UFC 279 is in the books and there are no shortage of storylines (and questions) walking away from it. Was that the last time we see Nate Diaz inside the UFC octagon? Will Khamzat Chimaev stay at welterweight or be forced to move up? And, as always, perhaps the most important question (and one that Joe Rogan always asks) is what’s next for the fighters involved?

So, without further ado, here are the fights we want to see after UFC 279:

Nate Diaz vs. No One

Nate’s had a long, storied career. He can hang with some of the top guys, but will not get another shot at undisputed UFC gold in his career. There are no matchups that make sense from the UFC’s point-of-view near him in the CC Rankings. Given that his contract’s up and he wants to go boxing, that win over Tony Ferguson should be his last ride into the sunset, and a fitting one at that.

Tony Ferguson vs. Jim Miller

Was genuinely tempted to also say “Tony Ferguson vs. No One” for this one as well. However, since it seems Ferguson (#10 CC, #15 UFC) won’t retire, Miller (#15 CC, NR UFC) makes a lot of sense. Miller is also a longtime veteran, but who appears to be on an upswing, winning three in a row, as opposed to Ferguson’s five-fight slide. Miller’s earned a shot against better competition and Ferguson needs a break from fighting top guys. A fight between the two would be a treat for longtime diehard fans and would be a good measuring stick for where each belongs in the lightweight division (which is where Tony should return to).

Khamzat Chimaev vs. Colby Covington

Dismiss all the talk about making Chimaev (#8 CC, #3 UFC) move up to middleweight. If Paulo Costa got another shot at his weight class after missing weight by ~15 pounds, rest assured Chimaev will get another chance to make 170. Covington (#2 CC, #2 UFC) looks like the only man left on the welterweight ladder who can provide a significant challenge for Chimaev. This would be a solid title eliminator fight to see who gets the winner of the Usman-Edwards trilogy.

Kevin Holland vs. Daniel Rodriguez

It was booked. We were denied it because of the pre-fight shenanigans. Now Rodriguez (#13 CC, #14 UFC) is a ranked contender and Holland is owed a good fight after taking on Chimaev on less than 24 hours notice. Neither guy took much damage, so this fight should be re-booked before the end of the year. After each underwent a rating’s change, the forecast indicates Rodriguez would be a slim favorite going into that one.

Li Jingliang vs. Michael Chiesa

Li caught the short end of the stick in more ways than one Saturday. After the re-shuffle of the main card, he ended up fighting Rodriguez who weighed in ten pounds heavier than him. Then, by most objective metrics, Jingliang went out and won the fight, but came out on the wrong end of a split decision. As such, he fell out of both the CC and UFC top 15. Chiesa (NR CC, #12 UFC) is right next to Jingliang in the ratings and the forecast suggests Jingliang would be only a 50.3 percent favorite. That would be a close bout between two tough welterweights coming off losses.

Irene Aldana vs. Raquel Pennington

Aldana (#4 CC, #4 UFC) delivered a second straight win in building her title aspirations. There’s little word as to what the champion Amanda Nunes is going to do next and no clear top option at bantamweight. Given that Aldana has a convincing win already over potential challenger Ketlen Vieira (#3 CC, #2 UFC), Pennington (#2 CC, #5 UFC) is the other woman in the top 5 on a win streak, and has earned a marquee bout like this to prove she belongs in the title picture. A win in this bout would allow either woman to stake a claim for the belt.

Johnny Walker vs. Paul Craig

Walker (#13 CC, #11 UFC) showed shades of his former self en route to a dominant win. Now, he’s earned another crack at the top 15. Craig (#6 CC, #9 UFC) is coming off a loss himself. This would be a stylistic beauty, with a wild striker like Walker going up against a submission artist like Craig. Both could use this bout to further their journeys up the division and both are looking for a new fight at the moment.

Norma Dumont vs. Amanda Nunes

Yes, this one seems bold. However, the women’s featherweight belt has not been on the line for over a year-and-a-half. Either the UFC needs to scrap the division, or start taking it seriously. Dumont (#1 CC) is the next best fighter at 145 pounds right now. She showed striking dominance over a world class boxer and then finished with some ground-and-pound that came close to a finish. If the featherweight belt is going to be contested any time soon, Dumont is the only name currently in the UFC that should be on Dana White’s mind. It remains to be seen whether they’ll try to push Dumont down to bantamweight or what the actual future of the division is. But, since this is the fights we want to see, Dumont-Nunes it is!

Other Fights We Want to See from the UFC 279 Card

• Macy Chiasson vs. Yana Kunitskaya
• Jailton Almeida vs. Sergei Pavlovich
• Ion Cutelaba vs. Maxim Grishin

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