Matches to Make After UFC 301

The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to Brazil for UFC 301. The pay-per-view featured a flyweight title fight between Alexandre Pantoja and Steve Erceg and the return of Jose Aldo. While it wasn’t nearly as stacked as last month’s historic PPV event, there’s still plenty to speculate about what’s next for the winners.

Here are five matches to make following UFC 301:

Alexandre Pantoja vs. Muhammad Mokaev

Pantoja (28-5) kept his flyweight championship by earning a unanimous decision in a back-and-forth battle against Erceg (12-2). While there isn’t a clear-cut No. 1 contender, there are quite a few interesting options such as Amir Albazi and Mokaev. I’d give Mokaev (11-0, 1 NC) the slight edge, as he’s undefeated. Coming off impressive wins over Alex Perez, Tim Elliott and Jafel Filho, it's hard to argue against it, especially after Erceg just got catapulted into a shot.

Jose Aldo vs. Dominick Cruz

Aldo returned from his mixed martial arts retirement, which he spent staying active in boxing, by outclassing Jonathan Martinez in the co-main event. While it's an impressive win, Aldo still doesn't need to be fighting top contenders at 135 (although he’ll still be competitive with them should he choose to go that route). At 37, legacy fights should be on the docket, like facing off another all-timer in former bantamweight king Cruz. Both fighters aren't quite in peak form, but it'd be a dream match and would get plenty of interest from devoted fans as it’s a throwback to the World Extreme Cagefighting days.

Related » UFC 301 Round-by-Round Scoring

Anthony Smith vs. Nikita Krylov

Former title challenger Smith showed he still has more left in the tank by submitting Vitor Petrino with a guillotine choke. "Lionheart" improved to 38-19 as a pro and has now won two out of his last three fights. While recent losses to the top of the division limit the 35-year-old’s immediate future as a contender, a duel against another veteran would make sense. A high-level opponent that fits the bill is Krylov, as “The Miner” is 30-9 with recent wins over Ryan Spann, Volkan Oezdemir and Alexander Gustafsson. It’s surprising the two haven’t fought yet, so let’s finally see the two square off and determine who will keep their title hopes alive.

Michel Pereira vs. Anthony Hernandez

Pereira kept his impressive winning streak alive by quickly submitting Ihor Potieria with a guillotine choke (after a blatantly illegal knee was ignored). Regardless of any controversy, there’s no denying that the Brazilian has really come into his own at middleweight and should get another streaking fighter. Enter Hernandez, as "Fluffy" is on a five-fight win streak that includes victories over Roman Kopylov, Edmen Shahbazyan and Marc-Andre Barriault. It'd be an exciting, fan-friendly fight and the winner would deserve a Top 10 opponent next.

Caio Borralho vs. Chris Curtis

Borralho stayed undefeated inside the promotion with a vicious knockout over Paul Craig. The Brazilian now sits at 15-1 as a pro and 6-0 inside the Octagon. At 31, "The Natural" deserves a shot at another name opponent, which is why Curtis should be next. It'd make for a great Fight Night main event and give Borralho a shot at punching his ticket to the contender level while also offering “Action Man” a chance at bouncing back after his decision loss to Brendan Allen.