Matches to Make After UFC 307

The Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight and women’s bantamweight championships were on the line at UFC 307. With one champion retaining and a new titleholder being crowned, it was a meaningful event. Ramifications from the card will surely be felt in the months ahead as both champions look forward to more difficult challenges.

Here are five matches to make following UFC 307.

Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev

While it was harder than many expected, Pereira was able to successfully retain championship gold by knocking out Khalil Rountree in the fourth round. While “War Horse” was a game opponent, it was a bit of a ridiculous title shot in the first place as Rountree (13-6) wasn’t at the very top of the division. Now it’s time for “Poatan” to take on the actual No. 1 contender in Ankalaev, who is bizarrely matched up against Aleksandar Rakic later this month. Assuming Anklaev (19-1-1, 1 NC) is able get past "Rocket," then a long-overdue fight between Pereira (12-2) and him should be next. It’s an interesting fight thanks to the dangers Anklaev presents on the ground, while the Brazilian’s heavy hands could easily lead to another highlight-reel knockout.

Julianna Pena vs. Kayla Harrison

Pena reclaimed the women’s bantamweight championship by winning a split decision over Raquel Pennington. After the fight, Pena (11-5) called out former foe Amanda Nunes, who is happily retired and already proved she’s the better fighter between the two. Who should be up next is Harrison, who won a unanimous decision over Ketlen Vieira earlier on the pay-per-view. The Olympian would likely be favored in the fight despite being the challenger and will prove to be quite the test for "The Venezuelan Vixen.” It’s the biggest and best fight to make at 135, so let’s not overcomplicate things.

Related » UFC 307 Round-by-Round Scoring

Mario Bautista vs. Cory Sandhagen 2

Bautista clinched his way to a split decision nod over Jose Aldo that left fans booing. While not the most exciting fighter, the American’s impressive seven-fight win streak can’t be denied. A rematch against Sandhagen, who submitted Bautista (15-2) in his Octaagon debut, would be a fun full-circle fight. Let’s see if Bautista can defeat Sandhagen (17-5) after five years of improvement and cement himself as a top contender at bantamweight while doing so.

Roman Dolidze vs. Joe Pyfer

Dolidze impressed in his main card fight against Kevin Holland. While it came to an anticlimactic end due to Holland (26-12) suffering a rib injury that caused his corner to stop the fight between rounds, that was still due to the grappling dominance of “The Caucasian.” At 36 with losses to Marvin Vettori and Nassourdine Imavov, the Georgian’s title hopes are thin. However, he’s a prime fighter to test rising contenders to see if they’re really ready for the elite in the division. I’d like to see him go up against Pyfer next. "Bodybagz" came up short against Jack Hermansson but has otherwise impressed with some brutal KO wins. It’d give Pyfer (13-3) a shot at his biggest career win while a victory for Dolidze (14-3) would show that one final run isn’t completely far-fetched.

Joaquin Buckley vs. Kamaru Usman

Buckley made a statement by getting the biggest win of his career against Stephen Thompson. “New Mansa” crushed Thompson with a huge right hook that sent “Wonderboy” crashing to the canvas and extended his win streak to five. Ready to fight another top contender, Usman makes plenty of sense as his next opponent. The former champion was called out by Buckley (20-6) and the winner would be right up there in title contention afterward, especially if it’s the younger fighter.