Matches to Make After UFC 300

The Ultimate Fighting Championship celebrated a historic milestone tonight with a card as stacked as the occasion. The UFC 300 main card featured two title fights, with Alex Pereira taking on Jamahal Hill in the main event, plus intriguing contests that will impact the lightweight and middleweight divisions moving forward.

Here are five matches to make following UFC 300:

Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev

Pereira came out of UFC 300 with the UFC light heavyweight title once again strapped around his waist after quickly knocking out Hill. While it won't make his next title defense the biggest pay-per-view headliner, Ankalaev is the clear top contender. After fighting Jan Blachowicz to a split draw in a vacant title fight in 2022, the Russian has picked up a win over Johnny Walker (after fighting to a no-contest against Walker as well). Ankalaev (19-1-1, 1 NC) is overdue for another shot at gold and will provide a true challenge for the champion should he get the fight to the ground.

Weili Zhang vs. Tatiana Suarez

The women’s strawweight title stayed in Chinese hands as Zhang defended her belt against Xiaonan Yan in the co-main event. While it’s a great accomplishment, keeping the championship won’t be easy. Up next, if she can stay healthy, should be Suarez. The undefeated American is 10-0 and has looked unstoppable in recent wins over Jessica Andrade and Montana De La Rosa. A decorated freestyle wrestler, the 33-year-old should get a chance to finally live up to her potential as a title challenger.

Max Holloway vs. Ilia Topuria

Max Holloway won the symbolic “BMF” title after defeating former UFC interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje with an incredible last-second knockout in UFC 300’s most anticipated fight. Since losing to Alexander Volkanovski for a third time, “Blessed” has won three fights, including a vicious knockout of Chan Sung Jung and a decision over Arnold Allen. Up next should be a move back to featherweight and a title shot against Topuria. Not only does Holloway present a fresh matchup for “El Matador,” the fighting styles line up wonderfully for a striking battle that will be a joy to watch. It’s a pay-per-view headlining fight that makes all the sense in the world.

Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mateusz Gamrot

Tsarukyan survived two near-submission attempts from Charles Oliveira to take a split decision. While the Armenian is close to a title shot, a 2022 defeat to Gamrot still sticks out and he doesn’t have the name value of his teammate Dustin Poirier. That means "Ahalkalakets" is likely still one win away from a rematch against Islam Makhachev, who defeated him back in 2019. Instead, Tsarukyan (22-3) can look toward avenging another loss and face off against Gamrot for a second time. “Gamer” has successfully rebounded from a decision loss to Beneil Dariush with wins over Rafael dos Anjos, Rafael Fiziev and Jalin Turner. The winner would have an easy argument for a title shot.

Bo Nickal vs. Rodolfo Vieira

Middleweight prospect Nickal continued his ascent and submitted an overmatched Cody Brundage with a rear-naked choke. Now 6-0, there's still no reason to rush the former Penn State wrestler into fights against title contenders. However, he should continue to get different looks and more experienced foes, which is where Vieira steps in. "The Black Belt Hunter" is also a decorated grappler and would make for a great test of Nickal's defensive grappling. The Brazilian is also coming off submission wins over Brundage and Armen Petrosyan, so both men are on the rise.