Matches to Make After UFC Fight Night 217

The first Ultimate Fighting Championship card of 2023 featured a whirlwind of re-shuffling. First, it was supposed to be headlined by Geoff Neal and Shavkat Rakhmonov. When Neal was injured, a new main event of Kelvin Gastelum vs. Nassourdine Imavov was announced. When Gastelum went down, up stepped Sean Strickland, who had fought less than a month ago on Dec. 17, dropping a split decision to Jared Cannonier that could have gone either way. Strickland was riding a two-fight losing streak, as his last appearance before that was a knockout loss to the legendary left hook of current UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira. However, before that, he had won an impressive six in a row, firmly cementing himself as a top 10 contender.

Imavov, for his part, was 4-1 in the UFC, including three in a row since losing by majority decision against Phil Hawes. However, Strickland represented a huge step up from Ian Heinisch, Edmen Shahbazyan and Joaquin Buckley, Imavov’s previous three opponents. Due to the extreme short notice, the fight was contested at light heavyweight, with Strickland taking advantage to come in at 204 pounds, far heavier than the 194-pound Imavov. As it turned out, Strickland was indeed too much too soon for Imavov, who had his moments, but ultimately couldn't get past the piston-like Strickland jab, while Strickland was able to block much of Imavov's offense with his hands and dodge a good portion with his head movement. Strickland also wisely used his weight advantage, clinching and getting outside trips at opportune moments, straining Imavov's gas tank. Imavov had a case for winning Rounds 2 and 5, but 1, 3, and 4 were clearly won by Strickland, who garnered the unanimous decision triumph by scores of 49-46 twice and 48-47.

In the co-main, Dan Ige sought to right the ship after losing three in a row against Damon Jackson, whose streak was in the opposite direction, with four straight victories since being knocked out in Round 1 by Ilia Topuria. Ige dominated the fight, and then scored a gorgeous left hook counter at the end of Round 2, leaving Jackson a crumpled, bloody mess on the canvas.

In other results, top women's bantamweight contenders Ketlen Vieira and Raquel Pennington went to battle, with Pennington eking out a split decision in a close fight most scored for Vieira. And undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov, already ranked 11th in the UFC bantamweight division, recorded his most impressive triumph yet, putting out Raoni Barcelos' lights at the end of the first stanza with a body kick followed by a devastating short left, with a right cross for good measure.

After 2023's first UFC event, here are four potential bouts that present themselves:

Sean Strickland vs. Paulo Costa

I know Costa's future with the UFC is up in the air, but this would be a phenomenal showdown if it happens. The trash talk alone between two of MMA's biggest personalities would be terrific fun for the fans and as a fight, it would pit two strikers with interesting contrasts in style. Costa would be exceedingly dangerous early with his huge power strikes, but in later rounds, Strickland would be heavily favored with his much better cardio and consistent, fantastic jab. Moreover, the battle between the No. 6 and 7 ranked UFC middleweights would put the winner firmly back into the title picture.

Dan Ige vs. Bryce Mitchell

At 31 and having suffered decisive losses to Calvin Kattar, Chan Sung Jung, Josh Emmett and Movsar Evloev, the 13th-ranked Ige is unlikely to ever be a top contender, but as he proved against Jackson, he is a very good fighter who only loses against excellent opposition. That would be a great test for 11th-ranked Mitchell, who suffered the first loss of his pro career against Topuria last December. How will Mitchell's creative, potent grappling stack up against Ige's? Will Mitchell's developing striking find much success against Ige's more polished, technical kickboxing? Not only could this easily be fight of the night between two dynamic martial artists who are willing to take risks, but it will be an important test for Mitchell.

Raquel Pennington vs. Amanda Nunes 2

This might not be the most riveting match, but what else is there? Pennington has won a career-best five in a row, surpassing the four-fight win streak that led to her first crack at Nunes in 2018. She is easily the best contender at women's bantamweight at present and has improved considerably since the beating she suffered at the hands of the Brazilian legend. Meanwhile, I believe that Nunes has declined since then, so this might be a reasonably competitive match-up, even if Nunes is still a heavy favorite. The only real alternative to this would be Nunes facing Julianna Pena for a third time in a row, someone she dominated from bell to bell for 25 minutes the last time out, and frankly, I would rather see her rematch Pennington.

Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Yadong Song

Nurmagomedov was ranked 11th before his last appearance and surely deserves a higher caliber of opponent, with eighth-ranked Song easily fitting the bill. The winner will be catapulted into the elite contenders at 135 pounds, while the loser has plenty of opportunity to rebuild, as Umar is 26 and Song 25. Moreover, this will likely be an entertaining match, as Song's powerful boxing and desire to keep the fight standing will be pitted against Nurmagomedov's world-class grappling and increasingly deadly striking of his own. It's a win-win situation for matchmakers and fans alike.