Matches to Make After UFC 295

UFC 295 was held in New York City’s Madison Square Garden, continuing an annual November tradition. Originally headlined by Jon Jones versus Stipe Miocic, promos of which played during the ESPN part of the broadcast; that fight was scrapped, with the co-main being promoted to the new main event, and a new interim heavyweight title cobbled together two weeks ago.

The new headliner was Jiri Prochazka versus Alex Pereira for the vacant light heavyweight crown. Prochazka was the champion after defeating Glover Teixeira in June of 2022 in the waning seconds of the match, arguably one of the best fights of all time, which also capped off a magical 3-0 run in the UFC. Unfortunately, a major shoulder injury forced him to give up his title. However, in an odd twist, the new light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill also had to vacate his crown due to an Achilles tendon injury, setting the stage for Prochazka to regain his throne in his first fight back. His foe was recent UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira, who had moved up to the new weight after losing his title by knockout to Israel Adesanya. The Brazilian had only fought at the new weight once, a gritty split decision triumph over ex-champion Jan Blachowicz less than four months ago. Fireworks were expected, and it certainly delivered. Round 1 saw Pereira land heavy leg kicks that clearly hurt Prochazka, but the Czech switched gears and got a takedown, inflicting heavy ground-and-pound. Round 2 was even crazier, with Pereira continuing to land big leg kicks, but Prochazka landing some big punches upstairs, wobbling the Brazilian at time. Prochazka landed more punches late in the round but got overeager, with Pereira pasting him with an awesome short right hook into a left hook combination. Prochazka panic-wrestled and Pereira hit him with some short elbows to the side of the head, though the Czech fighter kept moving and scrambling. Unfortunately, referee Marc Goddard stopped the contest early, with Prochazka seemingly cognizant and continuing to resist the whole time, potentially spoiling a classic. Regardless, Pereira is the new UFC light heavyweight champion.

The new co-main featured the superlatively skilled Tom Aspinall, a 6' 5”, 250+ pound heavyweight who moves around the cage as quickly and fluidly as a middleweight, with solid striking, especially a brutal elbow, fantastic grappling, with terrific takedowns and a brutal top game. Aspinall was 6-1 in the UFC heading into the bout, with an aberrant 15-second knee injury loss to Curtis Blaydes being his sole blemish, and all his victories coming by stoppage. Pavlovich, meanwhile, has distinguished himself as the most fearsome heavyweight knockout artist since Francis N'Gannou. After losing his UFC debut to Alistair Overeem in 2018, he had won 6 in a row, all coming by first-round knockout. That includes a 55-second demolition of Derrick Lewis, a brutal 54-second beatdown of Tai Tuivasa, and most impressively, taking just over 3 minutes to bludgeon Blaydes one fight ago. Most thought Aspinall's best chances would come on the ground, but he defied those expectations. After weathering an early big punch from Pavlovich, Aspinall landed two lightning-quick 1-2s, one after the other, that bounced off the Russian's head and left him crumpled on the canvas. Aspinall immediately pounded him out with a series of hammerfists to become the new interim heavyweight champion. The whole ordeal took just 69 seconds.

Right before that, female strawweight contenders squared off when Mackenzie Dern faced Jessica Andrade. Dern was a considerable favorite, likely due to recent results, as she had looked impressive in defeating Angela Hill in her last outing, while the former strawweight queen Andrade was on a three-fight losing streak, all by stoppage. Nevertheless, it proved an awful fight stylistically for Dern, as she was utterly unable to take down the better wrestler Andrade, or lure her into a ground battle. And on the feet, Andrade was far more technical, waiting for the right time until she could crack Dern with a big power punch. She repeatedly did so, dropping Dern late in Round 1 and then doing so several times in the second before the fight was waived off.

In other significant fights, Benoit St. Denis continued his impressive winning ways, uncorking a gorgeous head kick knockout of Matt Frevola, only two months after his stoppage knockout of Thiago Moises. He has now won 5 in a row in the UFC, all occurring by stoppage.

With the pay-per-view over, here are some great fights that can be made in 2024:

Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill

This was the fight talked about in the post-fight interview, and it's the one that makes the most sense. Hill was the champion before having to vacate due to injury, and it's only appropriate that he come back to challenge the new king Pereira. There is an additional angle in that Hill beat Pereira's coach, mentor, and close friend Glover Teixera for his title, retiring the Brazilian legend. It will, like Prochazka-Pereira, be a showdown between two sensational strikers with a bevy of outstanding knockout highlights.

Tom Aspinall vs. Jon Jones

This is the clear, obvious fight between the two current UFC heavyweight champions. It would not only unify the belts, but would be a huge PPV main event. There would be a lot of intrigue and discussion about who would win and who should be favored. It's a fight that that the entire MMA world would love to see.

Jessica Andrade vs. Carla Esparza

Andrade has fought most of the top contenders, but there is an exciting battle brewing with a fellow former champion in Carla Esparza, who is determined to return after maternal leave. Andrade will obviously look to keep the fight standing and capitalize with her superior stand-up. Esparza will be looking for the takedown, and could do well do so, being a much better wrestler than Dern. Esparza also has sturdy defense, also unlike Dern, which would make it potentially difficult for Andrade to connect with a big knockout blow. It's a very interesting contest as well as one of the bigger fights in the women's strawweight division, featuring two former champions.

Benoit St. Denis vs. Rafael dos Anjos

St. Denis just torched the No. 14 ranked lightweight, Frevola, and his striking appears to be getting better and better. A fine foe would be the former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos, who is currently ranked No. 10. It would be a fascinating contest; can the wily legend dos Anjos find a way to defeat his younger foe either on the feet or on the ground? Will this be a passing of the torch from a former champion to a future one? Both men have potent striking as well as grappling, and are consistently engaging in a fast-paced, crowd-pleasing manner. It's difficult to imagine this not being an exciting affair. It would also be a great test and opportunity for St. Denis, and a worthwhile fight for the Brazilian master.