UFC 294 is now one for the books and, of course, questions now must be asked as to “what’s next?” for some of the winners and losers on the night. There are plenty of talking points from the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi from Islam Makhachev to Kamaru Usman and much more in between.
We matchmake some of those who put on statements on the night.
UFC 294: Matchmaking the Winners
Islam Makhachev
Islam Makhachev was victorious on the night in what was the best and biggest win of his career. In the first round, he did what many didn’t believe he could do, knock out Alexander Volkanovski.
Next up for Makhachev should be one of two men. Either the rematch (and rebooked), Charles Oliveria or the BMF champion, Justin Gaethje. Oliveira should have had the shot in Abu Dhabi, however, suffered a cut and wasn’t able to make the fight. Logically, they should re-book this one and as per Dana White, this will be the next fight.
“Listen, you gotta give it to Oliveira,” said White. “Oliveira’s ready to go. Unfortunately he got cut. I think you give it to Oliveira”
Justin Gaethje was the likely man to get the next shot had Oliveira not pulled out of the bout. He’s enjoying a two-fight winning run, with the latter being for the BMF title. He commented on the fight on Twitter, highlighting his internet in the fight.
Heck of a performance by Islam. I have a mountain to climb.
— Justin Gaethje 🇺🇸 (@Justin_Gaethje) October 21, 2023
Alexander Volkanovski
Unfortunately for Volkanovski, he’s now 0-2 at 155lbs and inevitably has to go back down and defend his featherweight strap. Illia Topuria is predictably next for Volkanovski. The 16-0 prospect is riding a six-fight UFC winning run, including four finishes. If the cuts sustained in this one aren’t as bad as they looked, the champ could potentially turn around for January, however, regardless of when the fight goes down, this is the one to make.
Khamzat Chimaev
Increasing his undefeated run to 13-0, Khamzat Chimaev is seemingly now next in line for a middleweight title shot. He scored the biggest win of his career at UFC 294 over Usman, however, he didn’t look as dominant as he previously has done.
185lbs champion, Sean Strickland doesn’t believe that Borz earned the title fight, however. Speaking on UFC Fight Pass, Strickland stated:
“He hasn’t f*cking deserved it, but here we are. Give it to him. He sells a lot of fights. I’ll go fight the f*cking man for five rounds. But no, he’s not earned it. He doesn’t f*cking deserve it. Getting a decision with a welterweight off the couch is not f*king earning it.”
If it isn’t Strickland, another eliminator should be booked. Paulo Costa makes a lot of sense, rebook that one to determine who is truly the better man. With that being said, Kamaru Usman 2 with Usman having a full camp could be very interesting. The result itself is certainly debatable so let’s run that one back.
Muhammad Mokaev
Like Chimaev and many others on the UFC 294 card, Muhammad Mokaev kept his undefeated run going, improving to 11-0-0-1. He won a performance of the night bonus for his arm-triangle choke of Tim Elliott in Abu Dhabi and cemented himself as a legitimate contender.
Mokaev has aspirations to become the youngest-ever UFC champion, however, must make a quick turn-around if this is to come to fruition. After his win, he’s broken the top 10, so he’d heading in the right direction.
Young & Hungry
Top 10
23 years old
Undefeated
🥇☝🏻 pic.twitter.com/1iEhN0Xoxx— Muhammad Mokaev (@muhammadmokaev) October 24, 2023
There are two logical fights that could get Mokaev a title fight with a win. #5 ranked Kai Kara France has lost his last two bouts and despite being seemingly scheduled to face Manel Kape next, it’s a fight that Mokaev should be looking for. Kape is also a potential match-up, however, he’s likely not ranked high enough for Mokaev.
An ambitious shout could be Amir Albazi in a #1 contender fight. Albazi is 17-1 with an undefeated UFC record of 5-0, including a win last time out in a fight night main event. It was a contentious victory, however, which means that another fight will likely be needed for him to get a title shot. Mokaev vs Albazi is logical, fun and should be booked, quickly.
Victoria Dudakova
Also remaining undefeated, Victoria Dudakova increased to 8-0 and went the distance for only the second time in her career. At just 24 years old, Dudakova has a huge future ahead of her and needs to be matched appropriately.
Unanimous for the undefeated Viktoriia Dudakova!
She moves to 8-0 with a victory over Jinh Yu Frey at #UFC294 👏
[ @InAbuDhabi | #InAbuDhabi | @VisitAbuDhabi ] pic.twitter.com/6viKD0BuHE
— UFC (@ufc) October 21, 2023
She did miss weight in this one, however, she still needs to compete at 115lbs next and be given another chance. A scrap against Jessica Penne could be booked as Penne is very much at the opposite end of her career than Dudakova. She’s 40 years old, lost her last two straight but has bags of experience after a nine-year UFC career.
If it isn’t Penne, Emily Ducote makes sense too. Ducote won her last outing when she brutalised Ashley Yoder over 15 minutes just a week before UFC 294. Ducote has experience with a 13-8 record and a 2-2 UFC record. The former Invicta FC champion has a well-rounded game, focussing mainly on her stand-up game, making it an exciting match-up with Dudakova.
Shara Magomedov
Bullet, Shara Magomedov made his UFC debut at UFC 294 and although he won the fight, his performance didn’t quite live up to the hype that many placed upon him. With that being said, he unanimously defeated Bruno Silva across all three rounds but didn’t impress too much on the ground when he was taken down.
Next for Shara should be a tough test. At 12-0, the Russian needs a fight that should really get fans questioning whether he can be a future champion. Phil Hawes makes sense and could be an exciting fight next, as could Edmen Shahbazyan. Gregory Rodrigues could be a crazy fight as Robocop always comes to fight and it appears that Magomedov also loves a war. Any of these three makes sense.
