It’s very rare for a UFC card to endorse not one but two title contenders. But on a night like no other, UFC 300, which featured high-level competition from the opening round to the main event, there were a number of potential title fights lined up.
After last weekend’s show in Las Vegas, there are several fighters who appear to have a clear case for competing in championship matches in the future. Before we move on to the event that will probably be the card of the year and where he could probably compare to the best in the UFC, let’s discuss the names that deserve a chance at gold in the near future.
Max Holloway
Even heading into last weekend, Max Holloway was making a decent argument for a featherweight title fight.
His track record at featherweight is impressive, but it hasn’t been enough to earn him a chance to face the division’s champions in recent years. why? That’s because longtime champion Alexander Volkanovski has defeated him three times since 2019. Having lost to his top names three times, it was difficult for Holloway to justify competing for the title again. However, things changed earlier this year when Ilia Topuria stopped Volkanovski and became the new champion.
Well, Holloway is an undefeated fighter in the featherweight division for 10 years, with the exception of a loss to a certain fighter. He has wins over Yair Rodriguez, Calvin Kattar, Arnold Allen, and many other fighters in the weight class. With a strong track record against high-quality opponents over the past few years, he had solid grounds for his fight against Topuria. This is a very good resume and worth remembering. This was before he made his big debut at UFC 300.
Looking back, Saturday night was great. Holloway put on an incredible striking performance against lightweight Justin Gaethje. He then landed a walk-off knockout punch in the final minute to end the match in viral fashion and end it on a career highlight. This fight made Holloway not only a strong contender, but also a fighter riding on the momentum of a popular performance.
UFC 300 may have been a disaster for Holloway. Had he lost, even if the fight was in a different weight class, his argument for a title fight might have been weakened. But fortunately, he doesn’t have to worry about that anymore. Now he can understand what he needs to do to win the title.
Some might say that Holloway has a rough chance of winning against Topuria, given his multiple losses to Volkanovski in title fights and the fact that he has been in a number of wars in the past. . There’s no doubt that the Topuria fight will be a tough assignment for him, but it’s just the right fight at this point. We felt it was the perfect time to give him a chance against Topuria as he is well qualified for a championship chance and is still performing at a high level in his career. ing.
Arman Tsarukyan
Required credit: Zuffa LLC
Immediately after Arman Tsarukyan defeated Charles Oliveira by three round decision, it looked like he would be Islam Makhachev’s sure next challenger. However, just a few hours later, it became clear that he would in fact have to become the next next challenger. That’s because later in the evening it was announced that Dustin Poirier will be challenging for Makhachev’s belt at UFC 302.
Tsarukian can’t say he’s next in line to challenge, but he could make that claim in just a few months if the lightweight title is on the line again. UFC 300 and 302 are in close proximity, so it could actually work out very well for Tsarukyan’s next challenge. And he should be, this is why.
Heading into this weekend, Tsarukyan already has a strong showing in the lightweight division. But unlike a situation like Max Holloway, he definitely had to do more to justify a fight with Makhachev. He had nine wins at lightweight, and his two losses had an interesting story to tell. He lost to Makhachev in 2019, but that loss has aged gracefully. Then, in 2022, he dropped his decision to Mateusz Gamrot, and the result of the five rounds was much debated. Check out his MMADecisions page here to see what people felt about it.
Tsarukyan has many victories to discuss. He stopped Beneil Dariush in just over a minute, beat Damir Ismagulov on the scorecards and finished off Joel Alvarez with strikes. His win over Oliveira this weekend will undoubtedly be the biggest win of his career, although it was definitely a close one.
Oliveira’s next shot at a title was just a few months ago. The former champion was ruled out of the fight against Makhachev at UFC 294 after suffering an injury during camp. He hadn’t played a game since then until last Saturday. In other words, his status as a top lightweight with a near title shot wasn’t that fading. Tsarukyan stole the momentum with a narrow victory and is perhaps one of the most deserving challengers for the belt. At least that’s the case after Poirier, according to matchmakers.
Kayla Harrison
The women’s bantamweight division is not a very popular weight class, so it doesn’t take long for fighters to rise up the rankings. With some strong performances, it’s easy to make the case for a title shot.
Kayla Harrison may only have one fight in the UFC, but after her appearance at UFC 300, she has an incredibly strong case for a title fight that she has been incredibly focused on for months. It seems there is.
Harrison made her promotional debut with a landslide victory over Holly Holm in the second round with a rear-naked choke. Her victory came after a week of questions that left her wondering what she would do. Will Harrison have a hard time moving up to bantamweight, where she has never fallen this far? Will her weight loss negatively impact her performance? How will she fare against UFC level talent? Her wins, gaining weight and performing normally within her class, making her look like a much more skilled athlete, silenced many of her critics and placed her in this category. put me in a great position.
Harrison’s pre-UFC career also needs to be considered when considering whether he should get a title fight. She comes after a 16-fight career in the PFL, mostly competing in the rarely seen women’s lightweight division. Although she never had any major wins in PFL, her multi-year dominance in the promotion gave her a reputation that subsequently led to her run in the UFC.
Harrison was ranked No. 4 in the bantamweight rankings this week, placing him below several other fighters. She is ranked higher than her and Ketlen Vieira is the only fighter who has missed out on a title shot in the past. There is certainly evidence that Harrison is not the next definitive challenger for the bantamweight belt. But considering she’s a newcomer to the division, her strong debut against her esteemed opponent, and the hype she’s gotten from her success in the PFL, she’s easily in the running for the title. It seems that there is a possibility of getting a chance. And if she gets that chance, it’s hard to argue against it.
UFC 300 was a big night for contestants
Beyond examples of fighters with immediate title shots, UFC 300 also featured a number of matches that showcased talent who could be just one fight away from being in that position.
Take former light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochakza, who stopped Aleksandar Rakic in two rounds. Or Aljamain Sterling, who bounced back from his title loss and won his featherweight debut. Jessica Andrade may have moved one step closer to a rematch with Zhang Weili with her qualifying win over Marina Rodriguez.
It will be interesting to look back at UFC 300 in a few months and see where the winners of this show went. It’s likely that at least a few of them will advance to the title fight, and one of them could even become the champion.
Who would you give the title fight to after the UFC 300 fight?
