UFC Matchmaking After UFC 329

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen

Sportz Nation - 7/13/2026

Photo Credits to Chris Unger via Zuffa LLC

4Max Holloway vs

4Jack Della Maddelena

Matt Hylen -

Unfortunately, there is not much to say about the performance of Max Holloway other than the fact that the fight as a whole was extremely anticlimactic. However, in his post-fight interviews, it seemed to me like Max Holloway wanted to see what he could do in the Welterweight division. Since he was not able to see that in this fight against Conor McGregor, my guess is he has at least one more fight at Welterweight to find out if he fits in with the division.

If Max does stay, I think a fight against Jack Della Maddalena would be such a great matchup. JDM is a proven striker who is on a bit of a losing streak at the moment. This fight not only would be a prove-it fight for both Maddalena and Holloway, but could easily Main Event a Fight Night card around the end of 2026. I really like the stylistic matchup for both sides and think it would do a lot for either fighter should they win.

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Conor McGregor vs

Michael Chandler

Zak Drapeau -

I could talk about so many things in this entry including how disappointing it was to see Conor blow out his leg in 16 seconds or how it will be another year or two before he gets back in the Octagon if ever. Instead, I want to talk about who his retirement fight should be against somewhere around Q4 of 2027.

We were deciding between Dan Hooker, Leon Edwards and Mike Chandler all at Welterweight. The fact that this fight will take place over a year in the future made me land back on Chandler and I know this is a fight seemingly 3 years in the making but I'm still excited for what this fight could be and I know a lot of others are too. It will serve as both men's final fight and should be a fun one as well. I don't know if Conor can be part of a fight without the prospect of injuring his leg again but I'mm sure the UFC will try.

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6Paddy Pimblett vs

3Charles Oliveira

BMF Title Fight

Matt Hylen -

I mean, was that impressive or what?

Paddy Pimblett looked phenomenal against Benoit Saint Denis. He took advantage of a very poor game plan by BSD and put him to sleep within a minute of the fight. Again, horrible game plan from Saint Denis' side, but that doesn't take away how good Pimblett looked.

Considering the fact that Pimblett has really only lost to the highest level fighters, I would like him to get tested against another one of the elites in Charles Oliveira for the BMF belt. So long as Ilia Topuria gets the next title shot, this is the fight to make for Paddy in my opinion. Oliveira offers Pimblett a challenge on the ground that he has never faced before, but also offers him the opportunity to truly showcase whether or not he is ready for the big time.

Pimblett deserves this kind of fight after that performance; he is a legit contender in this division that potentially poses a nightmare for anyone in the division. If he can tidy up his defense on the feet, the sky is the limit for Paddy if he is given a second chance.

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5Benoit Saint Denis vs

10Rafael Fiziev

Zak Drapeau -

At first I wanted to give BSD someone closer to the Top-5 but the more I looked into his past fights I realize his only great win is against Mauricio Ruffy. BSD is a savage and a well-rounded 155'er that belongs in the Top-10 but he needs a prove it fight at this point in his career.

Fiziev is coming off an impressive knockout and is a proven brawler. Both of these guys need this fight badly and their timelines should line up well before the end of 2026. This could easily be a Fight Night Main Event and could even be in BSD's home country at UFC Paris in September.

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7Mario Bautista vs

WINNER of 3Umar Nurmagomedov/5Song Yadong

Matt Hylen -

After a decisive win over Corey Sandhagen, Mario Bautista may be in the weirdest spot out of any top contender in the UFC. With the next Bantamweight title fight all but made official between Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili, Bautista finds himself in a spot where he deserves a title shot but is possibly third or even fourth in line.

Looking at the top of the division, you have four fighters who are deserving of a title shot: Merab Dvalishvili is the most likely candidate to get a rematch, Sean O'Malley is coming off a KO win at the White House and has beaten the champion Petr Yan before, the winner of Nurmagomedov/Yadong will be deserving once that happens, and then Mario Bautista after this last win.

Considering all this, the only thing that makes sense is for the last two in line to have some sort of title eliminator, which to me is Bautista and the winner of Nurmagomedov/Yadong. Bautista shouldn't take a fight down at this point, so it makes sense to wait and see who wins between Umar Nurmagomedov and Song Yadong and fight them.

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4Brandon Royval vs

7Asu Amabayev

Zak Drapeau -

Brandon Royval had one of the best fights in his 13-UFC fight career this weekend and proved he still belongs in the Top-5 even after being a heavy underdog. His only losses in his entire career are to guys ranked inside the Top-5 so I think he could face anyone he wants and after his win this weekend he called one of the biggest boogeymen of the division.

Asu Almabayev just came off his own spectacular win 2 weeks ago and Royval made it clear he has no problem gate keeping the Top-5 again. Even better, Royval displayed his grappling this weekend which he'll need if he's going to fight Almabayev. This is a fight Royval doesn't need to take but would make his resume and attitude toward the division so much more impressive if he wins.

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King Green vs

13Tom Nolan

Matt Hylen -

I honestly do not know how King Green won this fight after being mauled for the first 4:40 of the first round, but here we are. That liver shot Green landed on McKinney must have been a devastating one if McKinney folded the way he did.

Nevertheless, Green got the job done, again, which to me warrants a ranked opponent next. While I did consider a fight against Dan Hooker for Green, Tom Nolan ultimately made the most sense to me. Nolan is coming off a huge upset win over Farés Ziam, but will likely not make his way up until proving himself against another guy right outside the rankings. As for Green, he has completely revitalized his career, putting himself in a spot where the only thing that makes sense is to attempt to get back in the rankings.

With Green's unorthodox style and Nolan's toughness, this could be a really interesting matchup that could pose issues for both sides. A win for either of them would get them in the upward trajectory, solidifying themselves as the next potential contender in the Lightweight division.

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10Robert Whittaker vs

7Azamat Murzakanov

Zak Drapeau -

Whittaker's Light Hevyweight debut was.... it was fine. He looked decent in his boxing but still looked 35 years old and a little sluggish at his new weight. He did get a knockout but let's be honest about Krylov not being quite the fighter that he used to be.

Bobby Knuckles will get another ranked fight but nothing spectacular in the division, After taking time to think, Murzakanov makes a lot of sense. His last fight was against another Middleweight that moved up and was his first loss, a blemish he'll be looking to avenge and quite frankly, Azamat should be looking at a fight with Whittaker as one of his easiest possible matchups in the division, and Whittaker should be thinking the same thing.

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Gable Steveson vs

Ryan Spann

Matt Hylen -

Even though the opponent was not the highest of levels, Gable Steveson looked extremely impressive in his UFC debut. He did look a bit trigger happy and antsy in his defense, but the fact he did not rely on his grappling to win the fight shows to me that he can be a legitimate contender one day. He is still raw and unpolished, but will keep improving with each fight.

I want to see a level up in opponent for Steveson, but not one that makes me feel like it fast-tracks him too quickly. The UFC needs to consider Steveson's inexperience in this sport, so giving him a guy like Ryan Spann makes a lot of sense to me. Spann is a win-loss fighter who was recently put inside the rankings. Overall, Spann's powerful but balanced style could really tell us how ready Steveson is for the bright lights.

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12Wang Cong vs

5Rose Namajunas

Zak Drapeau -

Wang Cong is now on a 4-fight win streak but that doesn't tell the whole story. She has literally dominated everyone in her path in 7 UFC fights including her only loss where she happened to get rocked and submitted by another great fighter. It's time for her to get a chance against a proven fighter like Rose.

Rose may not be the elite striker we all loved back in 2022 but she's still got juice in her and would be a fantastic test for the kickboxing-heavy Cong. In truth this fight should be very appealing to Cong who should be a heavy favorite but it makes a lot of sense for Rose too who needs to show she still belongs around the top. Whoever wins this could be set up for a title eliminator as well so long as their fight isn't too boring.

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Other Fights to Make:

4Corey Sandhagen vs 13Raoni Barcelos

6Lone'er Kavanaugh vs WINNER of 11Alex Perez/Su Mudaerji

Terrence McKinney vs Michael Johnson

Adrian Yanez vs Da'Mon Blackshear

Luke Riley vs Andre Fili

8Tracy Cortez vs 11Casey O'Neil

Damian Pinas vs Marco Tulio

Ryan Gandra vs Cesar Almeida

Alessandro Costa vs Imanol Rodriguez

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Make sure to stay tuned as we continue coverage of the UFC. Matchmaking after events Every Monday. Predicting events Every Friday.

-Z.D.

-Matt Hylen