5 title eliminator fights to book in the UFC

#4. Petr Yan vs. T.J. Dillashaw – UFC bantamweight bout

T.J. Dillashaw enjoyed a triumphant return to the UFC octagon last year following a two-year suspension. The former bantamweight champion edged out a decision win over Cory Sandhagen to stake his claim for a title shot. It looked as though he was the next contender for the reigning champion, Aljamain Sterling.

In an interesting turn of events, former two-division titleholder Henry Cejudo recently re-entered the USADA testing pool and has since targeted an immediate bantamweight title shot upon his return. Considering Cejudo already has a win over Dillashaw, and that he retired as the champion back in 2020, 'Triple C' is likely the next title challenger at 135 pounds.

Henry Cejudo's return puts T.J. Dillashaw in an awkward position. Dillashaw missed out on a shot at interim gold last year as a result of a knee injury he sustained in the Cory Sandhagen fight. The TUF alum is still undergoing rehabilitation for said injury, while Cejudo has been on the sidelines, likely unscathed.

Dillashaw might have to pick up another win before competing for the championship. A fight against fellow former titleholder Petr Yan appears to make sense for all parties involved. Yan is coming off a narrow split decision loss to the champion, a decision he vehemontly disagreed with in his post-fight interview.

Yan has called out Dillashaw previously. With both fighters itching to fight for the belt again, this would be a high stakes matchup between two former champions looking to re-claim what they believe is theirs to begin with.

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#3. Islam Makhachev vs. Beneil Dariush – UFC lightweight bout

In the immediate aftermath of Charles Oliveira's surprisingly quick submission victory over Justin Gaethje at UFC 274, a large section of the MMA community started clamoring for a bout between the Brazilian lightweight and top contender Islam Makhachev.

No lightweight warrants a shot at divisional gold more than Makhachev. The Dagestani is riding a 10-fight win streak and is inarguably the toughest matchup for Oliveira, considering his wrestling prowess and impressive arsenal of submissions. However, the only fighter he's beaten in the top 15 is Dan Hooker, a fight the Kiwi took on short notice.

Oliveira has indicated that he's looking to fight for the vacant title this fall. While a fight between 'Do Bronx' and Makhachev is certainly plausible, UFC president Dana White has revealed that he's still looking to re-book the Dagestani phenom against Beneil Dariush to determine the next contender.

Makhachev and Dariush were previously slated to lock horns earlier this year. Unfortunately, Dariush sustained an injury just two weeks prior to the bout and was later replaced by unranked lightweight Bobby Green, who lost via TKO in the first round.

There are already some interesting names being thrown around for a potential fight against Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title. Featherweight kingpin Alexander Volkanovski, former foe Max Holloway and global superstar Conor McGregor have all hinted at an interest in fighting 'Do Bronx' down the line.

Whatever happens with Oliveira and the lightweight belt, a No.1 contender needs to be anointed at 155 pounds, and Islam Makhachev vs. Beneil Dariush is the only logical matchup.

UFC Vegas 49 original poster [Image via @BigMarcel24 on Twitter]