Matches to Make After UFC Macau

The Ultimate Fighting Championship made its return to China with a card filled with Road to UFC finalists and a pivotal bantamweight scrap. The UFC Fight Night 248 main event saw two former champions clash as Petr Yan outstruck former flyweight titleholder Deiveson Figueiredo. With no UFC event next week, fans will have plenty of time to ponder what’s next for the winning fighters.

Here are five matches to make following UFC Fight Night 248.

Petr Yan vs. Sean O'Malley

Yan (18-5) has now put together two straight wins after a three-fight losing streak that saw him lose the bantamweight title. Wins over Yadong Song and now Figueiredo (24-4-1) put “No Mercy” in a great position. I’d like to see a rematch against O'Malley, who won a controversial split decision over Yan back in 2022. It would give O'Malley a chance to get a definitive win, while Yan gets a shot at avenging one of the few losses in his career. Plus, a victory would make a strong argument for a fight against the winner of Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov.

Xiaonan Yan vs. Tatiana Suarez

The co-main event saw Yan pick up a key win over Tabatha Ricci. Now 19-4-1, Yan is near the top of the division at strawweight. A recent defeat to champion Weili Zhang means a title shot fight isn’t in her immediate future, though. If, and it’s a big if, Suarez can get healthy enough to return to the Octagon, I’d love to see the American go up against “Fury” next. A perfect 10-0, there’s no denying the 33-year-old has all the tools. However, an injury-plagued career has seen many fight cancellations and lengthy layoffs. Hopefully, she can get back into the cage soon as a fight against Yan would be a potential title eliminator.

Muslim Salikhov vs. Kalinn Williams

Despite being 40, Salikhov scored the night's best knockout by landing an incredible spinning wheel kick against Kenan Song. Salikhov (21-5) has now won three of his last five fights. The "King of Kung Fu" should face another dangerous striker next as a fight against Williams would be a lot of fun. "Khaos" has looked great in his recent TKO wins over Miguel Baeza anad Carlston Harris and it'd be a good test for both men.

Gabriella Fernandes vs. Veronica Hardy

Fernandes picked up an upset win over Cong Wang in a result that will impact the women's flyweight division. Fernandes (10-3) managed to rock Wang (6-1) with a head kick and then choked the Chinese fighter out with a rear-naked choke. Now 2-2 inside the UFC, the Brazilian gets to stick around. A fight against Hardy, who just saw a three-fight win streak snapped by Eduarda Moura would make sense. Let's see if Fernandes has turned a corner in her UFC career.

Carlos Ulberg vs. Azamat Murzakanov

In a fight between light heavyweight contenders, Ulberg picked up a comfortable decision win over Volkan Oezdemir. Ulberg (11-1) is now riding an impressive seven-fight win streak inside the Octagon. That means an even tougher fight is next and I’d like to see the New Zealand fighter take on Murzakanov next. 14-0 as a pro, “The Professional” has little time to waste as he’s 35. A win would move either man into a top contender fight next, so let’s get some fresh top-level fights at 205.