Islam Makhachev embraces the winner of the lightweight title. There is a time and a place for it. The father's plan worked. Islam Makhachev became the new lightweight champion after defeating Charles Oliveria by second-round submission (arm triangle) to win the vacant belt at UFC 280 on Saturday. Makhachev entered the fight on a 10-fight winning streak and was going to finalize the plan of his coach and teammate, the former UFC lightweight champion: to win the belt. This was the first defeat for the man who lost the belt on the scales. The bantamweight division was the center of attention. Aljamain sterling dominated TJ Dillashaw with a knockout victory. Is it a good idea for the winners to fight each other. How about the people who didn't do well? There would be a fight between the two people. What should follow? Let's take a look at what will happen in the near future. Who should be next? This one was easy because of Makhachev, Volkanovski, and the UFC. Everything is ready to go. Makhachev will defend his title against the world's top pound for pound fighter. Volkanovski has a chance at a second title in Australia. The contracts need to be sent. Fight posters can be printed. The main event is in Perth, Australia, on February 12. There is a wild card. Even though he is deserving of a title fight, even though he knows it isn't in the cards, even though he knows it isn't going to happen. There are a lot of fights ahead of him. He will not have to get his chance if he keeps winning. It's time to name the next person who should be next. The fights from UFC 280: Oliveira vs. Makhachev will be available to watch on the internet. Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev are two people.
• Aljamain Sterling (c) vs. TJ Dillashaw
• Petr Yan vs. Sean O'Malley
• Beneil Dariush vs. Mateusz Gamrot
• Katlyn Chookagian vs. Manon Fiorot
• Belal Muhammad vs. Sean Brady
• Makhmud Muradov vs. Caio Borralho
• Nikita Krylov vs. Volkan Oezdemir
• Abubakar Nurmagomedov vs. Gadzhi Omargadzhiev
• Armen Petrosyan vs. AJ Dobson
• Malcolm Gordon vs. Muhammad Mokaev
• Lina Lansberg vs. Karol Rosa
Islam Makhachev, lightweight champion (defeated Charles Oliveira to win the vacant lightweight title)
Charles Oliveira (lost by second-round submission to Makhachev)
You can watch the complete card on pay per view.
If and when McGregor comes back, Oliveira is a perfect opponent. We're never any closer to him doing that than he is.
This is the one if he does return. There is a style in the sport that is exciting. He has already beaten many of the obvious opponents you would book him against next. He would get a lot of attention if he fought McGregor. I'm pretty sure he'd take the fight at 170 pounds if it was what he wanted.
The card is a wild one.
This would be a big fight for him and one that he deserves if he doesn't get a title shot.
It makes sense from a ranking point of view. I would love to see him in a big fight. This is a quality, quality match up.
After an exciting third round, Sean O'Malley was the winner.
What should happen next?
Dana White said after watching the fights that the two winners would square off.
There's no doubt that he proved himself to be elite, even if you disagree with the scoring of O'Malley's split decision. He just defeated a former champ. Now that he's gotten the better of one of the best bantamweights of all time, sterling feels like an undisputed champion.
Big fights are good for money. The rankings justify the fact that O'Malley is the most important fight for him. The title fight should be at 135 pounds.
Henry Cejudo is a wild card for sterling.
I don't think it will happen, but we don't know what's next for Cejudo. He wants to get a chance at the belt. This is a fight that is easy to sell and is one that is big. There would be a story to tell. A couple years ago, Cejudo walked away as the champ after a dominating run that included two divisions. He's a character in the story, but it's hard to see him getting a chance over O'Malley.
What should be the next fight?
It's important to feel a little bit for the man. There were two back-to-back fights that many observers thought he won. The margins can be cruel. Fine details make or break the difference between two big wins and two stinging losses.
Dillashaw is one of the best. This is a really bad fight. The guys hit hard and incorporated kicks. It's a Fight-of-the- Night candidate on paper, and the obvious next move for both, depending on how Dillashaw's health is coming off a shoulder injury.
Belal Muhammad defeated Sean Brady with a flurry of punches.
Wait, what should be the next thing?
Wait for something. I don't know. Something to let go of. Right now, you're looking at the next fight. The UFC is trying to book Chimaev against Covington. The UFC wants to book Burns against Masvidal, even though he's ranked higher than Muhammad.
Wait is the only answer. If Muhammad doesn't want to fight anyone else, you can't fault him. Maybe Chimaev's opponent is not willing to fight him. Maybe Masvidal isn't interested in fighting Burns. I think Muhammad will let the scenarios play out and not rush to book any other fights.
The winner of the Shavkat Rakhmonov-Geoff Neal match will be a wild card.
At 170 pounds, Rakhmonov is looking a little like a boogeyman, and Neal is back on track after suffering a couple of losses. Whoever wins this fight on January 14 will be looking at the rankings and Muhammad will be an obvious target.
Don't be surprised if Muhammad is asked to stay active and accept a fight against one of these two if all of the names are booked. This is likely to be a real option for Muhammad come early in the future.
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