Matches to Make After UFC Fight Night 235

The Ultimate Fighting Championship kicked off February with UFC Fight Night 235. The main event featured an important middleweight scrap between Roman Dolidze and Nassourdine Imavov, while the co-main event saw Renato Carneiro take on Drew Dober. There are now plenty of exciting options in each division for the main card winners.

Here are five matches to make after UFC Fight Night 235.

Nassourdine Imavov vs. Chris Curtis

Imavov (13-4, 1 NC) picked up his first UFC main event win by winning a dominant decision over Dolidze (12-3). As shown during the fight, the French fighter still has unfinished business with Dolidze’s Xtreme Couture teammate, Curtis. A fight between the two would make plenty of sense after their 2023 fight ended in a no contest after an accidental clash of heads. So, let’s run it back and settle this bad blood for once and for all.

Renato Carneiro vs. Dan Hooker

Carneiro (18-5-1) made a statement with his decision win over the always game Dober (27-12, 1 NC). "Moicano" has put two straight wins together and deserves a fun fight against another Top 15 lightweight with name value, such as Hooker. The Australian has bounced back from a rough patch with two straight wins: a split decision over Jalin Turner and a body kick finish against Claudio Puelles. It'd be guaranteed fireworks, and the winner would be ready for a marquee fight next.

Related » UFC Fight Night 235 Round-by-Round Scoring

Randy Brown vs. Rinat Fakhretdinov

After taking care of Muslim Salikhov with a gorgeous right hand, Brown is ready for a tougher test inside the Octagon. An exciting fight would see "Rude Boy" (18-5) go up against Fakhretdinov, who hasn't lost so far inside the UFC. Fakhretdinov (22-2-1) is looking to bounce back from a majority draw against Elizeu Zaleski and previously picked up impressive wins over Kevin Lee and Bryan Battle. It'd be an intriguing stylistic battle and would cement the winner as a rising contender.

Natalia Silva vs. Tracy Cortez

Silva cemented herself as a contender in the women’s flyweight division by winning a decision over Viviane Araujo. Up next for Silva (17-5, 1 NC ) should be another surging 125-pound fighter, such as Cortez. 5-0 inside the promotion, Cortez (11-1) is most recently coming off a win over Jasmine Jasudavicius and has proven herself a fan-favorite inside the division. The winner would be in a strong position and inside the title picture.

Aliaskhab Khizriev vs. Makhmud Muradov

Unfortunately, Khizriev vs. Muradov ended up as a no contest as the fight was stopped just 11 seconds after it began due to a nasty accidental eye poke. Muradov (26-8, 1 NC) was unable to continue as he couldn't recover within five minutes. As a result, it makes sense for a rematch to be booked and give "Mach" a chance for revenge against the undefeated Khizriev (12-0, 1 NC).