5 fights to make for UFC 284 in Australia

The UFC is finally slated to return to The Land Down Under after more than three years without an event in Oceania. UFC 284 will be underway at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, on February 12 for the second pay-per-view of 2023.

Only one bout has been confirmed for the fight card so far, but it'll likely feature top fighters from the region. Oceania has emerged as a hotbed for MMA talent over the last few years and there's no shortage of talent that could potentially feature on the card.

Here are five fights to make for UFC 284.

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#5. Jack Della Maddalena vs. Khaos Williams

Jack Della Maddalena has emerged as one of the breakout stars of 2022. The Australian broke into the scene with a dominant win on Dana White's Contender Series last year and followed it up with a scintillating first-round knockout victory in January. He picked up his second win just a few months later with another quick finish.

While he's been calling for another fight before the end of the year, the Perth native will now likely be eyeing a homecoming at UFC 284 after the promotion announced its return to Australia.

Considering how easily he's dispatched his opponents thus far, Della Maddalena needs a step-up in competition.

He made light work of a strong wrestler in Ramazan Emeev in his last outing and it remains to be seen how he deals with a high-level striker. It might be a little premature to vault Della Maddalena into the rankings, but another stoppage win will make his case undeniable.

A fight against fellow knockout artist Khaos Williams appears to make sense for all parties involved. Williams is coming off a narrow decision loss to Randy Brown, prior to which he was riding a two-fight win streak. 'The Ox Fighter' is among the most lethal strikers at 170 lbs, with seven knockouts on his record.

Della Maddalena vs. Williams is an explosive matchup that will undoubtedly blow the roof off the RAC Arena in Perth.

Jack Della Maddalena vs. Khaos Williams [Images via @jackdellamaddalena & @khaoswilliams on Instagram]

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#4. Tyson Pedro vs. Volkan Oezdemir

After a four-year hiatus, Tyson Pedro returned to the octagon in emphatic fashion in 2022. The Australian light heavyweight picked up his first win since 2018 against Ike Villanueva in June, cruising to a first-round knockout victory.

Just three months later, Pedro dominated Harry Hunsucker en route to another first-round finish.

At his best, Tyson Pedro is among the most dangerous light heavyweights on the roster. He boasts a 100% finish rate, with four knockouts and five submissions under his belt.

He has also been training at City Kickboxing (CKB) alongside the likes of middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and pound-for-pound king Alexander Volkanovski. CKB has emerged as one of the most successful gyms in recent years and one can expect Pedro to be feeding off his teammates' momentum.

The 31-year-old has looked phenomenal of late, and considering he was among the top 205-pounders before his unfortunate injuries, a fight against a ranked contender is warranted. Volkan Oezdemir, who recently came up short against Nikita Krylov at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi, is the ideal next opponent for Pedro.

For starters, it's a cracker of a matchup on paper as both 205-pounders are heavy-handed strikers. With Oezdemir struggling for consistency and Pedro riding a wave of momentum, a win for the Aussie will certainly shake things up in the divisional pecking order.

Pedro vs. Oezdemir [Images via @tyson_pedro & @volkan_oezdemir on Instagram]

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#3. Casey O'Neill vs. Jennifer Maia

Amidst Valentina Shevchenko's dominant reign atop the women's 125-pound division, the contenders below the flyweight queen don't quite get the shine they deserve. Among the only championship caliber prospects in the division is Scottish-Aussie contender Casey O'Neill, who is making her way up the ranks.

O'Neill has never tased defeat in her professional career thus far. Boasting an unblemished 9-0 record with four wins in the UFC, 'King' has blossomed into one of the most promising up-and-comers at 125 lbs. She currently occupies the No.10 spot in the flyweight rankings.

Having already beaten MMA veteran Roxanne Modafferi and Valentina Shevchenko's sister Antonina in her last two outings, she deserves a higher-ranked opponent for her next bout. O'Neill, who hasn't fought in her native Australia since signing with the UFC, could face Jennifer Maia next.

Maia sits at No.8 in the rankings and offers an interesting stylistic matchup against O'Neill. Both flyweights have high-level submission skills and a solid striking base, making this pairing quite evenly contested.

A win over a former title challenger like Maia would serve as a real statement of intent for O'Neill. If she finishes the Brazilian, something the reigning champion couldn't do, a shot at gold shouldn't be too far away.

Casey O'Neill vs. Jennifer Maia [Images via @kingcaseymma & @jennimaia on Instagram]

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#2. Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa

Australia's first-ever UFC champion, Robert Whittaker, finds himself in an awkward and unfortunate position in the middleweight division. Whittaker is clearly the second-best fighter at 185 lbs, only behind divisional kingpin Israel Adesanya.

'The Reaper' has already lost to Adesanya twice, making a trilogy bout between the duo unlikely at the moment. Whittaker will have to pick up another win or two before fighting for the title again, at least as long as 'The Last Stylebender' remains the champion.

Israel Adesanya sends a message to middleweight division [Image via @btsportufc on Twitter]

Whittaker can't really afford to be choosy when it comes to his next opponent. He has already beaten fellow top contenders Jared Cannonier, Marvin Vettori, Derek Brunson, Kelvin Gastelum and Darren Till. As such, his options going forward are limited.

One intriguing matchup available to the affable Australian is Paulo Costa, who is coming off a win over former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold. Costa sits at No.6 on the 185-pound ladder and has been calling for a fight against Whittaker for quite some time now.

Costa has also been beaten by Israel Adesanya and, like Whittaker, is gunning for redemption against the Kiwi titleholder. This matchup offers both fighters a chance to re-enter title contention, and from the matchmakers' point of view, it's a no-brainer. As such, Whittaker vs. Costa has already been confirmed.

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#1. Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski – UFC lightweight championship bout

At UFC 280, we witnessed possibly the dawn of a new era atop the UFC lightweight division as Islam Makhachev defeated Charles Oliveira to claim the vacated throne. Riding an astonishing 10-fight win streak, Makhachev forced a tap from the all-time record-holder for submission wins, kicking off his championship reign with a statement.

Both Beneil Dariush and the winner of next month's Dustin Poirier vs. Michael Chandler bout have a case for a title shot according to the lightweight rankings. However, current pound-for-pound No.1 Alexander Volkanovski appears to be the next 155-pound title challenger.

Volkanovski weighed in as the back-up fighter for the Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev 280 headliner, seemingly positioning himself for the next shot at lightweight gold in his pursuit to join the illustrious champ-champ club. The Australian even made his way into the octagon after being called out by Makhachev.

With the UFC lightweight title, pound-for-pound status, and a chance at making history on the line, this matchup is as high-stakes as it gets.