Monday Matchmaker: What’s next for Makhachev, Dvalishvili after UFC 311?

The first pay-per-view of 2025 is in the books, with champions Islam Makhachev and Merab Dvalishvili successfully defending their titles in very different efforts against Renato Moicano and Umar Nurmagomedov, respectively.

Usually when we come away from a pair of championship contests, we have a sense of what will be next for the champions, but in this case, things feel a little more uncertain, so let’s try to figure out who might be standing opposite these two men (and a few other victors from UFC 311) in the latest edition of the Monday Matchmaker.

ISLAM MAKHACHEV

The dominant lightweight champion ate a couple big shots from late-notice challenger Renato Moicano early, which prompted him to take the fight to the canvas, where he was able to control the Brazilian and lock up a deep D’arce choke late in the opening round to secure the win.

Most people expected his original opponent Arman Tsarukyan would be the automatic next in line challenger after being forced from the contest with a back injury at the 11th hour, but UFC CEO Dana White said Saturday night following the event that Tsarukyan would have to work his way back into contention, leaving the space opposite Makhachev vacant for the time being.

It feels like there are three options to consider here: Charles Oliveira, Max Holloway, and Ilia Topuria.

Oliveira never got a rematch after Makhachev beat him for the title, opting against taking a return bout in favour of a little time off. When he started working back towards another championship opportunity, he ran into Tsarukyan, lost a three-round split decision and was forced to regroup. He’s coming off a dominant win over Michael Chandler and would be a solid choice to challenge Makhachev next time out.

Holloway’s candidacy is a little less clear as he’s coming off a knockout loss, but that came at featherweight, and the last time he competed at lightweight, he left Justin Gaethje face down in the centre of the Octagon at UFC 300. “Blessed” is a fascinating consideration with his wealth of championship experience, high-output approach, and devil may car attitude, but getting one more win might strengthen his championship case.

Topuria is the most interesting option here, even though the featherweight champ is expected to face former titleholder Alexander Volkanovski next. Should he get through that fight with the belt still in his possession, a date with Makhachev would stand as one of the biggest fights the UFC could make at the moment, and Topuria has been planting the seeds for it since ascending to the top the 145-pound ranks.

Give him another win over Volk and more time to fire out verbal jabs at the lightweight ruler and we could have a fascinating “Champion vs. Champion” showdown to look forward to in the back half of the year.

ESK suggests: Get Makhachev-Oliveira II on the books for May or June, and if the champion retains and Topuria still has the featherweight strap, book them against one another in October or November.

MERAB DVALISHVILI

“The Machine” leaned on his one-of-a-kind conditioning to wear down Umar Nurmagomedov in the UFC 311 co-main event, successfully defending his bantamweight title and running his winning streak to an even dozen.

It was a classic Dvalishvili performance, as he set an incredible pace early and maintained it throughout as the challenger faded, unable to keep up and contend with the steady pressure, constant attacks of the indefatigable champion, who loved every last minute of it.

So now what?

Honestly, it’s probably going to be a rematch with Petr Yan, whom Dvalishvili defeated by unanimous decision (50-45s across the board) in March 2023. The Russian former champion has posted consecutive quality wins over Song Yadong and Deiveson Figueiredo since that contest and there is genuine heat between the two, so a second meeting feels like the best available option.

If that’s how things shake out, it’s going to be a good fight. Dvalishvili is always entertaining and Yan can be great when he’s locked in and fighting to his strengths, though I completely understand having a hard time getting fired all the way up for a rematch of a fight that was completely one-sided less than two years ago.

This is more a function of where things are currently in the bantamweight division.

Dvalishvili has already beaten Sean O’Malley, Nurmagomedov, and Yan, who occupy the top three spots in the rankings beneath the champion, and the next group of fighters in the hierarchy — Cory Sandhagen, Figueiredo, Marlon Vera — have been unable to work their way to full contender status.

What bantamweight really needs is for someone to get on a heater or score a massive win in the first half of the year that elevates their profile and earns them a “best available option” title opportunity like we saw Steve Erceg receive at flyweight last year. Or just book O’Malley and Sandhagen against one another and give the winner a title shot while hoping some new contenders start to emerge.

ESK suggests: Dvalishvili and Yan run it back, O’Malley and Sandhagen fight on the same card, and let’s wait and see what happens between Henry Cejudo and Song Yadong in Seattle next month.

JIRI PROCHAZKA

Prochazka won Saturday’s battle of former light-heavyweight champions with Jamahal Hill, finishing “Sweet Dreams” in the third round of a wildly entertaining back-and-forth battle.

Having shaved his signature braid as a show of solidarity with Ashly McGarity, a Prochazka fan and cancer patient who was in attendance in Los Angeles this weekend, the bald striker found counters with regularity, especially in the first and third, hurting Hill routinely and dropping him multiple times. After being unable to seal the deal earlier in the contest, Prochazka made sure to not let Hill off the hook when he had him rocked in the final frame, putting him on the deck once more and pounding out the finish.

While the Czech standout publicly lobbied for a third fight with current champion Alex Pereira, who remains the only man to best him inside the Octagon, that fight is going to have to wait. For one thing, Pereira is booked to defend his title against No. 1 contender Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 in March. Additionally, the two men fought twice in eight months, with “Poatan” winning both by knockout, at UFC 295 and most recently at UFC 303 in June.

Prochazka is too entertaining to keep on the sidelines, so how about a fight with Khalil Rountree Jr.?

Although he’s stationed five spots behind Prochazka in the rankings, Rountree Jr. did better against Pereira than anyone else has in the last couple years, winning the first two rounds of their UFC 307 clash in Salt Lake City, enduring until the fourth round before succumbing to the menacing Brazilian’s powerful attacks.

This would be guaranteed fireworks and put the victor at the top of the list of potential title challengers in the 205-pound division, alongside the winner of the impending clash between former champ Jan Blachowicz and surging New Zealander Carlos Ulberg.

ESK suggests: Prochazka vs Rountree as the middle bout on a loaded pay-per-view, knowing that Pereira and Ankalaev is on the books and could necessitate an immediate rematch if the champion is dethroned.

QUICK HITTERS

Renato Moicano: He stepped up on short notice and deserves another big fight for doing so; what’s Michael Chandler up to later this year?

Umar Nurmagomedov: Losing to Dvalishvili doesn’t diminish his talent or long-term championship potential, so a reset against someone like Figueiredo or Vera would make a lot of sense.

Jamahal Hill: He has lost two straight, both by stoppage, and needs to take a step back before trying to press forward again. He’s yet to face Volkan Oezdemir, so let’s remedy that.

Jailton Almeida: It’s time to book him against Ciryl Gane, especially because few thought “Bon Gamin” merited the decision against Alexander Volkov at UFC 310, which means he’s not in a position to pick and choose right now.

Reinier de Ridder: The former two-division ONE Championship titleholder rolled through Kevin Holland. Set him up opposite the last man to beat Holland — burly Georgian Roman Dolidze — and let the winner face someone in the top five later in the year.

Raoni Barcelos: After handing Payton Talbott his first professional loss, the Brazilian feels like the right dance partner for ascending bantamweights like Marcus McGhee or Montel Jackson.

Payton Talbott: Coming off his first career loss, a small step back is in order for Talbott. He wanted Adrian Yanez before and pitting them against one another now would make a lot of sense.

Azamat Bekoev: We’ve seen a lot of newcomers get expedited opportunities to climb the divisional ranks in recent years, so hustling Bekoev along after his punishing finish of Zachary Reese on short notice would make sense. A date with Michel Pereira could be entertaining or pitting him against Paulo Costa could be real spicy.

More from Sportsnet

Arman Tsarukyan won’t fight for title in next bout after UFC 311 withdrawal

Makhachev continues to raise the bar with title defence at UFC 311