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UFC 272 was an eventful night of fights for the promotion and added some more excitement to the welterweight division. Most of the attention was on who would win the grudge match between former teammates and friends Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal. Covington earned a unanimous decision over Masvidal to remain the top contender in the division.
In the co-main event, Rafael dos Anjos defeated Renato Moicano by unanimous decision to extend his winning streak to two-fights. It was a great performance, especially considering it was a short-notice bout. The former lightweight champion was scheduled to fight Rafael Fiziev, but he tested positive for COVID-19. And so, Moicano stepped in for a 160lb catchweight bout.
Based on the outcome, there are many interesting matchups that can be booked. The welterweight division has an exciting addition in Kevin Holland, while Bryce Mitchell may have emerged as a future featherweight contender. This list will look at five fights to book following UFC 272.
#5) Kevin Holland vs. former UFC title challenger Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson
Kevin Holland made quite a statement with his TKO win over Alex Oliveira at UFC 272. He came into the fight winless in his last three bouts and needed an impressive win to get back on track.
Holland has competed at 170lbs in the past, but now seems fully committed to a permanent move to welterweight. If the promotion was to fast-track 'Trailblazer' into title contention, they could match him up with Stephen Thompson. The former title challenger is currently on a two-fight losing skid. During this latest setback, he has lost back-to-back unanimous decisions to Belal Muhammad and Gilbert Burns.
Like Holland's previous two losses at middleweight, a common theme in 'Wonderboy's losses was the wrestling and grappling of his opponents. Both have high-level striking, so it would certainly be a fight that stays standing.
#4) Bryce Mitchell vs. former UFC title challenger Brian Ortega
Bryce Mitchell showed UFC fans why he is a featherweight contender on the rise with his win over Edson Barboza. It was a great display of grappling, which earned him a dominant unanimous decision win. The win moved him up to ninth in the featherweight rankings.
Based on his fighting style, the promotion should consider booking him in a fight against former title challenger Brian Ortega. Despite coming up short in his title fight against Alexander Volkanovski last September, Ortega is still the second-ranked featherweight in the UFC. He's also known for his grappling, so it could be an intriguing bout.
In fact, 'T-City' had a similar path to title contention as Mitchell. He earned a title shot against then champion Max Holloway in 2018, after defeating a veteran in Frankie Edgar. 'Thug Nasty' could earn a title shot if he were to pick up a decisive win over Ortega. And so, it would definitely be worth the risk to pursue that fight.
#3) Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos vs. Islam Makhachev
Rafael Dos Anjos took advantage of an opportunity at UFC 272 and is close to earning another title shot at 155lbs. With that in mind, the promotion should try booking Dos Anjos vs. Islam Makhachev again.
The two have been linked with one another numerous times. Most recently, it looked like Makhachev was replacing Fiziev when he was forced out of the event. UFC President Dana White noted that he believed the bout was a done deal for 170lbs, but mentioned that Makhachev turned it down.
White has stated that the promotion will attempt to book his originally scheduled bout with Beneil Dariush when he returns. On the other hand, RDA's performance could see them change their minds and book RDA vs. Makhachev instead. They both fought one-week apart, so the timing works well. If the fight is booked, it also allows Dariush more time to recuperate and fight the winner when he returns.
#2) Jorge Masvidal vs. former UFC two-division champion Conor McGregor
Despite losing his third-straight fight, Jorge Masvidal is still one of the biggest stars in the UFC. The promotion should take full advantage of that and book him against Conor McGregor in his return fight.
'The Notorious' and 'Gamebred' are the biggest pay-per-view draws, so a bout between the two could break records for the promotion. It would be a spectacle and would be a suitable fight for Masvidal to defend the BMF title.
The leadup to the fight would generate plenty of mainstream interest and the fight itself would live up to the hype. They're both strikers and have earned a reputation for their highlight-reel knockouts.
There is some animosity between the two as Dana White famously said Masvidal was too big for the former two-division champion. The comments obviously rubbed 'The Notorious' the wrong way, so he could finally have an opportunity to prove White wrong.
#1) Colby Covington vs. former interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier
Colby Covington's performance at UFC 272 showed why he is considered one of the best fighters in the world. He defeated his former teammate Masvidal by unanimous decision after using his wrestling to his advantage. After the bout, Covington continued his ongoing rivalry with American Top Team by calling out Dustin Poirier.
It would be a win-win for both of them if they fought. 'Chaos' is the number-one ranked welterweight, so a win could earn Poirier an immediate title shot. If Covington wins, he'd still remain at the top of the division. It would be another lucrative fight, so it might appeal to him if the rumored Nate Diaz bout falls through.
By remaining active, Covington is making a stronger argument for another title shot. Rather than waiting for one to present itself, he is taking on other top fighters and at the same time, removing them from the conversation.
