Matches to Make After UFC 279

Already one of the weakest pay-per-view cards the Ultimate Fighting Championship has ever produced, UFC 279 on Saturday saw its top three bouts get rebooked just a day before the event—the reshuffling made necessary by Khamzat Chimaev missing weight by an incredible 7.5 pounds.

Chimaev was demoted to the co-headliner to face Kevin Holland at a 180-pound catchweight, while Tony Ferguson was moved into the main event opposite Nate Diaz. The 38-year-old Ferguson, one of the greatest lightweights of all-time, had looked badly shopworn heading into the match, having lost four fights in a row in one-sided fashion. Given that Diaz is 37 and also past his prime, the pairing made far more sense than the one with Chimaev. Meanwhile, Jingliang Li and Daniel Rodriguez—the original opponents for Ferguson and Holland—were pitted against one another because of all the lineup changes.

Diaz ultimately submitted Ferguson with a fourth-round guillotine choke in the headliner. While the bout had its entertaining moments, the overwhelming impression left by both men was that their best days were indeed behind them. In the co-feature, Chimaev easily took down and submitted Holland with a brabo choke in a little over two minutes. Finally, Rodriguez took a contentious split decision from Li in their 180-pound catchweight showcase.

In the aftermath of UFC 279 “Diaz vs. Ferguson,” here are some matches that ought to be made:

Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor 3: With Diaz completing the terms of his UFC contract, perhaps the only bout that would draw him back would be a rubber match against the sport's biggest star. McGregor has been badly dominated in three of his last appearances bouts, so he would likely welcome such a lucrative trilogy fight. He would view it as a relatively easy victory and an opportunity at a nice payday. Both men would make money, McGregor would get a needed win and his fans would be overjoyed. Plus, the UFC would have a pretext for gifting McGregor yet another undeserved title shot. Everyone wins, right?

Khamzat Chimaev vs. Sean Brady: Despite his impressive submission win against Holland, Chimaev blowing weight by such a colossal amount heavily damaged his stock. This is a fighter UFC President Dana White has been pushing to the moon, but if he cannot reliably make weight, that puts a serious dent into those plans. What if he gets booked for a championship fight and fails on the scale again? The UFC would be wise to step back. Have Chimaev face a fellow undefeated Top 10 contender in Brady to prove he is truly elite at the weight class. Brady is also a tremendously strong, dangerous grappler with brutal submissions and can perhaps exceed Chimaev in the striking department. The winner immediately becomes a viable title challenger, and it should result in a fantastic showdown.

Kevin Holland vs. Vicente Luque: Holland was defeated by Chimaev in a manner similar to how he was victimized by Derek Brunson and Marvin Vettori as a middleweight. However, he is still a tremendously entertaining fighter and dynamic, dangerous striker. Why not match him with a consistently scintillating fan favorite in Luque? Yes, Luque is coming off of a knockout loss to Geoff Neal, and his days of being a serious contender are likely over. With that said, he remains ranked in the Top 10 at 170 pounds and can still produce more “Fight of the Night” performances.

Daniel Rodriguez vs. Neil Magny: Regardless of the contentious nature of his latest victory, Rodriguez is now 7-1 in the UFC. Seeing as though he is 35 years old, it is about time to see whether or not he is a serious contender. With that in mind, why not have him face the venerable, well-rounded Magny? He would test Rodriguez’s defensive grappling and could likely hold his own in the striking if it came to that. It would either give an elite gatekeeper like Magny another worthy victory to raise his status or provide evidence that Rodriguez is ready to face a Top 10 test.