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#2. Islam Makhachev vs. Beneil Dariush
Islam Makhachev is arguably one of the next big things in the UFC. Makhachev is on a nine-fight win streak and has only one loss in his entire MMA career.
Following his win against Dan Hooker at UFC 267, Makhachev demanded that he be given a title shot in his next fight. Speaking to BT Sport after the fight, Islam said:
“Next fight, it has to be for the title, or a contender fight, because I have a nine-fight winning streak. Who in my division have this? Just the champion."
He also highlighted how all the top-five fighters in the lightweight division have had their chance at the title and that his division was 'asleep'. Indeed, the UFC's lightweight division finds itself in a spot where the emergence of a new champion or top contender could make things a lot more interesting and riveting.
Watch Islam Makahchev make his case for the title shot in his post-fight interview below:
However, the No.2 ranked lightweight Justin Gaethje didn't appreciate the idea of the UFC giving the Dagestani a shot at UFC Gold over him.
In fact, Gaethje sees Beneil Dariush as a more realistic matchup for Makhachev. Speaking on the UFC Unfiltered podcast, Gaethje said:
"Do your f*cking job, fight these guys, and Beneil Dariush is right here. And I like the dude, he’s my friend so you know I’m just going to jump over this man and expect to get a title shot when the number three guy is Beneil Dariush. Handle that. That has to be handled.”
Dariush is ranked third in the UFC lightweight division and has a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The 32-year-old is on a seven-fight win streak and has a 81% takedown defence. Given the grappling-heavy game that Makhachev brings to the table, Dariush could make matters difficult for Makhachev inside the octagon. Interestingly enough, the UFC is looking to set up a showdown between the two in the month of February 2022.
#1. Max Holloway vs. Alexander Volkanovski 3
Usually a trilogy fight is deemed irrelevant if one has lost on both previous occasions. However, considering Max Holloway's performance in both title fights, the UFC should consider giving him another title shot against Alexander Volkanovski.
The former featherweight champion faced Yair Rodriguez at UFC Vegas 42 and won by unanimous decision. While 'Blessed' landed 230 strikes on target, 'El Pantera' countered with 159 significant strikes. The fighters shared 389 strikes between them - the third-most strikes landed in a UFC fight.
Since his second straight loss to Volkanovski, Holloway has been fiercely dominant in his last two fights, landing 675 strikes on target.
His bout against Yair Rodriguez was declared the 'Fight of the Night' and is definitely in contention for 'Fight of the Year'. Even the reigning featherweight champion chose to give both Holloway and Rodriguez props for the show they put on.
There's arguably no competitor more deserving of another title shot in the featherweight division than 'Blessed'. He has cleaned up the entire division and seems to be only getting better with each fight. A Holloway vs. Volkanovski fight would thus be exciting news for fans.
