UFC 290 cemented itself as an all-time great event last night. With 14 fights and nine finishes, the card delivered even better than expected. Full of high-octane action, stunning technical excellence and plenty of surprises we look at what’s next for UFC 290 winners.
Bo Nickal
Opening the UFC card was wrestling stand-out and MMA novice Bo Nickal. Dealing with the pre-fight changes and rolling with the punches outside the octagon. Nickal was unphased by the opponent change. Getting a first-round KO to cement his prospect tag.
Needing not to use his elite grappling last night. Nickal may have just made himself an even more feared opponent. However, the 4-0 26-year-old is in no rush to ascend the ranks just yet.
A step up in competition would be best for both Nickal and his glowing aura. A name is hard to come by, however, a middleweight with several UFC bouts, and wins under their belt seems ideal.
Dan Hooker
Last night Dan Hooker had to dig deep and show that well-known toughness to get the job done. Fighting the 6’3” Jalin Turner, the New Zealand native scored a huge decision victory in an amazing back-and-forth war.
Sitting in the lightweight rankings at #12 before this bout. Defeating #11 should see Hooker re-enter the top 10. As game as they come, Hooker will face anyone and everyone given the opportunity. However, a broken arm suffered at UFC 290 might put the Hangman on the shelf for the foreseeable.
Most likely out until at least the end of the year, pairing Hooker could be a challenge. If we’re looking solely at fun fights look no further than Rafael Fiziev. Out of action since this March, a December-January fight could fit both schedules.
Dricus du Plessis
Arguably one of the biggest winners from UFC 290 was South Africa’s Dricus du Plessis. A big underdog going into the bout, with fans online ridiculing the 29-year-old. He delivered the shock of the night KOing Robert Whittaker in a highly impressive performance.
Of all the fights from the night, what’s next for du Plessis is the easiest to pick. A shot at the middleweight champion awaits du Plessis, with Adesanya even being brought into the octagon to square off against his future foe.
With UFC 293 in Sydney, Australia. The UFC will try their best to get this bout on that card. This might be a little too soon for Dricus so a UFC 294 showdown may also be likely.
Alexandre Pantoja
Alexandre Pantoja secured his third win over Brandon Moreno under the UFC banner and this was by far his biggest. Claiming UFC flyweight gold, the Brazilian took the belt via decision in a FOTN classic.
It’s obvious Pantoja will need some time off to heal his battle wounds so don’t expect a fast turnaround. As for the next opponents, a rematch with Moreno could be likely. It’s not unlike the UFC to offer a champion a rematch off the back of a close and compelling fight.
Another name to keep an eye on for as a future flyweight challenger could be Brandon Royval. Weighing in as the backup fighter Royval is keen to get his shot as he rides a three-fight winning streak.
Alexander Volkanovski
Undeniably one of the greatest to ever do it. Last night Alexander Volkanovski squashed yet another top contender in style. Dominating the bout before stopping Yair Rodriguez by TKO in the third.
With a division almost cleared of top contenders. There remain very few who have a genuine claim that they deserve the next shot at featherweight gold.
One man who immediately springs to mind is Ilia Topuria. The Spanish-Georgian remains undefeated and sits at 14-0. Despite only being #5 in the rankings, he’s the only one who either hasn’t faced Volk or is coming off a win. The two men did have a brief face-off as the champion left the cage.
What do you think is next for UFC 290 winners?
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
