Matches to Make After UFC 302

Order Now! UFC 302 "Makhachev vs. Poirier" on ESPN+
The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to pay-per-view with an action-packed card with major repercussions going forward. The UFC 302 main event saw Islam Makhachev successfully defend his lightweight title by submitting savvy veteran Dustin Poirier. What should be next for the champion and other main card winners? Read on to find out.

Here are five matches to make following UFC 302:

Related » UFC 302 Round-by-Round Scoring

Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan

Makhachev (26-1) cemented his championship rein with a brabo choke win over the always-tough Poirier (30-9, 1 NC). However, it’s no secret that “The Diamond” wasn’t the de facto No. 1 contender and was aided by some helpful timing and two top fighters suffering defeats. Originally, the UFC looked for Tsarukyan to take the bout and he should get the call here as Makhachev’s next test. The two have a history as the champion won a hard-fought decision over "Ahalkalakets" in 2019. However, Tsarukyan (22-3) has improved greatly since then and has recently put together wins over Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush. This would be a great rematch, especially with the titleholder looking human in recent fights.

Sean Strickland vs. Brendan Allen

Strickland successfully bounced back against Paulo Costa by outpointing the Brazilian on the feet. While “Tarzan” lost his middleweight title to Dricus Du Plessis via split decision, his stock didn’t go down much as it was a close fight. Strickland (29-6) is likely still a win away from another title shot, though, and a fight against Allen would make a lot of sense. “All In” is riding a seven-fight win streak and is coming off impressive wins over Chris Curtis and Paul Craig. The winner would be in a great spot moving forward.
Order Now! UFC 302 "Makhachev vs. Poirier" on ESPN+

Kevin Holland vs. Bo Nickal

Back at middleweight, Holland picked up an impressive armbar submission win over Michal Oleksiejczuk, whose arm injured in the process. “Trailblazer” has now won three of his last five fights and has proved a hard out for pretty much everyone not named Khamzat Chimaev. Holland (26-11, 1 NC) would be a great step up for the undefeated Nickal. The decorated wrestler would have to rely on his grappling advantage and not make mistakes against the talented striker and submission artist.

Niko Price vs. Jingliang Li

Price finally got back into the win column by taking a decision over Alex Morono in their rematch. “The Hybrid” had struggled recently but is now 2-2 in his last four fights. A fight against Li would be quite enjoyable as “The Leech” is another hard-hitting welterweight that always brings it. There’s no shame in Price (16-7, 2 NC) being an action fighter rather than a top contender and fun fights should be the priority.

Randy Brown vs. Geoff Neal

In the main card opener, Brown edged out Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos over 15 back-and-forth minutes to pick up a unanimous decision win. “Rude Boy” has now put three wins together in a row. Brown (19-5) called out Neal in his post-fight interview, and I like that fight a lot. “Handz of Steel” is looking to bounce back after losses to Ian Machado Garry and Shavkat Rakhmonov, while Brown is looking for his signature win. It’s a pivotal fight for both men and will show exactly where they are at in the welterweight division.