5 fights to make for UFC 288 winners

The dust has settled after an eventful night in New Jersey, where UFC 288: Sterling vs. Cejudo went down this past weekend.

In the main event, Aljamain Sterling defended his title against Henry Cejudo via a narrow decision to pick up his third title defense. The reigning champion is eyeing one more fight at 135 pounds before moving up to featherweight, more on that later.

After a consequential night of MMA action on Saturday, the rest of the victors at UFC 288 will also be looking to move on to bigger and better things down the line.

On that note, here are five fights to make for the biggest winners at UFC 288.

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#5. Charles Jourdain vs. Giga Chikadze

Charles Jourdian put on a clinic in the opening bout of the pay-per-view main card, picking apart Kron Gracie en route to a fairly comfortable unanimous decision victory. The Canadian striker is now targeting a ranked contender for his next fight.

Back-to-back decision losses to Shane Burgos and Nathaniel Wood halted Charles Jourdain's momentum last year, but the Canadian remains a popular fighter thanks to his fan-friendly style. He called for a fight against a fellow striker after his win over Kron Gracie and even name-dropped UFC veteran Edson Barboza.

Barboza is coming off a first-round KO win and will likely get a higher-ranked opponent next. The Brazilian is unlikely to fight an unranked contender like Jourdain, who will have to look elsewhere. A fight against ranked featherweight Giga Chikadze appears to make sense for all parties involved.

Chikadze hasn't fought since his beatdown at the hands of Calvin Kattar last year and might also be hoping for a fellow stand-up fighter for his next outing. The former GLORY kickboxing star isn't in a position to call for top-ranked opponents, so a fight against Jourdain makes sense.

There's no way this fight doesn't deliver the goods.

Jourdain vs. Chikadze [Images via @charlesjourdain1 & @knockoutcancer on Instagram]

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#4. Movsar Evloev vs. Calvin Kattar

Movsar Evloev kept his unblemished professional record intact at UFC 288, edging out a decision win over promotional debutant Diego Lopes, who made a solid account for himself on short notice.

Evloev extended his record to 17-0 and is widely regarded as the divisional dark horse at 145 pounds.

Injuries and fight cancellations have plagued Movsar Evloev's ascent up the rankings, as has his lack of finishes. All of his wins inside the famed octagon have come via decision, and while he has shown tremendous fight IQ to outpoint his opponents so far, his shallow highlight reel has certainly hurt his popularity.

Currently occupying the No.10 spot in the featherweight rankings, Evloev's run of form warrants a shot at a higher-ranked contender. No.6-ranked Calvin Kattar could be next for the undefeated Russian as the American is coming off a loss to Arnold Allen.

The Bostonian is far more experienced than Evloev and will certainly prove to be a tough night at the office for the rising contender. If he emerges victorious against Kattar, a shot at the belt can't be too far away.

Evloev vs. Kattar [Images via @movsar_evloev_94 & @calvnkattar on Instagram]

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#3. Yan Xiaonan vs. Rose Namajunas – Winner fights for the UFC strawweight title

Every win of Yan Xiaonan's UFC career prior to UFC 288 came via decision. The Chinese strawweight made a strong statement this past weekend, viciously knocking out former champion Jessica Andrade to edge closer to her maiden tite shot.

Yan Xiaonan looked sensational for as long as the fight lasted, making Jessica Andrade miss multiple times before finishing her halfway through the opening round. Not only was this the 33-year-old's first finish inside the octagon, she also came away with her first post-fight bonus as well.

Soon after the fight, talk began of a potential all-China showdown between Xiaonan and current champion Zhang Weili. Dana White acknowledged at the post-fight presser that that matchup would do wonders for the popularity of the UFC in China, especially if it takes place in both strawweights' home country.

Xiaonan will likely claim Andrade's No.4 spot in the rankings, so will still be behind Carla Esparza, Rose Namajunas and Amanda Lemos. Namajunas appears to be the logical next opponent for Xiaonan as the former champion also has a case for a title shot, given the fact that she has two wins over the champion, Weili.

Namajunas is among the most popular fighters in the promotion, so a fight against her will certainly elevate Xiaonan's stock. Whoever comes out on top will have rightfully earned their shot at the belt.

Xiaonan vs. Namajunas [Images via @xiaonan_yan & @rosenamajunas on Instagram]

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#2. Belal Muhammad vs. winner of Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington – UFC welterweight title fight

Belal Muhammad earned a ton of respect at the recently concluded UFC 288 pay-per-view, cruising to a dominant unanimous decision win over Gilbert Burns in a fight where both welterweights were far from their best. Nevertheless, Muhammad staked his claim to a title shot and will contest UFC gold in his next outing.

Belal Muhammad and Gilbert Burns accepted this fight on just three weeks notice, with the former coming off Ramadan and the latter having fought at the last pay-per-view in April. The winner was guarateed a title shot by Dana White, so Muhammad's next fight looks set.

However, there's no guarantees in the UFC, especially for a fighter like Muhammad who hasn't quite broken through with the masses. Even after his latest win, many downplayed his performance because Burns suffered a shoulder injury in the very first round.

Welterweight king Leon Edwards looks set to defend his belt against Colby Covington later this year, but a date hasn't been finalized for that fight. With former champion Kamaru Usman desperate to return to contention and undefeated Kazakh phenom Shavkat Rakhmonov also seemingly one win away from a title shot, Muhammad can't be sitting easy.

For now, we'll go with what has been promised to Muhammad – a shot at the welterweight championship.

Belal Muhammad is coming for gold [Image via @media_newsnoon on Twitter]

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#1. Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O'Malley – UFC bantamweight title fight

Aljamain Sterling retained his bantamweight title in the pay-per-view headliner, edging out Henry Cejudo over five rounds to record his third title defense. 'Funk Master' shut down most of the former champion's offense to ultimately come away with a split-decision victory.

Right from the get-go, it was pretty clear that the victor in the UFC 288 main event will take on top-ranked contender Sean O'Malley next. O'Malley is undoubtedly the biggest star in the division, so the champion is in for a massive payday whenever the next bantamweight title fight goes down.

'Sugar' was in attendance at the Prudential Center in New Jersey this past Saturday and even entered the octagon to face off with Sterling after the champion's victory.

The duo look set to lock horns at the end of the summer, with UFC president Dana White revealing at the post-fight presser that UFC 292 on August 19th, targeted for Boston, is the likely date and venue.

Sterling can become the most dominant champion in UFC bantamweight history with another title defense, or this could turn out to the crowing moment of one of the biggest superstars in the sport.