Written by Lucas Themelis
The most popular division in the UFC right now is the lightweight division. With Khabib Nurmagomedov at the helm as champion, and the best of the best in challengers such as Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, and newcomer Michael Chandler making their case for a run at the title, the division finds itself amidst turmoil with the champion's sudden retirement after his last title defense. So, where does the UFC go from here?
Below I will give my personal take on how the UFC should approach matchmaking at the top of its premier division.
If Khabib elects to stay retired, then you would need to contemplate who would be matched up for the vacant title. This is a no-brainer, it would have to be Dustin Poirier vs. Charles Oliveira for the belt. Poirier just defeated the largest icon in combat sports, and one of the most influential in all of sports, Connor McGregor, and is clearly in line for a shot at the belt. Likewise, Charles Oliveira is on an eight-fight win streak, topped off by a dismantling of Tony Ferguson, who many believed could have been the one to defeat Khabib. The fight itself would be interesting, as it would be a real test for both men. The boxing of Poirier vs the Jiu-Jitsu of Oliveira. Both these men are clearly deserving of the title shot, and the fight really could go either way depending on who dictates where the fight will be.
The #1 contender fight is a bit more interesting because there are a lot of quality contenders who deserve the opportunity. However, the highest-ranked fighters, other than Poirier and Oliveira, are Justin Gaethje (ranked 2nd) and Michael Chandler (ranked 4th). It just so happens that these two were just announced as being targeted. Since it was just announced there is no date attached, however, it should come as no surprise if this is soon named a #1 contenders fight. Justin is coming off of a loss to the champion Khabib but is still considered to be in the upper echelon of an already stacked division. Michael Chandler knocked out Dan Hooker within one round on his debut. Not to mention Chandler is a former Bellator champion.
More than just being a clear #1 contender fight with the rankings, the stylistic combat in this fight is bound to be off the charts. Both men are high-activity strikers with devastating power and sneaky wrestling pedigrees. Gaethje is already known for putting on exciting contests, as his nickname, “The Highlight”, suggests. Still, Chandler is also an extremely high-pressure, exciting fighter of his own. These two in the octagon together would definitely have the potential to be a fight of the year candidate.
Now, this is probably one lingering question on everyone's mind, what about Conor? Well, here is where it gets interesting. There are a few options. Rafael Dos Anjos has a history with “The Notorious One”, and that fight could be interesting.
Tony Ferguson had been calling for a fight with Conor, which would have made the most sense for me coming off of losses to the men in my hypothetical championship fight and being ranked right next to each other at fifth and sixth, but with the recent news dropping of Tony Ferguson being booked to take on ninth-ranked Beneil Dariush, who is coming off of a split decision over 12th-ranked Diego Ferreira in February, that is off the table.
Yet, there are plenty of other options besides RDA.
Maybe, we get the trilogy bout between Conor and Nate Diaz. Two of the biggest names in the sport, each with a win over each other, what else is there to say? At a glance, the rubber match would garner tons of attention and do big numbers for the UFC.
However, there is one more opponent I have in mind. The man who put on a striking masterclass against Calvin Kattar, no other than Max Holloway. This is a fight we have seen before. Back in 2013 at featherweight, in the division in which Holloway still resides, Max would meet Conor at only 21 years old, Conor himself only 25. Conor won this bout by decision after three rounds of unpredictable striking, while even mixing in four takedowns due to a leg injury. It will come as no surprise to hear that both of these fighters are totally different than their younger counterparts, and considering three rounds was not enough the last time around, a five-round main event seems fitting.
With the featherweight title already set to be on the line, why keep Max waiting? Conor’s days at featherweight have long since passed, but another jump up in weight for Max is inevitable. Some consider Max to be the GOAT of the featherweight division, even despite losing two to Alexander Volkanovski (on paper), and he has yet to turn 30. With the retiring champion, this could be a perfect opportunity for Max to make a claim at lightweight.
Regardless of the weight class, this fight would be a striking masterpiece, with both men having a fair claim as UFC's best boxer title alongside Poirier. Still, even more than that, this would be an excellent opportunity to open Max up to a more mainstream crowd that Conor brings. With Max's style and personality, he would be sure to win some fans over and get them paying attention to the featherweight division, should he return back to his roots.
Imagining those three fights are booked, another question remains: Where does Islam Makhachev fall in this? He is a rising contender, having just defeated Drew Dober at UFC 259 in dominant fashion. It is safe to say he deserves to draw a higher-ranked opponent sitting at 11th, especially when considering teammates Daniel Cormier and Khabib declaring he would be champion soon enough. Although he does not have the resume for a championship fight yet, he is very close. He has been going back and forth with Tony Ferguson and Rafael Dos Anjos on Twitter.
Islam seems to be interested in either fight, but RDA hinted he would only do it if he won the championship. I think this is the fight to make. The winner of Tony Ferguson and Beneil Dariush, or Rafael Dos Anjos, either one makes sense. Tony coming off of two dominant losses to Gaethje and Oliveira, if he gets past his next test, Islam would make a great fight. RDA had a rough three-fight span in 2020 as well, only winning one in his return to lightweight against tenth-ranked Paul Felder on short-notice.
Either fight makes sense on paper, it comes down to which fight you want to see more. Personally, I would pick the Ferguson fight if he reigns victorious at UFC 262 in May, but the chances of Islam waiting on the shelf for that fight may look to be slim. Especially with so many people still believing his style could have been enough to defeat Khabib. It should also be noted that if Ferguson strings two together and returns to form, the potential for Khabib's return is massive, considering Islam and Khabib consider each other brothers. The fight would also be similar to a fight between Khabib and Ferguson, as both Khabib and Islam have admitted in their styles being extremely similar.
I would have wanted to see Beneil Dariush, who is on a six-fight win streak, be set up with RDA with the latter being a former champion in a rough patch and the other being a surging contender that had alternated wins and losses in the past. Also being so close in the rankings, seventh and ninth respectively, it would have been interesting, but Dariush instead draws the toughest test of his career in the former interim champ Tony Ferguson.
Lastly, another fight I believe should be made Dan Hooker vs. Paul Felder 2. Not much needs to be said about this. If you haven't seen the first one, please go watch it. The incredible back-and-forth war ended in a Fight of the Night controversial split decision victory for Hooker last February. Felder initially retired following the loss, but having made his comeback to competition, the rematch would make a lot of sense given their standing in the bottom portion of the lightweight top ten.
These are the fights I would book within the lightweight division; what do you think? Let us know if you agree or what you would do instead.
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