UFC 287 is in the books, and while the ramifications of the event will be felt for some time, fans are already looking ahead to the future of the fighters involved.
So what should the next bouts be for the stars of UFC 287: Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya 2? Fortunately, there are many options.
Whether the matchmakers for the promotion have similar ideas or will be looking for something completely different is of course up to them and remains to be seen. Here, however, are five fights to make after UFC 287: Alex Pereira vs. Yisrael Adesanya 2.
#5. UFC welterweight fight: Kevin Holland vs. Jack Della Maddalena
Kevin Holland was one of the big winners at UFC 287, as he knocked out the tough Santiago Ponzinibbio in the third round of an entertaining fight.
The win snapped a two-fight losing streak for ‘Trailblazer,’ and should move him back into contention in the welterweight division. So who should he go up against next?
Holland was desperate to fight Jorge Masvidal. However, with ‘Gamebred’ choosing to retire this weekend, he will probably have to settle for a lesser name, albeit one that might give him a path to the ranks. In this sense, an option could be Vicente Luque.
‘The Silent Assassin’ is currently winless in his last two fights, but is still ranked #10 in the division. More importantly, he is one of the most exciting fighters in the promotion, with a ridiculous 11 finishes in 12 wins to his name.
Given Holland’s penchant for stopping his opponents, there’s almost no way this fight is going to go all the way, which means it would be a brilliant addition to any event in the near future.
#4. UFC Bantamweight Fight: Rob Font vs. Umar Nurmagomedov
In a stellar performance that earned him a $50k bonus, Rob Font turned down a challenge from hot prospect Adrián Yáñez this weekend. Font stopped Yáñez in the first round, becoming the first fighter to beat him in the octagon.
The Boston-based fighter likely won’t move up the rankings after the fight, as he currently sits at No.6. Realistically, the win should allow him to take on a fighter above him next time around.
However, there is a problem with that. It looks like Cory Sandhagen, Merab Dvalishvili, Petr Yan and Marlon Vera are all fighting each other, while Sean O’Malley is likely sitting around waiting for a title shot.
Therefore, Font is likely to play the role of gatekeeper again, just as he did this weekend. If he does, then the best opponent for him could be Umar Nurmagomedov.
Currently ranked at No. 11, one spot above Yanez, Nurmagomedov is 15-0 overall and has won his first four bouts in the UFC.
The cousin of former lightweight boss Khabib, Umar has the same brutal fighting style as ‘The Eagle’, and would definitely give Font a different test. After all, Font hasn’t faced a real fighter in years.
Overall, this would be a fun, book-worthy fight, and the promotion could easily use it to boost a stacked pay-per-view, perhaps his next trip to Abu Dhabi in October.
#3. UFC Welterweight Title: Gilbert Burns vs. Leon Edwards or Colby Covington
Gilbert Burns scored arguably the biggest win of his UFC career this weekend when he shutout Jorge Masvidal, sending the ‘BMF’ champion into retirement.
‘Durinho’ didn’t stop ‘Gamebred’, but he clearly got the better of him in all three rounds. He then asked to be the backup for the upcoming welterweight title fight between Leon Edwards and Colby Covington, and to be given a title shot directly afterward.
It sounds like Dana White is quite happy to go ahead with that plan, and it makes sense, particularly if Edwards’ ‘Chaos’ feud can be put together in the near future as the promotion would hope.
The only question mark here is whether that plan would be unfair to Belal Muhammad, who has a longer winning streak than Burns and is also ranked above him.
However, the truth is that ‘Durinho’ is the hottest fighter right now, and if Muhammad has a showdown with Shavkat Rakhmonov on the way, as White recently suggested, then ‘Remember the Name’ will simply have to bide his time.
#2. UFC Light Heavyweight Fight: Alex Pereira vs. Jan Blachowicz
After losing his UFC middleweight title to Israel Adesanya in dramatic fashion this weekend, the logical move for Alex Pereira would likely be a trilogy fight with ‘The Last Stylebender’. After all, including his kickboxing fights, he is 3-1 against his rival.
However, when asked about this at the post-event press conference, Dana White poured cold water on the idea. Instead, he suggested that ‘Poatan’ could move up to 205 pounds for his next fight.
It’s an idea that could make a lot of sense. After all, Pereira cuts a enormous amount of weight to make 185 pounds, and might be better suited for light heavyweight.
Should he get an instant shot at defending champion Jamahal Hill, as some have suggested? It would make sense somehow. After all, Hill won his title by beating Pereira’s mentor, Glover Teixeira.
However, ‘Sweet Dreams’ should defend his title against former champion Jiri Prochazka, who never lost gold in the Octagon, first, assuming Prochazka can return soon.
So why not introduce ‘Poatan’ at 205lbs by having him take on another former champion in Jan Blachowicz?
Blachowicz beat Adesanya during his reign as champion, he is still highly ranked at #3 and would definitely give Pereira a tough test. With the winner almost certainly going on to a title fight, this would be the perfect fight to book.
#1. UFC Middleweight Title: Israel Adesanya vs. Dricus du Plessis
Israel Adesanya’s win over Alex Pereira not only settled the score with arguably his biggest rival, but also saw him regain the UFC middleweight title.
Unfortunately, the victory has also left ‘The Last Stylebender’ in a bind when it comes to future fights, particularly if Pereira moves down to 205 pounds as suggested.
Adesanya has already beaten every other fighter ranked in the top five, and actually has two wins over No. 2 Robert Whittaker and No. 3 Marvin Vettori.
That leaves a couple of options for him. One would be Khamzat Chimaev, but even though ‘Borz’ has an unbeaten record and a lot of publicity, he probably needs at least one more win at 185lbs before a title shot.
That leaves No. 6-ranked Dricus du Plessis as the best opponent for ‘The Last Stylebender,’ and thankfully, there’s already a built-in story to sell the fight.
Du Plessis, who hails from and fights out of South Africa, claimed last month that he wants to be the UFC’s “first true African champion,” essentially criticizing Adesanya, who is of African descent but fights out of New Zealand.
This clearly did not go down well with ‘The Last Stylebender’. At this weekend’s post-event press conference, he seemed furious with ‘Stillknocks’.
Adesanya refused to mention Du Plessis by name, but stated that he would “drag his dead body across South Africa” if they ever fought.
While Adesanya claimed that Du Plessis needs “more work” before a title shot, the truth is that there are no other viable opponents for him at the moment. If Dana White and company have any sense, they would stage the fight and book it to headline the promotion’s first visit to Africa as well.