5 fights to make after UFC 283: Glover Teixeira vs. Jamahal Hill

With UFC 283 in the books, we’ve already seen two new champions crowned in the world’s biggest MMA promotion. 2023 has started with a bang.

Now, what kind of fights should Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby look to put together next?

Thankfully, there are a number of excellent options for most of the fighters who competed on this card, including the two new titleholders.

Here are five fights to make following UFC 283: Glover Teixeira vs. Jamahal Hill.

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#5. UFC light heavyweight bout: Johnny Walker vs. Anthony Smith

A fight with Anthony Smith could work for Johnny Walker

Johnny Walker was undoubtedly one of the bigger winners at UFC 283. The explosive Brazilian needed just over two minutes to dispatch Paul Craig, and is likely to climb into the top ten at light heavyweight when the rankings come out next week.

Given he’s won his last two fights and looks much improved, it’s worth pushing him up the ladder again.

Therefore, the perfect foe for him could be Anthony Smith. ‘Lionheart’ was pegged as the backup fighter for last night’s light heavyweight title bout between Glover Teixeira and Jamahal Hill. However, he ended up missing weight.

Thankfully, he was not needed. Nonetheless, he remains the No.6-ranked contender at 205lbs and would provide Walker with a chance to prove himself.

Could Walker find a way to get past Smith, who has won three of his last four bouts? It’d definitely be intriguing to see him try. He’s got the explosive skills to down anyone, but ‘Lionheart’ is tough, can take punishment, and is unlikely to run out of steam.

Overall, this would be a fantastic clash, and it could even headline one of the UFC’s smaller Fight Night cards.

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#4. UFC flyweight bout: Jessica Andrade vs. Manon Fiorot

Could the UFC rebook a canceled fight between Jessica Andrade and Manon Fiorot?

While it wasn’t the most talked-about fight at UFC 283, Jessica Andrade was one of the event’s most impressive performers.

The former strawweight champion battered veteran Lauren Murphy from pillar to post over three rounds. Two of the three judges, in fact, gave her two 10-8 rounds.

Should the win net ‘Bate Estaca’ another shot at the flyweight title? In all honesty, probably not. She was thoroughly beaten when she challenged Valentina Shevchenko previously, and the champion already has her next booking against Alexa Grasso in March.

Therefore, the best opponent for Andrade might be top contender Manon Fiorot. The French striker arguably should’ve gotten the next title shot ahead of Grasso anyway. Fiorot has wins over Jennifer Maia and Katlyn Chookagian.

More to the point, the Frenchwoman was already booked to fight Andrade last year, only for the bout to fall apart on late notice for undisclosed reasons.

Either way, Andrade would provide her with a fantastic test. The Brazilian hits as hard as anyone in the division and took out Chookagian violently when they faced off, but whether she’d be able to deal with the technical striking of ‘The Beast’ is doubtful.

Essentially, this fight makes plenty of sense and would work well as a top contender’s match to decide the next title challenger at 125lbs.

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#3. UFC welterweight bout: Gilbert Burns vs. Colby Covington

Gilbert Burns called out Colby Covington last night, but will the UFC make the fight?

The UFC has always loved to see fighters calling for a bout with a specific opponent after a win, and that’s just what Gilbert Burns did last night.

‘Durinho’ whitewashed Neil Magny in a highly impressive showing and then immediately called for a clash with former title challenger Colby Covington. Outside of one caveat, the fight makes perfect sense.

That caveat revolves around Khamzat Chimaev, who famously edged out Burns in a thriller in March 2022. If ‘Borz’ intends to stay at 170lbs, then a fight between him and Covington seems simply inevitable.

However, if Chimaev moves to 185lbs, as many expect him to, then Burns versus Covington would definitely make sense. Could the stellar Brazilian jiu-jitsu of ‘Durinho’ act as the kryptonite to Covington’s powerful wrestling?

Basically, the winner of this bout could face Belal Muhammad, which would decide the next title challenger at 170lbs. Therefore, it’s definitely the way to go if Chimaev is moving to 185lbs.

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#2. UFC flyweight title: Brandon Moreno vs. Alexandre Pantoja

After reclaiming the flyweight title, Brandon Moreno may set his sights on Alexandre Pantoja

One of the biggest winners at UFC 283 was Brandon Moreno. ‘The Assassin Baby’ was able to defeat Deiveson Figueiredo at the end of the third round via doctor’s stoppage, taking the flyweight title and winning their quadrilogy in the process.

With Figueiredo seemingly set on a move to 135lbs, there almost certainly won’t be a fifth clash between him and Moreno, so who should be next for the new champion?

Really, there’s only one option for the Mexican, and that’s Alexandre Pantoja. ‘The Cannibal’ has been one of the UFC’s most underrated fighters for a long time now, and it’s fair to say that he’s waited long enough for a title shot.

Pantoja holds wins over Alex Perez, Brandon Royval, and Manel Kape, with his only losses in recent years coming against Figueiredo and Askar Askarov, who no longer competes in the octagon.

More importantly, he also holds a win over Moreno, albeit one that came way back in May 2018. Therefore, it’s likely that Moreno will be desperate to put that right and take out the Brazilian.

Given the hostility towards ‘The Assassin Baby’ in Brazil right now, the promotion might be smart to headline or co-headline their next visit to the South American country with this fight.

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#1. UFC light heavyweight title: Jamahal Hill vs. Magomed Ankalaev

Could Jamahal Hill defend his title against Magomed Ankalaev?

The biggest winner at UFC 283 was undoubtedly Jamahal Hill, who picked up the biggest win of his career over Glover Teixeira, claiming the vacant light heavyweight title in the process.

The only problem for ‘Sweet Dreams’ is that while he clearly beat Teixeira on the scorecards and can call himself a champion, he may still not be the best 205lber in the UFC right now.

A number of other fighters might have a claim to that title, particularly as Teixeira was the first elite-level foe Hill had overcome.

One of those fighters is Magomed Ankalaev. The Dagestani was unfortunate not to win the title in his own right back in December. His bout with Jan Blachowicz for the vacant title was controversially declared a draw.

In reality, Ankalaev deserved the nod. Despite Dana White’s criticisms of his performance, it’s arguable that he should’ve been involved in the next title bout that ultimately featured Teixeira and Hill.

A fight between the new champion and Ankalaev is probably the best route to go down, particularly with former titleholder Jiri Prochazka unlikely to return anytime soon.

If Hill could overcome the Dagestani, then there’d be no question mark over his validity as champion. If Ankalaev wins, then the bad memories of his bout with Blachowicz will be erased.

Fair and square, this ought to be UFC's next light heavyweight title bout.