Max Holloway made certain there was no pot of gold at the end of Frankie Edgar’s latest rainbow.
Never once did the outcome feel as though it was in doubt. Holloway outperformed the challenger, both statistically and in terms of the physical toll he exacted. The Gracie Technics star outlanded Edgar in every round but the first, according to preliminary FightMetric data, and denied all but one of his 15 takedown attempts. Holloway withstood a persistent assault on his legs, flexed his superiority in a majority of their standup exchanges and methodically built his lead. Edgar absorbed 129 significant strikes from the champion, the most ever in his 31-fight career.
In the aftermath of UFC 240 “Holloway vs. Edgar,” here are five matches that ought to be made:
Max Holloway vs. Alexander Volkanovski: Holloway does not turn 28 until Dec. 4 -- a sobering thought for those with addresses in the featherweight zip code. He has rattled off 14 consecutive victories inside the 145-pound weight class since his defeat to Conor McGregor a little less than six years ago, all of them coming by knockout, technical knockout, submission or unanimous decision. Few fighters in the sport have dominated their peers so thoroughly over such an extended period of time. Volkanovski appears to be the last remaining viable contender for Holloway. Owner of an eye-popping 20-1 record, the 30-year-old Australian finds himself on a 17-fight winning streak during which he has beaten Jose Aldo, Chad Mendes and Darren Elkins.
Cristiane Justino vs. Julia Budd: In fulfilling the final fight on her current UFC contract, Justino rebounded from her first loss in more than a decade with a unanimous decision over former Invicta Fighting Championships titleholder Felicia Spencer. “Cyborg” kept her composure against a determined opponent and let her hands, feet, knees and elbows do the rest. By the time it was over, she had outlanded Spencer by a staggering 138-64 margin. Where Justino goes from here remains anyone’s guess, though her always-tenuous relationship with UFC management does not appear to have improved in recent months. That could clear the way for a move to Bellator MMA and a potential showdown with its featherweight champion. Undefeated since November 2011, Budd has won 11 fights in a row.
Geoff Neal vs. Vicente Luque-Mike Perry winner: Neal added a technical knockout of Niko Price to his growing portfolio at 170 pounds, as he put away the Floridian with second-round punches. It was a barnburner while it lasted and included a rare double knockdown in Round 1. Neal capitalized on a mistake in the middle stanza, freed himself from a guillotine choke, established a dominant position and uncorked ground-and-pound until the job was done. Price was likely moments away from being battered unconscious by the Fortis MMA standout when referee Dan Miragliotta intervened. Neal, 28, has posted six straight victories, five of them finishes. Luque and Perry will lock horns at UFC Fight Night 156 on Aug. 10 in Montevideo, Uruguay.
Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mairbek Taisumov-Diego Ferreira winner: Though capable fighters often get lost in the shuffle in a division as deep as 155 pounds, Tsarukyan has begun taking steps to strengthen his profile and avoid the numbers crunch. Just 22 years of age, the promising Russian evened his UFC record with a unanimous decision over “The Ultimate Fighter Nations” runner-up Olivier Aubin-Mercier; and he did so by beating the Tristar Gym-trained grappler at his own game. Tsarukyan owns a 13-1 mark across his last 14 appearances -- the highly regarded Islam Makhachev was responsible for the lone defeat -- and has the look of a future contender. Taisumov has been booked opposite Ferreira at UFC 242 on Sept. 7.
Hakeem Dawodu vs. Andre Fili: The eminently talented Dawodu spun his wheels for the better part of five minutes, solved Yoshinori Horie’s riddle with knees to the body and cut down the organizational newcomer with a head kick in the third round. Dawodu, 28, has pieced together a three-fight winning streak since his club-and-sub defeat to Danny Henry in March 2018 and seems to have his needle pointed in the right direction. The finish was the Canadian kickboxer’s first in nearly three years, perhaps laying the foundation for an increase in his degree of difficulty. Fili last competed at UFC Fight Night 155, where the Team Alpha Male mainstay knocked out Sheymon Moraes with a volley of first-round punches on July 13.