Five Best Fights To Make After UFC 219

UFC 219, the UFC’s last event of 2017, took place last night from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In the evening’s main event, featherweight champion Cris Cyborg successfully defended her 145-pound title for the first time with a decision victory over ex-bantamweight champion Holly Holm.

Meanwhile, top lightweight contender Khabib Nurmagomedov returned to form and scored a dominant victory over Edson Barboza in the co-main event.

With the card now in the rearview mirror, let’s take a look at the five best fights to make after UFC 219:

Cris Cyborg vs. Amanda Nunes

Champion vs. champion bouts don’t always make the most sense, but a bout between Cris Cyborg and Amanda Nunes should be on tap for 2018.

Cyborg is now 4-0 in the UFC and she hasn’t lost since 2005. Her bout against Holm may have been a bit closer than some expected, but she’s been nothing short of dominant nonetheless. Moving forward, the UFC will need to continue to find her suitable challengers, and with the featherweight division lacking contenders, bantamweight champion Nunes represents the best option.

The “Lioness” has won six-straight, including stoppage victories over Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey. She’s also in need of a new challenge coming off of a split-decision victory over Valentina Schevchenko this past July.

This fight would also likely draw well, as it would feature two Brazilian champions and two of the hardest hitting female fighters in the UFC.

Holly Holm vs. Cat Zingano

Holly Holm is just 1-4 in her last five fights, but she remains a big name and one of the best female fighters in the world.

With that being said, I’d like to see her drop back down to bantamweight where a fight against former title challenger Cat Zingano could make sense.

Zingano has suffered back-to-back losses to Ronda Rousey and Julianna Pena and she hasn’t competed since July 2016, but she has expressed interest in returning sometime soon.

This fight would provide each lady with a chance to bounce back and it would give us an idea of where each of them currently stand in the division.

Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson

Khabib Nurmagomedov proved last night that he hasn’t lost a step after a long layoff.

With lightweight champion Conor McGregor’s future uncertain, the UFC should re-book a bout between Nurmagomedov and interim champion Tony Ferguson.

The two were scheduled to fight last March at UFC 209, but the bout fell through when Nurmagomedov was forced to withdraw due to weight-cutting issues. Now, however, “The Eagle” appears to be healthy and ready to be more active.

Nurmagomedov and Ferguson have also had some back-and-forth in the media, and it’d be a bout between two of the best 155 pounders in the world.

Edson Barboza vs. Justin Gaethje

Edson Barboza suffered a one-sided defeat last night, but he remains an elite level striker and a top fighter at lightweight.

With that being said, a bout between him and former World Series of Fighting champion Justin Gaethje could make sense.

Gaethje, is 1-1 in the UFC since debuting in the promotion last July. He scored a stoppage victory over Michael Johnson and then suffered a stoppage defeat against Eddie Alvarez earlier this month. Both, however, were ‘Fight of the Year’ candidates.

Barboza and Gaethje represent not only two of the most violent kickers in the UFC, but two of the most dangerous strikers overall, and a bout between the two would certainly produce fireworks.

Carla Esparza vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz

Carla Esparza is now 3-1 since losing her title to Joanna Jedrzejczyk in 2016, and she’s scored back-to-back victories in 2017 over the likes of Maryna Moroz and Cynthia Calvillo last night.

With that being said, I’d like to see her take on former title challenger Karolina Kowalkiewicz next.

After losing to Jedrzejczyk, Kowalkiewicz suffered another defeat to Claudia Gadelha, but she recently bounced back with a win over Jodie Esquibel. She’s a talented striker and a well-rounded fighter overall.

A bout between Esparza and Kowalkiewicz would also produce a potential title challenger at 115-pounds.