UFC 289 is in the books and turned out to be a special night from Vancouver as the UFC made its return to the fantastic fight city for the first time since 2019. Amanda Nunes turned in a masterful performance in the main event and announced her retirement from the sport, going out on a win and cementing her legacy as the Women's MMA GOAT. The co-main saw the most anticipated fight on the card as fans watched Charles Oliveira completely dominate Beneil Dariush. Oliveira won as the betting underdog and effectively earned his title shot against Islam Makhachev. Check our UFC news and follow below for Oliveira vs. Makhachev 2 and other fights that must be made after UFC 289!
Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev 2
Dana White says he's "excited" for Charles Oliveira to rematch Islam Makhachev š #UFC289
"Letās not play games, that fight makes sense, thatās the fight that should happen, and Iām excited to see it again.ā pic.twitter.com/7sxTBAPjIn
ā MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) June 11, 2023
āHe looked like a world-beater tonight, and I'm excited for him and Islam to fight again.ā When asked on whether that's the fight he was leaning towards, White responded with āI'll tell you on Tuesday.ā
This fight does, in fact, make the most sense to make following Oliveira's win. The reality is that Charles Oliveira has beaten every Lightweight within the top-5 rankings and continues to hold the No. 1 spot. While he had a bad night against Makhachev in their first meeting, it's clear that this version of Charles Oliveira is much hungrier than before, making a second fight between the two all the more intriguing. It wouldn't make much sense to have Oliveira face the winner of Gaethje/Poirier, so a rematch between the Dagestani and Brazilian should be in order. With the way Oliveira looked against Dariush, there's reason to believe the Makhachev rematch will be much more competitive.
Julianna Pena vs. Raquel Pennington (Interim Bantamweight Championship)
Dana White on whether Amanda Nunes' retirement spells the end for the women's featherweight division: "The answer is probably yes." #UFC289 pic.twitter.com/vRradxudCb
ā MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) June 11, 2023
With the Women's Featherweight Division basically dissolved following Nunes' retirement, the UFC will shift its focus to the Bantamweight Division and building new talent within an otherwise stale roster. Nunes dominated 135 with Julianna Pena becoming the only other women to touch gold during her run. Pena was slated to fight Nunes at 289, but an injury forced her to pull out, robbing her of her final chance to settle her score with Nunes. However, with Nunes now gone, it becomes Pena's division to conquer as the No. 1 contender.
No. 2 contender Raquel Pennington is currently on a five-fight win streak and weighed-in as the backup fighter for the Nunes vs. Aldana fight. In fact, she was slated to fight Aldana for her last bout but had to pull out due to injury. With the Bantamweight belt now vacant, it makes the most sense to have the top-two contenders fight for the belt. The only question here will be the recovery of Julianna Pena and how fast she can get back into fighting shape.
Dan Ige vs. Giga Chikadze
No. 13 ranked Dan Ige looked tremendous at UFC 289 as he methodically boxed the brakes off Nate Landwehr for three rounds. Landwehr was on a three-fight winning streak and was threatening to steal Ige's ranking with a win. Ige, however, had other plans and commenced a three-round boxing masterclass against the slower Landwehr. He proved that he's still at the top of his game and while he endured a tough losing streak recently, showed that he's gotten his striking rhythm back in the octagon.
Giga Chikadze is currently ranked eighth and is coming off a terrible loss to Calvin Kattar where he was left beaten badly to his face. It's been a long recovery and he's seeking his first action since January 2022. Chikadze was actually in attendance at UFC 289 and got to see Ige's masterful performance first-hand. With both of these men having exciting striking styles, it could make for a close fight as a win would benefit both of them. There hasn't been any news of a Chikadze fight since his last cancellation against Sodiq Yusuff, but Dan Ige could prove to be a worthy opponent once he's ready to go again.
Mike Malott vs. any ranked Welterweight
The UFC has a budding star in Mike Malott and they should use his current momentum to see how far he can go in this division. While he's just 10-1 in MMA, he's been the longtime BJJ coach at Team Alpha Male and has cornered dozens of fighters throughout the years. He began his UFC career as a fighter just recently and has gone a perfect 3-0 in the octagon. Furthermore, Malott has been able to finish all but one win in the first round. At UFC 289, he notched another win in exciting fashion and gave a great speech to the Canadian fans afterwards.
Malott is in his peak as an athlete right now and while he's still fresh to the UFC, it's time they give him a ranked opponent to see what he's truly made of. Michel Pereira ranks No. 15 and would be a great test for Malott to break into the rankings. No. 14 ranked Jack Della Maddalena already has a fight booked with No. 9 ranked Sean Brady, so there's no reason Malott can't accept a higher-ranked opponent. No. 12 Michael Chiesa and No. 11 Neil Magny would both prove to be great fights for Malott to truly prove his worth. While he's still got time left in this sport, the UFC should utilize this guy for everything he is before he decides to go back to coaching.
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