Ilia Topuria won big at UFC Jacksonville, coming away with a Fight of the Night bonus after piecing up Josh Emmett over five rounds. Topuria looks poised for big things moving forward, so it’s time to play a little matchmaker.
Ilia Topuria
The Georgian featherweight locked in his spot as a truly elite fighter with his demolition of Josh Emmett in the UFC Jackonsville main event. There are only two real options for what to do next with Topuria: title shot or number one contender fight. Max Holloway has been knocking off featherweight contenders for over two years now, keeping them from reaching Alex Volkanovski.
There is no point in testing Ilia against Holloway now. In two weeks Volkanovski and Yair Rodriguez will unify the featherweight title, putting the winner of that fight likely on a similar timeline to Topuria for their next fight. Topuria seems ready and able to compete now with the likes of them, so this is not moving too fast, too soon for the undefeated Spaniard.
Topuria’s Next Fight: Winner of Volkanovski/Rodriguez
Maycee Barber
Maycee Barber put on the most violent display of her career when she bloodied, bruised, and finished Amanda Ribas in the UFC Jacksonville co-main event. This fifth win in a row tied her for the longest winning streak in the division with champion Alexa Grasso and top contender Erin Blanchfield.
Barber has never been closer to a title shot. However, most top 125 pounders are booked to fight. The highest ranked fighter not currently scheduled is Katlyn Chookagian. Chookagian has traditionally been a test for up-and-coming flyweight talent which some pass while others fail. Barber vs Chookagian would tell us exactly where Maycee is currently at skill-wise.
Barber’s Next Fight: Katlyn Chookagian
Julian Lane and Justin Tafa
Former Jacksonville Jaguar Julian Lane had the ultimate disappointment in his UFC debut as he accidentally eye poked Justin Tafa, leading to the fight being declared a no-contest as blood poured out of the rapidly swelling eye of Tafa. As with most no-contests, the most logical thing to do here is book a rematch. However it will likely not be in Jacksonville again, which must be a tough pill to swallow for Lane given the love he received from the local fans on Saturday.
Lane and Tafa’s Next Fight: Each Other
David Onama
David Onama bounced back from a loss in a Fight of the Year candidate to stop Gabriel Santos in round two of a fight he seemed behind in. This fight was a war just like his last, but Onama remained more calm and measured as he picked his spots, did not gas out, and found the kill switch.
Onama could face any of a number of fellow unranked action fighters at featherweight next. One such is Ricardo Ramos, famous for having not one but two spinning back elbow knockouts in the UFC. Ramos is coming off of his most recent one all the way back in June of 2022 and so he should be ready to fight again soon.
Onama’s Next Fight: Ricardo Ramos
Brendan Allen
Brendan Allen and Bruno Silva swung for the bleachers in the main card opener of UFC Jacksonville and Silva fell first. Allen was then able to jump on top and use his submission skills to finish the fight, earning a fifth straight win and defending his #13 ranking.
Now that he’s defended his ranking it’s time for him to force someone else to defend theirs. Jack Hermansson is currently ranked tenth at 185-lbs and his wrestling poses a challenge that Allen has not had to face in a while. Both men are well-rounded and the fight seems competetive on paper but could herald a new top-10 contender in the middleweight division, perhaps one who may give champion Israel Adesanya a run for his money one day.
Allen’s Next Fight: Jack Hermansson
