What To Do After UFC 327
- Sportz Nation Staff
- 19 minutes ago
- 4 min read
by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen
Sportz Nation - 3/9/2026
Charles Oliveira
vs Armen Tsarukyan 2
Matt Hylen -
It may not have been in the typical BMF-style fans expect, but Charles Oliveira was absolutely dominant. In what could be considered the best performance of his career, a title eliminator should be next.
Charles deserves a get-back fight against Armen Tsarukyan. With the Lightweight title already booked, the winner of this fight will have a direct and undeniable path to the next title shot. I would not have this fight be for the BMF title, but it would be a great opportunity for Oliveira to showcase his elite ability against a top-2 fighter in the division.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Max Holloway
vs Paddy Pimblett
Zak Drapeau -
Holloway was outclassed by one of the best grapplers in the world but still has his place among the top of the lightweights and as one of the sport's most exciting. So what to do next for Max?
You put him in with another of the sport's most exciting fighters, Paddy Pimblett, either as a Fight Night main event down the road, possibly in England, or as a PPV co-main. Max is the superior boxer and Paddy's game for a war, but with Max's ground game obviously needing work, could Paddy take advantage of that just like Charles did?
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Caio Borralho
vs Brendan Allen
Matt Hylen -
Caio Borralho looked very solid against a worthy opponent in Reinier de Ridder. The top of this division is extremely crowded, so a fight against Brendan Allen makes sense to me.
Both Allen and Borralho do not have the résumé to fight for a title just yet; they seem to be a fight away from a title eliminator fight. If the winner of this hypothetical matchup showcases the ability to get a finish, it would propel their trajectory tenfold. With that said, this is an interesting stylistic matchup between two fighters in need of one more fight on their résumé.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Reinier de Ridder
vs WINNER of Dolidze v Duncan
Zak Drapeau -
I almost put RoboCop as de Ridder's next opponent but to be honest I think he needs a fight lower than that. His split decision win over Robert Whittaker looks worse and worse the further out we get so now I need to re-evaluate if he's worthy of a ranking.
Roman Dolidze and Chris Duncan will battle in 2 weeks time for a spot likely around #11. Both of these guys are great strikers and the winner will deserve a Top-10 fight after. These rankings match up too well especially when you look at the divisions' standings around the 10-20 spots.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Raul Rosas Jr
vs Deiveson Figueiredo
Matt Hylen -
Raul Rosas Jr. may be the biggest up-and-comer the lighter weight classes have to offer. At just 21 years old, the UFC has big things planned for him, which is why a fight against Deiveson Figueiredo is a great matchup.
With Figgy on a downward trajectory, he needs a fight down if he wants to remain in the sport. This could be an incredible opportunity for Rosas Jr. to add an elite name and known veteran to his resume on his way to top contention.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Drew Dober
vs Drakkar Klose
Zak Drapeau -
I really didn't see Dober's win coming, so it messed up all of my plans for the division. There are quite a few guys between the 18-25 marks of the division that I would like to see Dober fight, but Drakkar Klose probably lines up the best.
Klose needs one more win before he can again challenge for a spot among the Top-15. A fight with Dober not only puts him on that path but could very well end in a knockout for either man that would propel them as well.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Gregory Rodrigues
vs Anthony Hernandez
Matt Hylen -
This may be a little crazy, but Gregory Rodrigues deserves a big step up. The tear he is on at the moment is not only entertaining, but noteworthy of a big fight next in my eyes.
This would be a pretty big step down for Anthony Hernandez, but one I think he would be willing to take. Getting a win over a guy as powerful and dangerous as Rodrigues could remind the world of how good he really is. For Rodrigues, a win in this scenario might propel him to a title eliminator next, marking him as one of the most dangerous fighters in the entire sport.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Donte Johnson
vs Sedriques Dumas
Zak Drapeau -
Johnson is a pretty good middleweight prospect at only 27 years old and could become a big name if he keeps winning in this division that sorely needs an injection of youth.
Sedriques Dumas is at a breaking point in his career after a 2025 which included an 0-2 record and a felony arrest. He will be looking for any fight he can get and would be a good test for Johnson early in his career, yet one the UFC will be happy to make, likely to further his unbeaten streak.
Check out fansonlysportz.com/news for more sports media content posted daily.
Make sure to stay tuned as we continue coverage of the UFC Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
-Z.D. (@DrapeauZak)
-Matt Hylen (@matthylen_)
Comments