What's Next for Each Winner on UFC 311?

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

• Islam Makhachev

For Islam Makhachev this weekend he was put in a predicament that nobody could predict. The day before his fight, his opponent (Arman Tsarukyan) pulled out due to a back injury. This led to Renato Moicano stepping up and getting a once in a lifetime opportunity. We saw a very quick fight in which Islam Makhachev submitted him 4:05 seconds into the first round. This leads to us asking who is next for Islam Makhachev, and my answer would still be Arman Tsarukyan. 

Next in Line: Arman Tsarukyan

• Merab Dvalishvili

In one of the most impressive performances UFC fans have ever seen we saw “The Machine” showcase his impressive cardio against the undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov. Merab has been on an absolute tear recently defeating Jose Aldo, Petr Yan, Henry Cejudo, Sean O’ Malley, and now Umar Nurmagomedov. This leads us to this question, “Who’s Next?” I really wouldn’t be mad if we saw a rematch between these two or even a rematch between Merab and Petr Yan.

Next in Line: Umar Nurmagomedov/ Petr Yan

• Jiri Prochazka

Jiri Prochazka surprised a lot of people this weekend with his great head movement and his defensive improvements. Jiri is in such an odd position because he has lost twice to the champion Alex Pereira. Usually with a top ranked matchup like this, a win would give you another title shot. I believe a good matchup for Prochazka would be to take on the loser between Magomed Ankalaev vs. Alex Pereira

Next in Line: Loser between Magomed Ankalev vs. Alex Pereira

• Jailton Almeida

Jailton Almeida is coming off a huge win last weekend in which he knocked out Serghei Spivac 4:53 seconds into the first round. Almeida now has propelled himself back into title contention talks and I believe with the right opponent he can be one fight away from a title shot. One opponent that makes perfect sense is Ciryl Gane.

Next in Line: Cyril Gane

• Reiner De Ridder

Reiner De Ridder is coming off a first round submission win against the tough and battle tested Kevin Holland. De Ridder is a great submission artist and is looking to crack the top 15 after this fight. I believe the perfect dance partner for him and a favorable matchup for him would be Jack Hermansson

Next in Line: Jack Hermansson

• Raoni Barcelos

The biggest underdog of the night we saw a very impressive showing from Raoni Barcelos. Barcelos was a +700 underdog going into this fight. He proved a lot of people wrong showcasing his great grappling ability. The smart thing to do for Barcelos here would be to face an unranked striker.

Next in Line: Adrian Yanez

• Azamat Bekoev

After having a great UFC debut this weekend Bekoev is now on a lot of people’s radars at 185 now. He has powerful hands and a ferocious ground n pound game that we saw in the first round. What would be next for Bekoev is a question as it was his UFC debut, but I think he is very well seasoned already as he already has 22 fights. I think a great matchup for him would be Andre Petroski.

Next in Line: Andre Petroski

• Bogdan Guskov

Bogdan Guskov has now won 3 fights in a row all by finish. He has proved that he is a really dangerous opponent for a lot of people at 205. Guskov is going to be looking to crack that top ten and what better way to do that than to face the opponent he was already scheduled to fight.

Next in Line: Johnny Walker

• Grant Dawson

Grant Dawson has now won his last 3 fights and is looking to climb up that rankings ladder. Grant Dawson is a very good grappler who can show off his power on the feet when he needs to. A great next opponent that would be super exciting to see him go up against would be Jalin Turner.

Next in Line: Jalin Turner

• Ailin Perez

Ailin Perez came out victorious this weekend when we saw her have her best all around performance to date. She showcased her octagon IQ with her timely takedowns and great defensive striking. Ailin Perez is now ranked just outside the top 10 and will look to crack that soon.

Next in Line: Mayra Bueno Silva

• Muin Gafurov

The second biggest underdog of the night defeated the undefeated Rinya Nakamura in a very surprising performance. Gafurov showcased his underrated striking and proved a lot of oddsmakers wrong.

Next in Line: Cody Stamann

• Bernardo Sopaj

Bernardo Sopaj came out on top against the tough Turcios and showed why he was the favorite. His good striking and takedowns came in very handy last weekend. I think what would be a great matchup for him in his next fight would be to fight the young Austin Bashi.

Next in Line: Austin Bashi

• Tagir Ulanbekov

Ulanbekov had a great performance this weekend against the undefeated prospect Clayton Carpenter. Now riding a 3 fight win streak we should look for an eventual top 15 fight for Ulanbekov. What better way to enter the top 15 than to fight the 15th best flyweight in the world in Joshua Van.

Next in Line: Joshua Van