Matches to Make After UFC on ABC 5

UFC on ABC 5 was one of the highest quality events the Ultimate Fighting Championship has promoted in months, including pay-per-views. In the main event, undefeated phenom Ilia Topuria faced recent interim title challenger Josh Emmett in a big showdown at featherweight.

Topuria came in as a heavy favorite, having gone a perfect 13-0 in his career and 5-0 in the UFC, four of which were finishes. Arriving in the UFC as a very good grappler, he had showcased excellent, highly technical striking, recording three knockouts in a row against Damon Jackson, Ryan Hall and Jai Herbert at 155 pounds. His most recent outing before this main event, an obliteration of then fellow unbeaten Bryce Mitchell ending via submission in the second stanza, was his most impressive yet. At just 26 years old, Topuria is only getting better.

Emmett, meanwhile, was looking to prove he still has enough left in the tank at the age of 38. He had gone on an inspiring five fight-winning streak after a devastating knockout loss to Jeremy Stephens that required major facial reconstructive surgery. However, that run ended when Yair Rodriguez decimated him with body kicks and clean punches upstairs before locking in a triangle choke late in Round 2 for the interim UFC featherweight title.

Topuria ended up beating Emmett from pillar to post for 25 minutes. He consistently landed a hard jab and followed that up with flush left hooks, right crosses and overhand rights that lit up his veteran opponent. Emmett's face was already a bruised, bloody mess by round 2, and his left eye was completely closed by the end. Topuria came very close to knocking him out entirely late in Round 4, recording multiple knockdowns and was likely seconds away from a finish as the bell rang. As befitting his tremendous heart and toughness, Emmett never gave up the whole way through and continued trying to win even in the final stanza. Topuria took the unanimous decision by scores of 50-44, 49-45 and a rare 50-42.

In the co-main, female flyweight contenders Maycee Barber and Amanda Ribas faced off. Barber was riding a four-fight winning streak, though her split decisions against Miranda Maverick and Andrea Lee during that time were highly controversial, with most believing she lost both affairs. Ribas, meanwhile, was 1-1 since moving up to flyweight, dropping a split decision to Kaitlyn Chookagian that could have gone either way and then convincingly defeating top contender Viviane Araujo.

The fight turned out be a barnburner, with both martial artists landing brutal blows and Ribas spilling copious amounts of blood after Barber opened her up with an elbow. In the end, Barber's chin held up better and her strikes were more powerful, finishing Ribas just over halfway into the second round.

In other significant action, Brendan Allen made the shocking decision to stand against fearsome striker Bruno Silva, a man who had fought on even terms against Alex Pereira for stretches at a time. To the surprise of many, Allen got the better of Silva, knocking him down and then finishing with a rear-naked choke late in the first round. He is now a gaudy 10-2 in the UFC. Perennial contender Neil Magny added to his welterweight record of wins by moving up to 21 with a tough split decision over determined Philip Rowe.

Here are several interesting fights that can be made in the event's aftermath:

Ilia Topuria vs. Winner of Alexander Volkanovski-Yair Rodriguez

Topuria has proven himself an elite featherweight and with a lack of other suitable foes, he should get a crack at the crown. If he faces Rodriguez, it will be a sensational striking battle pitting his tremendous boxing against Rodriguez's amazing kicks, with plenty of entertaining grappling exchanges to boot. If he faces Volkanovski, it will also be a dynamic, high-energy war that will likely go the full 25 minutes. Frankly, I don't know who would have the advantage in either the striking or grappling, especially since Volkanovski would be 35 by then and Topuria would probably be even better than what he showed against Emmett. Either way, it would be a worthy co-main or main event for a PPV.

Maycee Barber vs. Katlyn Chookagian

Barber just won the fight of her career against No. 9-ranked Ribas. However, while she proved yet again how dangerous she can be in a firefight, an interesting test would be No 6-ranked Chookagian, a tall, long striker who uses constant movement and avoids trading heavy leather. This will be an interesting standup contest, and if Barber is truly an elite contender, former title challenger Chookagian is an opponent she should overcome. In fact, all of Chookagian's recent losses have come across either current or former champions (Valentina Shevchenko, Jessica Andrade) or elite contenders (Manon Fiorot).

Brendan Allen vs. Marvin Vettori

Allen is a tremendous talent who is an excellent striker as well as grappler, but for whatever reason, has never been given a shot against a top ranked contender. That should change soon. Why not have him face another well-rounded foe in No. 4 ranked Marvin Vettori? This will answer a lot of questions about Allen and whether he is an elite title contender. It's also a tremendous fight for the fans. Both men are willing to go toe-to-toe in the stand-up and will test one another's grappling.

Neil Magny vs. Loser of Sean Brady-Jack Della Maddalena

Maddalena has called out Magny before, but he currently has a fight scheduled against Sean Brady. And given that Brady is ranked No. 9 while Magny was No. 11 heading into his fight against Rowe, it makes no sense for them to still fight were he to win. However, I believe that the loser would be an appropriate match-up for Magny. Two guys on the outside of the Top 10, with Magny offering a stern challenge for either Maddalena or Brady. For Brady, it would be a test of his striking and cardio. For Maddalena, a test of clinch work, grappling and cardio. Neither one would be spectacular entertainment, but sometimes one needs to give up and coming contenders hard tests against a durable, borderline Top 10 opponent like Magny.