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UFC 300 finally went down last night and the event certainly lived up to its billing as one of the biggest of all time.
With thrilling fights, finishes and performances up and down the card, UFC 300: Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill was one for the ages. So what happens next?
As always, the promotion's matchmakers have plenty of options, although for some, the pathway is pretty clear. Here are five fights to make after UFC 300: Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill.
#5. UFC middleweight bout: Bo Nickal vs. Gregory Rodrigues
Red-hot prospect Bo Nickal won his fight with Cody Brundage with relative ease last night, although he didn't make as light work of him as many expected.
The fight actually made it into the second round, but realistically, 'The Allen Assassin' was always a few steps ahead of his foe, and it came as no surprise to see him dispatch Brundage eventually.
Nickal clearly needs another step up the ladder, but based on his showing, he isn't quite ready for the UFC's top 15 middleweights yet. That's understandable, of course, given he's only a handful of fights into his career.
A good opponent for him, then, could be Gregory Rodrigues. 'Robocop' is 6-2 in his octagon career, and holds victories over Brad Tavares, Julian Marquez and Chidi Njokuani.
The Brazilian is the kind of opponent Nickal would expect to beat using his stellar wrestling, but he's also got enough striking power to be considered more dangerous than Brundage. Therefore, at this point, he'd the the perfect foe for 'The Allen Assassin'.
#4. UFC bantamweight title: Raquel Pennington vs. Kayla Harrison
It's safe to say that Kayla Harrison answered any questions hanging around her with her win over Holly Holm last night.
Not only did she dismantle 'The Preacher's Daughter,' submitting her in the second round, but she dispelled any worries over her ability to make the 135-pound bantamweight limit, too. Essentially, Harrison, an Olympic gold medallist in judo, has everything needed to become a genuine star for the UFC.
What's more, she is competing in arguably the thinnest division in the promotion. Given that Holm was ranked at No.5 coming into the fight last night, and none of the fighters above her are all that intriguing in terms of a title shot, the UFC may as well simply match Harrison with champ Raquel Pennington next time out.
Harrison would probably be favored to win that fight, too, and if that's the case, new life would be breathed into a very tired division. In this instance, it's absolutely right that the promotion strikes while the iron is hot.
#3. UFC strawweight title: Weili Zhang vs. Tatiana Suarez
As many fans expected, Weili Zhang didn't struggle all that much to defend her strawweight title against her fellow Chinese fighter Yan Xiaonan last night.
While 'Magnum' didn't get a finish, she largely dominated the fight and came away with a clear-cut decision. Who should be next for Zhang? The UFC really has one option right now, and that's No.2 ranked Tatiana Suarez.
Not only is the TUF 23 winner still unbeaten in MMA despite all her injuries, but her last bout saw her dispatch Jessica Andrade with ease. To add to this, Suarez's stock has arguably never been higher thanks to HBO producing a documentary on her fascinating career path earlier this year.
Could Suarez be the fighter to dethrone 'Magnum'? It's hard to say, but she's almost certainly the best grappler in the division, meaning that unlike most, she'd hold at least one advantage over the champion. Overall then, this would be the best logical step for the matchmakers when it comes to Zhang's next fight.
#2. UFC lightweight bout: Max Holloway vs. Arman Tsarukyan
Arman Tsarukyan was probably hopeful of claiming a lightweight title shot when he defeated former titleholder Charles Oliveira last night.
The same could probably be said for Max Holloway, who scored one of the greatest knockouts in UFC history against Justin Gaethje, taking the 'BMF' title in the process.
However, given that Dana White later announced that lightweight kingpin Islam Makhachev's next defense will come against Dustin Poirier on June 1, it's highly likely that both men will need to fight again before any title shot. Therefore, the most logical step for both men would be to face off against one another in a bonafide title eliminator.
It makes far more sense than having Tsarukyan sit out and wait, particularly as the Armenian is still looking for a real signature finish in his UFC career. Equally, it makes more sense for 'Blessed' to go after the 155-pound title belt rather than look to reclaim the featherweight crown from new champ Ilia Topuria.
Overall, this would be a truly fantastic striker vs. grappler clash, and the winner would undoubtedly be the rightful top contender at lightweight.
#1. UFC light-heavyweight title: Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev
By crushing Jamahal Hill last night, Alex Pereira proved without a shadow of a doubt that he belongs at the top of the light-heavyweight division.
Not only did he knock out a fighter who'd never been stopped in such a way with scary ease, but the win was also his third over a former 205-pound champion in as many fights.
'Poatan' seems to be well on his way to becoming an all-time UFC legend. However, there is still one question hanging over him, and that's how he'd fare against a real top grappler. Thankfully, there is one at the top of the division who has more than earned a title shot.
No.3 ranked Magomed Ankalaev is unbeaten in his last 12 fights dating back to 2018. More to the point, it's arguable that he should be the champion right now, given most fans believed he beat Jan Blachowicz in their 2022 fight for the vacant title, which went to a draw.
Ankalaev is a great striker, but his wrestling is his most powerful area, and he'd probably be confident in taking Pereira down and keeping him there. If 'Poatan' could stop that from happening and use his brutal striking to dispatch the Dagestani, any questions about his overall status would be answered.
Sure, Pereira vs. Ankalaev wouldn't be quite as fun-sounding a fight as Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka, but we've already seen that one.
At the end of the day, Ankalaev has earned his shot, and it's time to give it to him.
