Matchups to Make Following UFC 298

Feb 18

Anaheim, California was blessed with an action-packed card this weekend at UFC 298. From the emergence of top contenders to a destiny spoken into existence for the new Featherweight champion, Saturday’s card set up a slew of potential great matchups. In this article, we will take a look at the logical fights to book for each of the fighters on the main card.

PLEASE NOTE: Cejudo (likely retirement) and Kopylov (unranked) were not included.

#13 anthony hernandez vs #9 roman dolidze

Five straight wins, four by finish. Let’s start taking Anthony Hernandez seriously as a contender at Middleweight.

Providing relentless pressure to open UFC 298, the 30-year-old attempted 14 takedowns in the round and a half his fight lasted. While he only converted on three of them, the last proved to be enough, finding the rear naked choke finish against a surging contender in Roman Kopylov.

Coming off of a main event loss two weeks prior against Nassourdine Imavov, Roman Dolidze has now lost two straight against higher-ranked opponents. At 35 years old, it’s time he fights down in the rankings. Looking at the landscape at Middleweight, this is the matchup to make for both sides; giving Dolidze a chance to bounce back against a surging contender and providing an appropriate step up in competition for Hernandez.

#1 Merab dvalishvili vs winner of o’malley/vera

Merab Dvalishvili extended his win streak to ten with a dominant victory over former champion Henry Cejudo via unanimous decision. Out wrestling a former Olympic Gold medalist, the Georgian native once again displayed the tremendous cardio that makes him one of the most dangerous contenders at Bantamweight.

Let’s keep this short and sweet. It’s time for “The Machine” to get shot at the title.

#9 geoff neal vs loser of burns/della maddalena

Geoff Neal couldn’t figure out the puzzle that is Machado Garry this past weekend, making it back-to-back losses for the contender series alumn. Keeping the fight close throughout, the 33-year-old shouldn’t see much of a drop-off in competition in his next bout.

Slated to fight at UFC 299, Gilbert Burns and Jack Della Maddalena is an intriguing matchup at 170 lb, with the winner likely to be in contention for the top contender spot. As for the loser, a matchup with “Handz of Steel” makes for a perfect bounce-back spot for both sides.

#6 ian machado garry vs #5 colby covington

One of the most controversial figures in the sport, Ian Machado Garry earned his seventh straight victory against Geoff Neal via split decision. Regarded as his least impressive performance to date, Machado Garry utilized his reach, octagon movement and kicks to keep Neal at bay and avoid the “Handz of Steel” to the get nod on the scorecards.

After the fight, Garry called out Colby Covington, claiming that he would “retire you from the UFC.” Between the Welterweight rankings and Covington being long overdue to fight a young contender, this fight makes sense for both sides.

Imagine the media buildup and press conference for this one. Make it happen, Dana.

#7 Paulo Costa vs #4 jared cannonier

It is a rare occasion that losing via unanimous decision elevates the stock of a fighter. Costa’s performance against Whittaker is one of those instances.

Since 2020, Paulo Costa has seen five fights fall through due to various reasons. In that span, Costa is 1-3, with his only victory coming in an underwhelming decision against an out-of-prime Luke Rockhold.

Nearly finishing Whittaker with a spinning heel kick in the 1st round, Costa showed why he is still one of the best at 185 lbs despite the inactivity in recent years. Although he probably should be fighting down in the rankings, Costa is too talented (and too popular) to be given matchups in the lower half of the Middleweight division.

Coming off of back-to-back decision victories, Jared Cannonier finds himself a win or two away from the title picture, yet lacks a willing and worthy opponent. A win against Costa could be exactly what the 39-year-old needs in what will likely be his last run at the title. Scheduled to headline a fight night in 2021, now is the time to make it happen.

Here’s to hoping Costa fights again in 2024.

#3 robert whittaker vs #1 sean strickland

There were a lot of questions surrounding Australia’s Robert Whittaker's future following his knockout loss last summer at the hands of current Middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis. Whittaker answered them all, putting his unreal toughness and heart on full display during the fifteen-minute war with the Brazilian powerhouse Paulo Costa.

Putting himself right back into the title picture, Whittaker has earned a shot at the number one contender spot. Currently occupied by Sean Strickland, this makes for an exciting and unique matchup for the man who has already fought the rest of the top 5 in the Middleweight division.

C Ilia Topuria vs #1 alexander volkanovski II

A four-year championship reign that featured five title defenses should warrant an immediate rematch. Right?

Losing back-to-back fights via knockout does not bold well for one of the greatest Featherweights of all time, especially at 35 years of age. But let's not forget that a year ago, many argued that Volkanovski only needed thirty more seconds in the final round to defeat the current #1 pound-for-pound (PFP) fighter in the world in Islam Makhachev in a weight class above his own.

Improving to 15-0 with his stellar second-round finish at UFC 298, Topuria looks untouchable and has all of the makings of a champion that could have a long reign. The one thing that the Spaniard lacks is an immediate top contender. Yair Rodriguez and Brian Ortega are set to fight this weekend, but both are coming off of losses and a win shouldn’t be enough to grant them a second title shot. The #5 ranked Movsar Evloev is another potential candidate, although his latest razor-close decision victory against Arnold Allen and lack of name value has many expecting at least one more fight against top competition before getting a shot.

One could argue whether the fight would go any differently. That should be answered inside of the octagon, Volk has earned it. A rematch in Spain in the back half of 2024 sounds like a fitting first title defense for “El Matador.”