With its superb production value, as well as putting on a bevy of rip-roaring bouts, UFC 306 will stand as one of the best promotional cards of all time. Top-billed by a pair of much-anticipated title fights, the company’s second Noche event easily delivered in spades, including more than a few potential Fight of the Year contenders.
Now, let’s take a look at who our main card winner should fight next.
Ronaldo Rodriguez
Surviving an early storm, which included a knockdown and deep submission attempt in round one from Ode Osbourne, Ronaldo Rodriguez managed to scrape his way back to secure a massive come-from-behind victory in the opening fight of the pay-per-view. Taking the bout by split decision, “Lazy Boy”’s win streak is now seven in a row since losing to Jerome Rivera on Dana White’s Contender Series back in August of 2020.
Fight to Make: Bruno Silva
Similar to the case of Rodriguez, Bruno Silva is also riding a lengthy journey through the win column at flyweight, having won his past four fights after also losing in 2020 against Tagir Ulanbekov. With both men possessing four stoppages each across their surges at 125 lbs., a meeting between the two of them could easily result in a crowd-pleasing slobberknocker.
Esteban Ribovics
On a card filled electrifying bout from top to bottom, it was the lightweight tussle between Daniel Zellhuber and Esteban Ribovics that earned the prestigious Fight of the Night bonus. Absolutely battering each other over the course of three rounds, both competitors landed nearly 300 strikes all together, showcasing an extreme amount of grit along the way. In the end, though, it was Argentina’s Ribovics that took the split decision, coming out on top in one of the greatest UFC fights of the year.
Fight to Make: King Green
After his 15-minute war with Zellhuber, Ribovics has proven to be among the most entertaining scrappers in the division. Also reputed for his entertaining stand up game and never die attitude, the venerable King Green would serve as the perfect opponent for “El Gringo” and his high volume style.
Diego Lopes
Originally slated to compete against each other at UFC 303 back in June, featherweight titans Brian Ortega and Diego Lopes finally squared off in a pivotal matchup at 145 lbs. Looking in control the entire time, Lopes dominated “T-City” throughout their bout, even nearly finishing the former two-time title challenger in the first round with a massive punch. While Ortega did find some success with his jab, it wasn’t enough to hold back the tireless advance of the Brazilian.
Fights to Make: Winner of Max Holloway and Ilia Topuria or Movsar Evloev
Coming up next month at UFC 308, perennial featherweight juggernaut Max Holloway will attempt to regain his long-lost strap against current champion Ilia Topuria. By this point, Lopes has more than earned his shot at the belt himself, however, it is believed by some pundits that previous 145-lb. king Alexander Volkanovski will receive the next title opportunity upon his return. Should the UFC choose to go in that direction, Lopes could decide instead to face off with the only man who has ever beaten him the promotion, Movsar Evloev, whose opponent, Aljamain Sterling, recently dropped out of their contest due to injury.
Valentina Shevchenko
In a grappling masterclass, Valentina Shevchenko once more proved to be the best at women’s flyweight by seemingly closing the book on her trilogy with Alexa Grasso. Lighting up the champion on the feet at several points, it was the challenger’s superior wrestling that allowed “Bullet” to control the champion, with Shevchenko effortlessly earning a trio of 50-45 scorecards from all three judges.
Fight to Make: Manon Fiorot
Now at the top of the 125-lb. rankings after more than a year, Shevchenko won’t have to wait long to defend her strap as French striking specialist Manon Fiorot stands as the next clear contender for the flyweight belt. In just the past year alone, “The Beast” has picked up two enormous wins over some of women’s MMA‘s finest in former two-time Strawweight champion Rose Namajunas and Erin Blanchfield.
With her extraordinary stand up game, Fiorot could possibly be the only fighter in the entire division to stand on equal terms with “Bullet” in the striking department.
Merab Dvalishvili
In one of the most-anticipated bouts of the year, Merab Dvalishvili wrested the Bantamweight championship away from Sean O’Malley in a true shutout performance. Using his elite-level wrestling, the Serra-Longo Fight Team product kept the lanky “Suga” both on the backfoot and, to a greater extent, on his back for almost the entire contest. With this victory, “The Machine” now moves to 11 consecutive wins and currently stands at No. 7 on the UFC’s official pound-for-pound rankings.
Fight to Make: Umar Nurmagomedov
For the first defense of his 135-lb. title, a confrontation with the Dagestani phenom, Umar Nurmagomedov, seems like the most likely possibility. Both men are currently riding double-digit win streaks, and both are reputed for being among the most talented grapplers in the sport today. Possessing similar styles and fighting backgrounds, an encounter between these two bantamweight stalwarts could go down as a tight pick-’em matchup.
