Last night saw UFC 299 go down in Miami, and it was a huge event with ramifications that are likely to be felt for some time.
With so many big fights taking place at UFC 299: Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera 2, what should come next for some of the event’s major stars?
Unsurprisingly, with so many options, the matchmakers will have their hands full.
Here are five fights to make following UFC 299: Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera 2.
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#5. UFC bantamweight bout: Petr Yan vs. Henry Cejudo
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After a tough start, Petr Yan looked back to his best last night, snapping into opponent Song Yadong with his trademark combinations and stiff jabs, as well as mixing in the odd takedown.
The former bantamweight champion isn’t quite back in title contention, largely thanks to his losses to Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili, but another big win would take him there.
The UFC could match him with Marlon Vera, who lost to O’Malley in their title bout last night. However, based on the beating that he suffered, it’s likely that ‘Chito’ will be out of action for a length of time.
Therefore, the best fight for Yan could be against another former titleholder in the form of Henry Cejudo. ‘Triple C’ lost to Dvalishvili in his own right last month, but has vowed to carry on fighting, and is likely to warrant another big fight next.
Given Yan’s weakness against the takedown, as we saw in his fights with Dvalishvili and Aljamain Sterling, a fight with Olympic gold medallist Cejudo would be truly fascinating. It’d also make for a perfect headliner for a Fight Night event.
#4. UFC welterweight bout: Jack Della Maddalena vs. Belal Muhammad
Jack Della Maddalena picked up the biggest win of his career by far last night. He came from behind to finish off the durable Gilbert Burns, throwing his name into the hat of potential welterweight title contenders in the process.
The quick-handed Aussie is now 7-0 in the UFC, and 17-2 overall. Assuming he now usurps Burns’ spot in the rankings, he should crack the top five at 170 pounds next week.
So who should he face next? Della Maddalena actually called out Shavkat Rakhmonov last night, and that fight would be a truly intriguing one.
However, the UFC ought to be looking at ‘The Nomad’ as the next challenger to Leon Edwards’ title now, and if that’s the case, then why not match Della Maddalena with Belal Muhammad?
‘Remember the Name’ has arguably earned a title shot in his own right, but simply isn’t that exciting to watch. Della Maddalena, though, would have the potential to drag an outstanding fight out of him, and if he could beat the Aussie, then it’d be hard to deny him.
As for Della Maddalena, he struggled against the takedowns of Burns slightly, meaning he’d need some improvements if he were to beat Muhammad.
Overall, though, this could be the perfect title eliminator – and could act as a co-headliner on the same event as Edwards vs. Rakhmonov.
#3. UFC welterweight bout: Michael ‘Venom’ Page vs. Stephen Thompson
While it didn’t end with the entertaining finish that most fans were hoping to see, UFC debutant Michael ‘Venom’ Page did get his hand raised on his first trip to the octagon.
The former Bellator star used his accurate striking style to pick Kevin Holland apart over three rounds, landing some heavy right hands and spinning elbows while largely avoiding much damage the other way.
Based on this, Page isn’t going to become a title contender, but he should make for some fun fights for as long as he can keep his athletic gifts.
Therefore, the perfect fight for him would be with former title challenger Stephen Thompson, who fell to Shavkat Rakhmonov in his last bout.
A fellow practitioner of traditional martial arts, Thompson uses a similar style to Page, albeit with less panache. Therefore, it’d be fascinating to see quite how ‘Venom’ would look to deal with ‘Wonderboy’, and vice versa.
Sure, there’d be a chance that this fight could turn out to be a stinker, but it could also prove to be fun, and logically, it makes a lot of sense.
#2. UFC welterweight bout: Dustin Poirier vs. Colby Covington
Dustin Poirier picked up one of the biggest wins of his career last night when he knocked out Benoit Saint-Denis in the second round of their wild lightweight bout.
Sure, Saint-Denis wasn’t as big a name in the UFC as Conor McGregor or Michael Chandler, but ‘The Diamond’ had his back to the wall in the bout, facing a hot prospect desperate to make a name for himself.
Despite this, Poirier performed excellently under fire, absorbed the best that Saint Denis had to offer, and then took him out violently.
So who should he fight next? It essentially comes down to a choice between putting ‘The Diamond’ in a so-called ‘money fight’ against someone perhaps in a different weight class or matching him with another up-and-comer.
The latter would probably be a better use of Poirier at this stage of his career, but in truth, he probably deserves something bigger after dispatching a prospect as dangerous as ‘The God of War’.
Therefore, why not match him up against Colby Covington in a welterweight tilt? ‘Chaos’ has already had a verbal war with Poirier before, as a fight between them was once mooted for 2022.
Essentially, the build for such a fight would be thrilling thanks to Covington’s abrasive personality and Poirier being one of the UFC’s more popular fighters, and it’d also be a fascinating clash to watch, too.
Would it mean anything in terms of a title picture? Probably not, but it’d still make for a fun headliner or co-headliner and it’d pique the interest of the fans, making it well worth it.
#1. UFC bantamweight title: Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili
After his virtuoso performance last night, it’d be hard for even his biggest doubters to deny Sean O’Malley’s status as UFC bantamweight champion now.
‘Sugar’ utterly dismantled Marlon Vera across five rounds, picking him apart with some brutal strikes that probably would’ve finished most other 135-pound fighters.
After the fight, O’Malley called out current featherweight titleholder Ilia Topuria for a champion vs. champion bout. While this fight would probably be entertaining, there’s just no way that the UFC should go for it.
That’s because, despite his talents, Vera was never the top contender in the bantamweight division and only got his shot based on his previous win over ‘Sugar’.
The true top contender is Merab Dvalishvili. ‘The Machine’ has won ten fights in a row, including victories over three former titleholders Jose Aldo, Petr Yan and Henry Cejudo. Put simply, for O’Malley to skip past him at this point would be baffling.
Would the Georgian’s wrestling be the kryptonite for O’Malley’s slick striking style? Or would ‘Sugar’ be able to stop the takedown and pick the shorter fighter apart?
Both questions are fascinating and the only way fans will find out the answer is if the fight can be made soon. With any luck, we’ll be able to see it before 2024 is out.
