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Now that UFC 273 has come and gone, the matchmakers will be tasked with what to do next for each fighter.
The atmosphere at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena was electric and added to the overall experience. The main event was equally impressive and saw Alexander Volkanovski retain his featherweight championship for the third time. It was a reminder of just how great of a fighter he is when compared to others in the 145 lb division.
The bout was so one-sided that referee Herb Dean stepped in to stop it in the fourth round. In doing so, he protected Chan Sung Jung from receiving further damage. The champion said that he wants to remain active this year, so his dominant win could lead to a quick turnaround. This list will look at five fights to make following UFC 273.
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#5. Former UFC title challenger Gilbert Burns vs. loser of Belal Muhammad vs. Vicente Luque
Since he was defeated by the No. 11 ranked welterweight, Gilbert Burns will drop a few spots in the UFC welterweight rankings. He was the No. 2 ranked welterweight ahead of his bout with Chimaev and lost via unanimous decision. It was a significant risk as a win could have gotten him one-step closer to a potential rematch with Usman.
Despite his latest setback, ‘Durinho’ is still one of the top fighters in the division. A bout against the fighter who comes out on the losing end of Belal Muhammad vs. Vicente Luque would make sense.
Muhammad and Luque are scheduled to compete in a rematch at this weekend’s Fight Night card. Their first encounter took place in 2016, during which ‘The Silent Assassin’ knocked out Muhammad in 1:19 of the first round. Whoever comes up short in the rematch would be a logical opponent for Burns as they’d be coming off a loss.
#4. Former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan vs. winner of Rob Font vs. Marlon Vera
Former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan is in an interesting predicament following his loss to Aljamain Sterling. He lost a close split-decision to the reigning champion in a title unification bout.
It was a rematch of their 2021 encounter, which ended with an illegal knee that resulted in Yan being disqualified. Now that ‘Funk Master’ has defeated ‘No Mercy’ twice, it’ll be a tough road back to a trilogy bout.
It’s also important to note that Yan has already defeated the No.3 and No.4 ranked bantamweights. He finished Jose Aldo in 2020 to win the vacant bantamweight championship. In 2021, ‘No Mercy’ captured gold again, when he earned a unanimous decision win over Cory Sandhagen to become interim champion.
That leaves No.5 ranked bantamweight Rob Font as a bantamweight he hasn’t fought yet. Font is scheduled to fight Marlon Vera on the Fight Night card on April 30. Based on the rankings, the winner would be a great opponent for the former champion.
#3. Khamzat Chimaev vs. former interim UFC welterweight champion Colby Covington
UFC 273 saw Khamzat Chimaev become a star for the promotion. There was a lot of hype surrounding Chimaev’s ascension up the welterweight rankings. He was the No.11 ranked welterweight fighting the No.2 ranked welterweight in only his fifth bout in the promotion. Chimaev now sits at No.3 in the welterweight division.
‘The Wolf’ proved that he wasn’t another hype train that would be derailed when the competition improved. His bout with Gilbert Burns lived up to the hype and earned him Fight of the Night. It was Chimaev's biggest win and sets him up for a title eliminator bout next.
Prior to the event, Dana White mentioned that if Chimaev defeated Burns, Colby Covington would be the next opponent. White added that the promotion are working on another event on ABC and wants to add a massive headliner.
With ‘The Wolf’s popularity skyrocketing and ‘Chaos’ being the most polarizing fighter in MMA, the bout could generate plenty of interest. Their excellent cardio and wrestling could make for another Fight of the Night for Chimaev.
#2. UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling vs. T.J. Dillashaw
Aljamain Sterling legitimized his bantamweight championship reign when he defeated Petr Yan at UFC 273. It was a definitive win for Sterling rather than a disqualification, which silenced all the doubters who questioned his reign. He performed well, especially considering he was out of action for a year due to a neck injury.
It’s no secret that former bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw could be the next challenger. He was in the arena and was conveniently shown on camera during the post-fight interview. The champion called him out and Dana White seemed to like the idea of that bout being next.
Sterling is riding a 7-fight winning streak and has made significant improvements since the streak began. Jiu-Jitsu could be the difference maker for him against Dillashaw should the fight go to the ground. But ‘Funk Master’ proved in this fight that he could remain competitive in the standup.
#1. UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway 3
Fans witnessed a dominant performance from featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski in the main event at UFC 273. The champion outclassed Chan Sung Jung in every aspect of the fight before it was stopped in the fourth round.
‘The Great’ extended his winning streak to 21-fights and remains unbeaten in the promotion. With that in mind, the fight that should be booked is a trilogy bout with former featherweight champion Max Holloway.
There were many that believed ‘Blessed’ should have been awarded the decision in the second fight. And so, both fighters could get another opportunity to run it back and put a definitive end to the rivalry.
Holloway was originally scheduled to challenge for Volkanovksi's title, but an injury derailed those plans. ‘The Korean Zombie’ accepted the bout instead and left ‘Blessed’ on the sidelines for the time being. Since ‘The Great’ got out relatively unscathed, it wouldn’t be too far-fetched for the trilogy to take place sooner rather than later.
