5 fights to make after UFC 283

Given the amount of disdain that the Brazilian crowd exuded throughout the duration of this past weekend's UFC 283 card, the fights themselves were excellent with the main event resulting in the crowning of the first UFC light heavyweight champion to come from Dana Whites Contender Series in Jamahal Hill. Hill fought the perfect fight against Glover Teixeira who simply refused to quit and admitted in his retirement speech that he is simply too tough for his own good. There were also some undefeated fighters who made their UFC debut on this card and needless to say they made a statement with impressive finishes, and the ending to the Brandon Moreno vs Deiveson Figueredo rivalry. All that being said, here are five fights I would like to see booked now that UFC 283 has come and gone.

5. Johnny Walker vs Nikita Krylov

Johnny Walker's first round finish of Paul Craig was impressive and a reminder that Walker is still developing fight by fight. Both Walker and Krylov are on two fight winning streaks and have showed impressive capabilities in their most recent outings. Considering Walker took almost no damage against Craig and Krylov last fought in October, there schedules seemingly align relatively well. If there is a guy within the top ten who will really test whether or Walker deserves a spot in the top ten, it is Krylov. Main reason being the fact that Paul Craig submit Krylov last March and Walker finished Craig in the first round of their fight. Walker's last loss was to the man who is now champion, and that loss has seemingly helped him level up as a fighter.

4. Jessica Andrade vs Taila Santos vs Erin Blanchfield winner

Originally, I felt as though the winner of Erin Blanchfield and Taila Santos would have more of a case for a title shot than anyone in that division. That was until Alexa Grasso vs Valentina Shevchenko was added to the UFC 285 card and now that idea of mine is no longer realistic. Andrade looks her best at 125 and it showed in her fight against Lauren Murphy, where she was hell on wheels for 15 minutes straight. Despite already losing to Valentina, she is still a former champion of a lower weight class which gives her leverage over surging contenders in the rankings. Not to mention the fact that Erin Blanchfield vs Taila Santos is VERY high stakes fight. With how Andrade performed this past Saturday, this just makes the most sense in my opinion.

3. Gilbert Burns vs Colby Covington

How can a fight fan not love Gilbert Burns. He gave us arguably the best fight of 2022 against an undefeated guy ranked 10 spots under him and went to war. He then takes the rest of the year off given the fact despite losing his stock went up in the case of Burns. So, what does he do? He accepts another fight against a guy ranked under him and makes quick work of him, then proceeds to call out Colby Covington in the post-fight speech. Burns has called out Covington in the past for a fight and has continued to look impressive since. Covington is coming off the decision victory against Masvidal despite being allegedly assaulted by Masvidal after their five-round scrap. Colby is known for turning down fights and now finds himself in a tough spot yet again. Both of these guys are former title challengers who are still in the top five of the division, MATCH THEM UP!

2. Brandon Moreno vs Alexandre Pantoja 3

Brandon Moreno has proven to be Deiveson Figueiredo's kryptonite after Moreno regained the flyweight belt by doctor stoppage due to Figueiredo's eye being shut courtesy of a left hook. Interestingly enough, Brandon Moreno also has a kryptonite in the form of Alexandre Pantoja. Pantoja has been the dark horse of the flyweight division for many years, with his only two losses in the UFC being against Figueiredo and Askar Askarov who is no longer in the UFC. To add to this point, Pantoja already holds two victories over Moreno in MMA. One being in an exhibition bout on the Ultimate Fighter and another time when the two clashed in 2018 under the UFC banner. Moreno seems to get better every fight as does Pantoja. Very intriguing given the evolution of both fighters to this point.

Jamahal Hill vs Jiri Prochazka

Jamahal Hill showed just how well rounded of a fighter he is against Glover Teixeira. He stuffed Glover's takedowns better than Jiri, and looked to be in far less danger when the fight did end up on the ground. Hill's striking was just on point and something that goes overlooked about Jamahal Hill's striking that he tends to throw strikes from unconventional positions similar to Jiri Prochazka. Difference being from my own perspective that Jamahal Hill throws strikes from a position of minimal danger. This does not mean that he can't get countered but he does a very good job of managing his distance on the feet and dictating the pace of a fight. His clinch work was also vicious and relentless which another facet of his game I was very impressed by. Considering how bad Jiri's shoulder injury was made to be, it is baffling that he is already out of surgery and back to training. This fight is a great stylistic matchup and gives the new champ an opportunity against a former champion who never technically lost his belt.