Matchmaking for Alex Pereira, Max Holloway other UFC 300 winners
Here's who we think a the winners from UFC 300 should fight next.
By Jaren Kawada
UFC 300 is now in the rear-view mirror with a fortune of questions answered and a handful of headlines created. Both undisputed champions entering the event retained their belts, though the BMF title exchanged hands in the third fight from the top.
With 12 current or former champions on the card and 20 of the 26 fighters entering the night as ranked contenders, the fallout of the event creates several more questions regarding future matchups. Two fighters — Aljamain Sterling and Kayla Harrison — made their successful debut in new divisions, while Max Holloway returned to lightweight and recorded what Joe Rogan has already deemed the greatest knockout in UFC history in the BMF title fight.
Entering the night, headlining champion Alex Pereira claimed he wanted to headline UFC 301 in May should he quickly finish former champion Jamahal Hill. Just over three minutes into the fight, Pereira defended his throne while absorbing just 12 significant strikes, leaving the door open for him to potentially get his wish and fight in his home country.
In the biggest test of his career, Bo Nickal delivered in the pay-per-view opener despite receiving heavy criticism from fans throughout fight week for his placement on the card. In just his sixth professional fight, Nickal faced mild adversity in round one before emphatically dominating Cody Brundage in the second round to win by rear-naked choke.
The iconic and heavily promoted fight card delivered in every way imaginable and though many upcoming matchups appear obvious, several other fighters gave themselves a plethora of mouth-watering options moving forward.
Here are our predictions for the next fight for every winner on UFC 300: