5 fights to make for UFC 284 winners

The second UFC pay-per-view of 2023 is in the books. UFC 284 went down at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, this past weekend featuring two championship bouts, a number of explosive matchups and numerous up-and-coming prospects on the undercard.

Outside of the two title bouts, a litany of rising contenders came away with pivotal wins at the recently concluded pay-per-view. The MMA landscape is ever-changing and the victors at UFC 284 will be looking to carry their momentum forward and move on to bigger fights down the road.

On that note, here are five fights to make for the biggest winners at UFC 284: Makhachev vs. Volkanovski.

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#5. Loma Lookboonmee vs. Emily Ducote

Since signing with the UFC in 2019, Loma Lookboonmee has grown from strength to strength, showing real potential. The Thai strawweight already picked up four wins in the octagon coming into 2023, albeit all via decision.

Lookboonmee secured her first finish in the world's premier MMA promotion at the recently concluded pay-per-view, submitting Elise Reed to pick up her fifth UFC win.

Loma Lookboonmee advanced her MMA record to 8-3 with her latest win. Despite being just 27, she has already accrued a ton of combat sports experience. Lookboonmee boasts impressive records in both Muay Thai and professional boxing, making her one of the best strikers in the 115-pound bracket.

Pairing her with another striker would be smart from the matchmakers' point of view. A fight against Emily Ducote, also one of the best stand-up fighters in the division, should make for an entertaining scrap.

Ducote occupies the No.14 spot in the strawweight rankings. The 29-year-old American is coming off a narrow loss to veteran Angela Hill and will be itching to return to winning ways. With Lookboonmee chasing a spot in the top 15, this is a fantastic clash of styles in the most competitive women's division across MMA.

Lookboonmee vs. Ducote [Images via @lomalookboonmee & @emducote1 on Instagram]

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#4. Jamie Mullarkey vs. Terrance McKinney

Jamie Mullarkey has struggled for consistency since joining the UFC four years ago. The Australian has come up short against highly-touted contenders like Jalin Turner and Brad Riddell, but picked up the biggest win of his career when he defeated Michael Johnson last year.

Mullarkey extended his win streak to two at the RAC Arena in Perth, edging out Francisco Prado via unanimous decision.

In his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping, Jamie Mullarkey called for a fight against rising superstar Paddy Pimblett. However, with 'The Baddy' expected to undergo surgery next month, he could be out of action for an extended period of time.

An appropriate step-up in competition for Mullarkey would be a fight against Terrance McKinney. 'T-Wrecks' is among the most promising prospects in the lightweight division, but has suffered a few setbacks along the way.

Mullarkey vs. McKinney pits two young unranked contenders against one another, offering the victor a chance to make a statement. Given both fighters' call-outs to Paddy Pimblett, a win here could determine the next opponent for the popular Liverpudlian.

Mullarkey vs. McKinney [Images via @jamie_mullarkey & @twrecks155 on Instagram]

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#3. Jack Della Maddalena vs. Vicente Luque

Apart from the two championship bouts atop the UFC 284 line-up, all eyes were on Perth native Jack Della Maddalena this past weekend.

The Dana White's Contender Series graduate racked up three first-round knockouts last year to kick off his UFC career in style. He was then dealt a tricky matchup in Randy Brown, but passed that test with flying colors, submitting 'Rude Boy' in just over two minutes.

Sky's the limit for Jack Della Maddalena. The 26-year-old Australian is arguably the best unranked welterweight on the roster, and with four quick finishes already under his belt in the UFC, a shot at a ranked contender is warranted.

The ideal next opponent for Della Maddalena would be perennial contender Vicente Luque, who has been with the promotion for nearly a decade. Luque currently sits inside the top 10 of the 170-pound division and will prove to be a legitimate test of Della Maddalena's championship potential.

Luque is coming off back-to-back losses to top-ranked contenders Belal Muhammad and Geoff Neal, and will likely have to fight a lower-ranked fighter in his next outing. When he's firing on all cylinders, 'The Silent Assassin' is as dangerous and well-rounded as they come.

Given Luque's experience and diverse skillset, this will definitely prove to be a tough matchup for Della Maddalena. A win here would see him break into the top tier of the division, and if he gets another finish, we could well have a future champion on our hands.

Della Maddalena vs. Luque [Images via @jackdellamaddalena & @luquevicente on Instagram]

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#2. Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez – UFC featherweight title fight

This next matchup is already all but confirmed for later this year after Yair Rodriguez captured the interim featherweight championship with an impressive performance against Josh Emmett in the pay-per-view co-headliner, earning his shot at undisputed gold.

After a closely contested first round, Rodriguez turned up the pace in the second, catching Emmett with some hard kicks. The flamboyant Mexican got taken down after attempting a flying knee, but managed the find a submission off his back, tapping out his American counterpart with a triangle choke.

Having won the interim title, Rodriguez's next fight will be against featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, who suffered a narrow defeat to Islam Makhachev in the main event. Volkanovski has already confirmed that he will return to the 145-pound division to defend his title, so this fight is set in stone.

Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez is as explosive a fight as you can hope for in the featherweight division. Over the course of his championship reign, Volkanovski has solidified his standing as one of the best strikers in the division and it'll be interesting to see how he deals with Rodriguez's unpredictable style.

With the UFC set to return to Mexico later this year, this would be the perfect headliner.

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#1. Islam Makhachev vs. Winner of Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush – UFC lightweight title fight

Islam Makhachev was pushed to the absolute limit by Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284, but ultimately did enough to retain his title. The Russian phenom extended his win streak to 12 with his unanimous decision win over Volkanovski and is expected to defend his belt later this year.

There doesn't appear to be a clear-cut No.1 contender in the lightweight division. It appears as though the upcoming Justin Gaethje vs. Rafael Fiziev and Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush bouts will determine the next challenger for the title.

Gaethje and Fiziev will meet in the co-main event of UFC 286 in London next month, while Oliveira and Dariush are rumored to be squaring off in May. Given Dariush's staggering eight-fight win streak and Oliveira's standing as a former champion, the victor is likely the frontrunner to fight Islam Makhachev next.

Makhachev has already beaten Oliviera, but the stylistic matchup is intriguing nevertheless. However, after witnessing Alexander Volkanovski's impressive showing against the champion, one would expect Dariush to be licking his lips in anticipation of a title shot.

Makhachev, Oliveira & Dariush [Images via @ufc & @LaSeurr on Instagram]