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Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff Writer
UFC 304 in Manchester, England, was a roller coaster of emotions for U.K. fight fans. They experienced the highs of watching Tom Aspinall stake his claim as the best heavyweight in MMA and Paddy Pimblett picking up the biggest win of his career. They experienced the low of former welterweight champion Leon Edwards losing the title in front of the home crowd.
In the main event, Belal Muhammad beat Edwards by unanimous decision to claim the 170-pound title. With the victory, Muhammad extended his unbeaten streak to 11 straight. The win also re-opened all options atop the welterweight division.
In the co-main event, Aspinall avenged his lone UFC loss to Curtis Blaydes — needing just 60 seconds to retain the interim heavyweight title via first-round knockout. Now there appears to be only one option for Aspinall, a title unification bout.
With so much turnover from this weekend’s pay-per-view, what should be next for the big names of UFC 304 — and could this be the last time we see a fighter in the Octagon, despite establishing himself as a No. 1 contender?
Belal Muhammad, welterweight
Who should be next: Shavkat Rakhmonov
This is a cut-and-dry option here. Rakhmonov is up next in line for a title shot based on every competitive angle you want to look at. He is ranked in No. 4 in ESPN’s divisional rankings, and riding an 18-fight unbeaten streak with a 100% finish rate. He has a country firmly behind him in Kazakhstan. The one thing not in his favor is drawing power in the U.S., which could come into play. Ultimately, he is the favorite to get the next shot. But the UFC does have another interesting option.
Wild card: Kamaru Usman
Usman was a great champion for the UFC, and now he’s nearing the end of his career. There aren’t many fights that make sense for him, but obviously, this is one he’d take. He has a big name — far bigger than Rakhmonov. I’m sure the UFC would like to capitalize and profit on that name a few more times before he retires. If you’re Muhammad, you like this option, right? Fight the biggest name possible to kick off your title reign. It’s not out of the question.
Leon Edwards, welterweight
Who should be next: Michael Page
Page is undeniably the right answer here — but the timing is off. This fight should take place in England, for English welterweight supremacy. It should be five rounds. Page badly wanted it to be for a title of course, but with both fighters coming off a loss, it would be a fantastic time to do it. I’d just like to see it in England as a main event and Edwards was clear on Saturday he wants to fight again before the end of the year. If that’s the case, save this one — don’t rush it just to have it. Wait until you can have it in England.
Wild card: Winner of Gilbert Burns vs. Sean Brady
These two are fighting in September. Neither one of them has fought Edwards. Edwards vs. Burns feels like a fight that has to happen at some point in their careers. This is the kind of matchup that Edwards would have to take and win to start his way back to the title. I could see this one happening in December, depending on how the Burns vs. Brady fight goes.
Tom Aspinall, heavyweight
Who should be next: Winner of Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic
Continue to shout it from the rooftops, Tom. You want to fight Jon Jones — or Miocic, if Miocic beats Jones in November. This fight should have happened already. Aspinall is clearly the No. 1 heavyweight in the world. What he’s done in the division completely surpasses what Jones has, which consists of one win over Ciryl Gane. But of course, Jones is the GOAT and who’s to say he wouldn’t get through Aspinall? There is only one way to find out, and Aspinall has done his job in setting it up. He’s storming through guys. It’s pretty obvious that Jones doesn’t want to fight him, which is understandable. If he can fight Miocic, who hasn’t fought in three years, for the same amount of money, why wouldn’t he? Any one of us would probably take that route too. But I hope that if Jones wins in November, he will want the challenge of Aspinall, and the UFC will make it very worth his while to do so if that’s what it takes.
Wild card: Alex Pereira
If Jones nor Miocic want to fight Aspinall, this is the next-biggest fight the UFC can make. Aspinall knows it too, that’s why he suggested a fight against Pereira during Saturday’s post-fight press conference. The good news about this matchup is that it feels inevitable. Pereira and Aspinall are so down to fight and test themselves, I believe we see this matchup one way or another. And if Jones or Miocic isn’t an option, we might see it next.
Paddy Pimblett, lightweight
Who should be next: Renato Moicano
Moicano already has a heck of a fight booked, opposite Benoit Saint Denis in September. I honestly wish he didn’t. This is the perfect fight at the perfect time. Pimblett called it out after the win. He’s been calling it out, really. It’s a fight they both want, and the build-up would be spectacular. It will be interesting if Pimblett gets his due from this win, or if the doubters will remain and say he beat a 37-year-old King Green. If there are still doubters, they won’t have anything left to say if Pimblett beats Moicano. Moicano is in a groove and his popularity has soared as of late. Pimblett will have to wait a bit, but the fact he called him out tells me he’s willing to do that.
Wild card: Michael Chandler
If Conor McGregor isn’t ready to go by the December card, Chandler has to move on. But there hasn’t been a good fight for him to move on to. The UFC could make Chandler vs. Justin Gaethje 2 and promote it as a No. 1 contender fight. But if Gaethje doesn’t want to fight again in 2024, Chandler still needs to fight in December, and even though it’s a massive jump for Pimblett, the best thing you can do in this sport is strike when the iron is hot and Pimblett has never been hotter.
Arnold Allen, featherweight
Who should be next: Yair Rodriguez
This is a barnburner of a fight, and the right matchup for the rankings. Featherweight is fluid at the moment. Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway is next up. Alexander Volkanovski‘s future will hinge heavily on what happens there. Aljamain Sterling vs. Movsar Evloev is a huge fight for the division in October. If Sterling wins, his next fight could be for the title. If Evloev wins, it wouldn’t shock me to see the UFC ask him to win one more. But that’s such an intriguing matchup for the division and this would be the same. Title shots are going to be hard to predict soon with so many guys floating near the top, so let’s make the best stylistic fights and see where the dust settles. This is one of those fights.
Wild card: Volkanovski
As expected, Volkanovski wants to fight sooner rather than later. It makes the most sense to have him wait and see what happens between Topuria and Holloway, but if Allen is willing to turn around relatively soon and Volkanovski is demanding a date, this would be an option.
Muhammad Mokaev, flyweight
Who should be next: Alexandre Pantoja
I have a proposition. The UFC isn’t a huge fan of Mokaev’s fighting style. And if we’re being honest, Mokaev does have a rather “anti-fan friendly” fighting style. He holds the UFC record for most takedowns in a flyweight fight, with 12 takedowns. Which is impressive, but do fans like to watch 12 takedowns during a 15-minute fight? Usually, no. But at the same time, he’s 7-0 in the Octagon. There aren’t many other options in terms of an opponent for the defending champ. Mokaev revealed on Saturday he just fought out his current contract and hopes the UFC will re-sign him.
The UFC should book Mokaev in a title fight — on a one-fight deal. If he wins, he’s the champ and stays in the organization. If he loses, the UFC wishes him the best but admits they’re not excited to re-sign him. Making something like that public would actually increase interest in the matchup.
Wild card: Leave the UFC
I can’t even come up with another option in this scenario, because if Mokaev re-signs with the UFC and doesn’t fight for a title, I’m wondering what’s the point. What matchups make sense, if the UFC intends to slow-play him and keep him away from a championship? If he does re-sign and fights anyone other than Pantoja, it would likely be someone such as Brandon Royval. But to me, it’s title shot or bust.