next Champion.
#2 Logical lightweight fight: Michael Chandler vs Justin Gaethje
Michael Chandler made a spectacular UFC debut by knocking out Dan Hooker with a clean left hook that added to the potential of the already stacked lightweight division. In the aftermath of his fight, Chandler challenged Justin Gaethje to prove himself as the 'most violent guy' in the UFC. In an interview with ESPN, Chandler told Ariel Helwani:
If I had it my way, it would be Justin Gaethje because it is a fight that excites me and it is a fight that I match up extremely well against Justin Gaethje,” “You had a guy who I tangled with a couple of times named Eddie Alvarez who beat Justin Gaethje, whenever they fought for the unofficial title of the most violent guy in mixed martial arts. The most violent guy in the UFC. Eddie Alvarez won that fight. I think I’m the new most violent guy in the UFC. If Justin Gaethje wants to prove that, he’s gonna need to step in the octagon against me.”
In another interview with Brett Okamoto of ESPN, Justin Gaethje called Chandler 'Cringey' and his manager expressed interest in the matchup immediately afterwards. The two are definitely set on a collision course to clear up the confusion in the lightweight division.
#1 Logical lightweight fight: Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier 3
Well, because why not? While Conor McGregor might be the #6 ranked lightweight fighter, he is still likely to get a shot at the title ahead of #2 ranked Justin Gaethje or Charles Oliveira who is on an eight-fight win streak. UFC President Dana White has confirmed that both parties have agreed to the fight and it is likely to take place this summer. White said of McGregor and Poirier:
“They both want it. So when you’ve got two guys who want the trilogy as bad as those two do, we try to make it happen. It’ll happen this summer.”