5 Fights to make after UFC 269

#4. Sean O’Malley vs. No.5-ranked UFC bantamweight Rob Font

UFC 269: Raulian Paiva v Sean O'Malley

Another fight to make after UFC 269 is Sean O’Malley vs. Rob Font. O’Malley put on another incredible performance against Raulian Paiva, who's a more experienced opponent.

O’Malley had been criticized in the past for not fighting ranked opponents. With his impressive win over an experienced opponent, O’Malley showed that he should get a top-5 opponent next. A top-5 opponent that would make sense would be Font.

If O’Malley wants to get closer to title-contention, a win over Font would help get him there. Font is coming off a loss to Jose Aldo, but he was on a 4-fight winning streak prior to the bout. Font’s winning streak included wins over former champion Cody Garbrandt, Marlon Moraes, Ricky Simon, and current Bellator bantamweight champion Sergio Pettis.

With the current state of the bantamweight division, Font would need to find a way to stand-out. Aldo and Dillashaw will likely fight in a title-eliminator and former champion Cruz will be right back in the mix. With O’Malley being a fan-favorite, Font could benefit a lot should he defeat him as it could help him stand-out.

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#3. Former interim-UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier vs. Nate Diaz - welterweight

(Left) Dustin Poirier (Right) Nate Diaz

A fight the UFC should make after UFC 269 is former interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier vs. Nate Diaz. Following the main event, there were questions on what’s next for Poirier.

He was submitted by current UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira in the third-round after a promising start to the fight. This was Poirier’s second title opportunity after he was submitted in his previous title fight to then-champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

A positive for Poirer is that he has plenty of options. He could get right back at it and take on top-5-ranked lightweights and earn another title shot. Another option could be taking time off and fighting Conor McGregor for the fourth time when he’s cleared to return. Another possibility for Porier is a move to welterweight for a fight with Nate Diaz, who has one fight left on his contract.

Poirier has teased a move up in the past and, after two title-fight losses, now could be the right time.

Poirier and Diaz were originally scheduled to compete at UFC 230, however, Poirier sustained an injury and the fight was called off. A bout with Diaz could be a good way for Poirier to get an idea of how he feels at welterweight.