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Last night’s UFC 286 proved to be one of the better events thus far into 2023, with some great fights and equally great performances.
So after UFC 286, what should be next for the event’s biggest stars, including welterweight kingpin Leon Edwards? For some of last night’s fighters, a path should be obvious. For some of the others, the matchmakers may need to work a little harder.
Here are five fights to make following UFC 286: Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman 3.
#5. UFC welterweight bout: Gunnar Nelson vs. Neil Magny
One of UFC 286’s biggest winners was welterweight veteran Gunnar Nelson.
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The native of Iceland can no longer be considered a prospect, but the way he dealt with Bryan Barberena – picking up a divisional record seventh submission victory – was a reminder that at his best, he’s an elite-level talent.
At the age of 34, though, Nelson only has a small window of time to really break into contention at 170 pounds. With that in mind, it’s probably time to match him with an opponent ranked in the top 15 for his next bout.
One fighter who could make sense, then, is the No.12-ranked Neil Magny. ‘The Haitian Sensation’ is coming off a loss to Gilbert Burns, but he’s more than capable of beating anyone not worthy of being in title contention, including the likes of Geoff Neal and Li Jingliang.
However, his submission defense has never been truly great, and so if ‘Gunni’ could find a way to take him down, then he’d be beatable.
Overall, this would be a solid fight to place on the main card of a pay-per-view or a Fight Night event, assuming Nelson manages to make himself available again soon, of course.
#4. UFC middleweight bout: Marvin Vettori vs. Dricus du Plessis
While his losses to Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker would make it hard for him to move back into middleweight title contention, there’s no denying that Marvin Vettori is an elite-level fighter.
He proved that again at UFC 286 by outpointing the tricky Roman Dolidze, although it was a close fight that could well have gone the other way with different judges.
‘The Italian Dream’ is essentially a very high-level gatekeeper at 185 pounds, so it only makes sense for him to face another fighter slightly lower down the ladder next.
With that in mind, why not match him with Dricus du Plessis? ‘Stillknocks’ is coming off an impressive stoppage of Derek Brunson a few weeks ago, and while he called out Sean Strickland after that fight, a bout with Vettori could make more sense.
After all, the South African is ranked one spot above Strickland at No.6, and a fight with the No.4-ranked Vettori would allow him to attempt to climb the ladder.
More importantly, though, ‘The Italian Dream’ would probably test du Plessis far more than the aging Brunson or the struggling Darren Till did. If ‘Stillknocks’ could get past him, then a title should would surely follow.
Sure, the bout wouldn’t do all that much for Vettori’s hopes of a title shot, but if he could win – and if Alex Pereira can hold onto the gold at 185 pounds – then stranger things have happened before.
#3. UFC lightweight bout: Justin Gaethje vs. Dustin Poirier
Justin Gaethje was undoubtedly one of UFC 286’s biggest winners. ‘The Highlight’ came from behind to edge out Rafael Fiziev in a true thriller. With that, he remains one of the world’s most feared lightweights.
However, he’s also hard to book going forward. His win over ‘Ataman’ shouldn’t be enough to net him a shot at current champ Islam Makhachev, as it was actually his first since his victory over Michael Chandler in 2021.
However, if ‘The Highlight’ is looking for a clash with a fighter ranked above him rather than below him, one idea could be to rematch him with Dustin Poirier.
The two 155lbers fought back in 2018, producing a ‘Fight of the Year’ candidate that saw Poirier eventually win via TKO in the fourth round. However, it’s fair to say that both men dished out their fair share of punishment.
Poirier last fought in November, beating Chandler via submission, but ‘The Diamond’ has not been booked into another bout since.
A second clash with Gaethje could be the kind of fare that would excite him, though. ‘The Highlight’ is a major star and a rematch between the two could easily headline or co-headline a big show in the future.
Given that Gaethje has already expressed his interest in this fight, it makes plenty of sense for the UFC to book it before the end of 2023.
#2. UFC welterweight bout: Kamaru Usman vs. Belal Muhammad or Shavkat Rakhmonov
After his second defeat at the hands of Leon Edwards, former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman should probably be considered out of title contention for the time being.
However, he remains, at worst, the second-best fighter in the 170-pound division. Therefore, if he intends to stay in the division, he definitely needs a high-level opponent.
Given that he’s already beaten Gilbert Burns, Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington, then, the opponent that would make most sense for him is one of the fighters involved in a bout announced by Dana White last night.
According to White, a clash between Belal Muhammad and Shavkat Rakhmonov is in the works for an upcoming show in 2023. The winner may well go onto challenge for the welterweight title, but either man could make a good fight for ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’.
Muhammad, who is on a lengthy unbeaten streak dating back to 2019, has the wrestling ability to test Usman in a similar way to how Covington did.
Rakhmonov, meanwhile, is unbeaten in MMA and has ruthless finishing skills in all areas, but whether he’d be able to deal with the powerful wrestling and tremendous cardio of ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ would be fascinating to see.
The promotion may well consider the winner of this bout to be the top contender, so it could make more sense to match the loser with Usman. Either way, though, this would be a great fight to make.
#1. UFC welterweight title: Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington
If you’re willing to take Dana White at face value, then Leon Edwards – who overcame Kamaru Usman to retain his UFC welterweight title this weekend – already has his next opponent lined up.
That opponent is Colby Covington, despite the fact that ‘Chaos’ has not actually fought since his early 2022 victory over Jorge Masvidal.
Edwards himself didn’t seem happy with this decision last night, claiming that handing Covington a title shot off the back of a lengthy spell on the shelf wouldn’t make sense.
However, the truth is that ‘Chaos’ is probably the only opponent who does make sense for Edwards right now.
Masvidal, who is due to face off with Gilbert Burns next month, hasn’t won a bout since 2019 and obviously lost to Covington in his last trip to the octagon. Burns, meanwhile, is coming off a win, but has recent losses to both Usman and Khamzat Chimaev on his ledger.
Outside of them, Chimaev seems set to move up to 185 pounds, while Belal Muhammad and Shavkat Rakhmonov are reportedly set to face off against one another.
More to the point, ‘Chaos’ is a fantastic fighter who pushed Usman to the limit on two occasions, and despite his inactivity, he remains a bankable star for the UFC and has headlined a number of big events.
Given Covington’s penchant for playing the villain and Edwards’ general likeability, it’d also be easy for the promotion to sell this as a pro-wrestling clash between a classic babyface and heel.
With all of that considered, Covington is the perfect next bout for Edwards – even if ‘Rocky’ himself disagrees.
