Matchups to make after UFC 329: Holloway should look beyond McGregor

Heading into the main event of UFC 329, the card was one of the best of the year.

There were so many action-packed fights, insane finishes and relevant storylines, and we still had the headliner rematch between Conor McGregor and Max Holloway left to go.

In just 69 seconds, it was all over as McGregor’s knee buckled and Holloway was declared the winner via injury TKO in a rematch that was 13 years in the making.

It was the worst possible way to end what was an otherwise amazing card.

But this sport moves fast and we also must move on, so instead of reminiscing about what could have been, let’s look at what the next fights should be for the biggest winners (and the biggest loser) on the card.

Holloway picked up one of the biggest wins of his UFC career to date with his first-round TKO victory over McGregor, but the way the fight went down was certainly not how he, nor anyone, would have ever imagined it would.

Still, a win is a win, and Holloway will continue to get huge matchups based on his name value, coupled with this win over McGregor.

While Holloway wants a trilogy matchup with McGregor, given the circumstances of how this one ended, it just doesn’t make a lot of sense and fans don’t seem particularly keen on it.

Instead, Holloway should move back down to the UFC lightweight division where he can fight Mauricio Ruffy in what would be an absolutely wild striking battle between two of the best standup fighters in the sport today.

McGregor’s return to the UFC went about as poorly as it could have, lasting just 1:09 before suffering yet another devastating injury after breaking his leg in his last fight against Dustin Poirier five years ago at UFC 264.

The Irishman has one more fight remaining on his UFC contract, and he has vowed to return to the Octagon after he heals up from what appears to be an ACL tear. But at Age 38 and coming off two terrible injuries you have to wonder if he truly should fight again.

While retirement is likely the wisest option, if McGregor insists on fighting again then a matchup against longtime rival Michael Chandler is probably the only one that makes any sort of sense at this point as it would feature a pair of older lightweights nearing the end going at each other in a fight that has been years in the making.

But if McGregor retires, that’s okay, too.

The biggest winner of UFC 329 was undoubtedly Pimblett, who only needed 52 seconds to dispatch Benoit Saint-Denis with one of the most vicious D’Arce chokes you will ever see in MMA.

This was the win that Pimblett needed to show that he’s still an elite fighter at 155 pounds after losing to UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje earlier this year at UFC 324. It was not only an impressive victory, but he did it right before McGregor and Holloway walked out, so he got maximum exposure.

For his next fight, Pimblett mentioned he’d be interested in facing UFC legend and current BMF champion Charles Oliveira in what would be a very intriguing grappling matchup. It would be an amazing fight that makes sense based on the rankings. The UFC matchmakers would be wise to book it.

Picking up the biggest win of his career to date, Bautista earned a unanimous decision win over Cory Sandhagen in what was a very competitive fight between two of the sport’s top bantamweights.

Now 10-1 in his last 11 fights, Bautista is clearly one of top fighters in the division but he needs one more win to get a title shot. There aren’t a ton of top-end bantamweights currently available but David Martinez is. He’s 3-0 in the UFC and would make for a very exciting opponent for Bautista. It could even be a potential title eliminator, as Martinez is also closing in on the division’s elite.

Is there a more exciting fighter pound-for-pound in the UFC than Royval? By defeating Lone’er Kavanagh by third-round submission in a back-and-forth war Royval picked up his sixth Fight of the Night award, putting him among the upper echelon of FOTN bonus winners in UFC history.

Following his submission win over Kavanagh, Royval told the media at the UFC 329 post-fight press conference that he wants Asu Almabayev next. That’s a fight that would make a lot of sense given Almabayev is 7-1 in the UFC and one of the flyweight division’s top contenders. It could easily headline a UFC Fight Night card for its potential to go five rounds.

In an exciting lightweight bout that opened the main card at UFC 329, Green came back and finished Terrance McKinney with a TKO at 4:59 of the first round after getting beaten up for most of the round before that.

At 39, Green is one of the oldest fighters in the UFC lightweight division, but he’s currently riding a four-fight win streak.

He’ll get a ranked opponent in his next fight, and Dan Hooker — who is ranked No. 11 in the Meta UFC Rankings — has already called Green out on social media.

That would be a great fight between two of the UFC’s most exciting lightweights.

After spending his entire 14-year UFC career at welterweight and middleweight, Whittaker moved up to light heavyweight, and he picked up a great win with a third-round TKO over respected vet Nikita Krylov.

The win should earn Whittaker a spot in the top 15 at light heavyweight, and another opponent with a number next to his name.

For his next bout, Whittaker should take on the winner of the upcoming rematch between Jan Blachowicz and Bogdan Guskov at UFC Belgrade on Aug. 1.

Whittaker vs. Blachowicz would be an interesting fight between two former UFC champs, while a match with Guskov has potential to be a fun matchup, as well.

The top heavyweight prospect made a splash in his UFC debut with a first-round knockout win over Elisha Ellison in an exciting fight for as long as it lasted.

Now 4-0 in MMA, Steveson’s potential looks vast with an athletic background that includes winning an Olympic gold medal in freestyle wrestling and a stint on the Buffalo Bills’ practice squad. However, he’s still green, so the UFC matchmakers don’t need to rush him.

With that said, for his next fight, he should still take a moderate step up in competition. A bout against Denzel Freeman, who is 1-1 in the UFC and recently lost to Josh Hokit — the UFC’s other top heavyweight prospect — seems right.

Now 14-0 in his pro MMA career, Riley didn’t need more than a round to stop veteran featherweight Kai Kamaka III with strikes — though the stoppage was a bit controversial as it appeared referee Kerry Hatley stopped the fight a bit prematurely.

Either way, the 27-year-old Brit is now 3-0 in the UFC, and it’s getting to the point where he’s closing in on the rankings. One more match against an unranked fighter should do the trick before he jumps into the top 15.

A fun fight for Riley next would be against Dooho Choi, who is riding a three-fight win streak. Choi has long been one of the sport’s most exciting featherweights, and a bout pitting him against Riley would be a lot of fun to watch. So let’s get that booked, with the winner earning a ranked opponent in their next bout.

In the lone women’s MMA fight on the card, Cong won a dominant decision over Tracy Cortez for the biggest win of her UFC career to date.

Now 6-1 in the UFC, Cong called out UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko following the win over Cortez. She’s unlikely to get this fight, since there are other title contenders in front of her, but she should get someone ranked high in the division either way.

One fight that works is a matchup against former UFC champion Rose Namajunas, who is ranked high in the weight class. This would be a proper scrap between two women who prefer to stand and strike, and it could very well be the headliner of a UFC Apex event.