UFC 246: McGregor vs Cowboy - What's next for the big winners from last night's show?

UFC 246 is in the books, and will likely go down as one of 2020’s most memorable shows, due to the incredible performance from Conor McGregor in the main event. ‘The Notorious One’ destroyed fan favourite Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone with strikes after just 40 seconds of the opening round, and could well go onto a title shot in his next fight.Elsewhere on the card, there were big victories for Holly Holm, Aleksei Oleinik, Brian Kelleher and Diego Ferreira – who upset former UFC champion Anthony Pettis in the opening bout of the pay-per-view card.

So where should the big winners from UFC 246 go next? Here are a few suggestions.

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#1 Conor McGregor

McGregor defeated Cerrone with a barrage of strikes in just 40 seconds

Prior to UFC 246, we identified three potential next opponents for Conor McGregor; the winner of the upcoming UFC Lightweight title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson, ‘BMF’ champion Jorge Masvidal, or old rival Nate Diaz, who ‘The Notorious One’ famously split two fights with in 2016.

After his win over Donald Cerrone, it appears that one of those three fights is definitely most likely for the Irish superstar, but which one makes the most sense? For us, it’s the showdown with Masvidal. UFC President Dana White has suggested he wants to make a second fight between McGregor and Khabib, but right now, Masvidal would be the better option.

Firstly, we don’t know whether Khabib will get past Ferguson in their upcoming bout, and even if he does, it’ll likely be much later into 2020 before he’s willing to fight again due to his commitment to Ramadan, which will run until May 23rd. That likely sidelines ‘The Eagle’ until late summer at the earliest, and that’s assuming he doesn’t pick up any injuries. It just seems silly to keep a healthy McGregor on the sidelines until then.

Plus, Masvidal is likely at his peak as a drawing card right now after his performance at UFC 244 against Diaz; if he doesn’t fight McGregor, the only fight for him that makes sense is a title shot against Welterweight kingpin Kamaru Usman, and that’s not a good match for ‘Gamebred’ on paper.

The UFC can always return to McGregor vs Khabib in the future but for now, McGregor vs Masvidal makes too much sense not to happen. The promotion should look to book it as soon as possible – perhaps even for May or June.

#2 Holly Holm

Holly Holm should now be considered a high-end gatekeeper by the UFC

Former UFC Bantamweight queen Holly Holm defeated Raquel Pennington by decision in the co-main event of last night’s show, but the victory came in an underwhelming fight that probably didn’t earn ‘The Preacher’s Daughter’ many new fans.

The UFC is in a tricky spot with Holm in that she’ll always be a semi-big star due to her famous knockout of Ronda Rousey in 2015, but she isn’t a big enough draw to headline major shows on her own, and while she’s an excellent ‘b-side’ of sorts, losses in numerous title fights mean she’s more of a high-end gatekeeper these days.

With that in mind, the best fight for her in my opinion would be with Irene Aldana. The Mexican striker is coming off a big 2019 that saw her KO top contender Ketlen Vieira, and a win over Holm could net her a shot at Amanda Nunes. There’s less to gain for Holm, of course – but such is the life of a gatekeeper in the UFC.

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#3 Aleksei Oleinik

A fight between Aleksei Oleinik and Fabricio Werdum could make sense

Aleksei Oleinik got back to his winning ways last night with a submission of Maurice Greene. Nobody will mistake Greene for a title contender any time soon and so the win doesn’t put ‘The Boa Constrictor’ into contention, but it was still important for a 42-year old fighter who’s now into his 4th decade of action.leksei Oleinik got back to his winning ways last night with a submission of Maurice Greene. Nobody will mistake Greene for a title contender any time soon and so the win doesn’t put ‘The Boa Constrictor’ into contention, but it was still important for a 42-year old fighter who’s now into his 4th decade of action.

Oleinik has fought plenty of opponents in his UFC career ranging from prospects and contenders to journeymen and veterans, and his next step all depends on whether the promotion considers him a gatekeeper or a potential “fun” fighter who could main event regional cards.

For us, a good next fight for him could be Fabricio Werdum. The former UFC Heavyweight champion is free to return from a USADA suspension in early April, meaning a fight in the Spring with Oleinik could be a possibility. It’d be a match of two longtime veterans – Werdum is also 42 years old – and ‘Vai Cavalo’ would also represent one of the few big men who could match the Ukrainian on the ground.

#4 Brian Kelleher

Brian Kelleher has probably booked himself another main card showcase with his performance last night

Brian Kelleher was one of the night’s surprise winners overall; originally set to be featured on UFC Fight Pass, his clash with Ode Osbourne was upgraded onto the pay-per-view at the last minute and he made the most of this unexpected showcase with a slick first round submission win.

Kelleher’s previous losses to Montel Jackson and John Lineker mean he’s still miles away from the title picture, but he’s almost certainly earned a step up – and another main card showcase – with his victory last night. So in a loaded division, who makes sense for him as his next opponent?

We're going with Raoni Barcelos. The grappling expert is currently 4-0 in the UFC, and most recently outpointed Said Nurmagomedov on the UFC’s final show of 2019, but none of his previous opponents were as tough as Kelleher is. ‘Boom’ stepped into hostile territory in 2018 to take on John Lineker in Brazil – so it’d perhaps make sense to book him against Barcelos on either of the UFC’s upcoming Brazilian shows – Fight Night 170 in March or UFC 250 in May.

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#5 Diego Ferreira

Diego Ferreira should be in line for a top 5 opponent next

Lightweight Diego Ferreira had shown plenty of flashes of greatness before last night, but his win over former UFC champion Anthony Pettis was undoubtedly the biggest of his career, and should set him up for a shot at a potentially top-5 ranked opponent next time out.

Ferreira is now on a 6-fight winning streak, has dangerous skills in literally every area, and is a deadly finisher too. The only issue with him is that he lacks a marketable personality, but eventually, if you keep winning in the UFC, the opportunities will come.

With that in mind, we'd like to see Ferreira against the winner of the upcoming fight between Dan Hooker and Paul Felder next. ‘The Hangman’ and ‘The Irish Dragon’ face off in the main event of UFC 168 on February 23rd, meaning with any luck, they’d be ready for a summer fight. If Ferreira could overcome that one, he’d definitely be in the title picture.