UFC 315 did showcase some surprises at the Bell Centre, especially when Canadian fans experienced an intriguing Fight of the Night which saw Jack Della Maddalena become the new UFC Welterweight Champion.
But who should be next to challenge for the 170-pound belt?
Islam Makhachev
It was clear that during the UFC 315 pre-fight press conference, it was determined who Makhachev would face depending on the Main Event result. If Muhammad had been victorious in Canada, it was likely that the Dagestan fighter would have defended his Lightweight title against Ilia Topuria. But, due to Della Maddalena picking up the win, the current #1 pound-for-pound fighter has his eyes set on the Welterweight title.
But does he deserve the opportunity?
Makhachev certainly delivered at Lightweight, earning the longest win streak, while claiming the most title wins in the history of the UFC 155-pound division. The 33-year-old has impressive stoppage wins over the likes of: Charles Oliveira, Dustin Poirier, Alexander Volkanovski, and most recently Renato Moicano.
With no one else looking like a tough challenge for the UFC Lightweight Champion, it seems that a move up in weight class can test his dominance and cement a better legacy than his coach and former UFC fighter, Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Shavkat Rakhmonov
For some fighters, it takes years for them to come close to title contention, but for Rakhmonov it does not take long. The #3 Welterweight contender remains to be undefeated with 19 victories and has stopped 18 of his 19 opponents which include submission wins over: Stephen Thompson, Geoff Neal and Neil Magny.
The Kazakhstan fighter was supposed to battle Belal Muhammad for the 170-pound title at UFC 310, but due to an injury from the champion, Rakhmonov had to take on former teammate, Ian Machado Garry. Nomad was still triumphant but would go the distance for the first time in his MMA career, winning by unanimous decision, as well as almost getting submitted in the final round.
The Shurchi-born mixed martial artist may be the upcoming challenger, after the winner of Della Maddalena vs Makhachev, but the one thing that he must realise is that not only is the title on the line, but so is his undefeated record.
Sean Brady
While Brady has been under the radar to the MMA community and not had the longest of winning streaks in comparison to other top contenders, he has proven he can beat the toughest foes at Welterweight. The #2 contender’s last three fights have been rather fitting of earning a title opportunity after dominating Gilbert Burns for five rounds, plus, submitting Kelvin Gastelum and Leon Edwards.
The Philadelphia fighter is a dangerous submission grappler who can stop a battle at any given time and against any style. The only loss Brady has suffered was to Muhammad at UFC 280, losing by second-round TKO. Since then, he has looked far more deadly and a tougher contender at 170 pounds.
The American Welterweight made a big statement victory at UFC London when he defeated a former champion, in enemy territory, as despite not having the most eye-catching run on his MMA record, he’s clearly shown not to be an easy fighter to lock horns with.
Joaquin Buckley and Ian Machado Garry are two fighters who are in title contention but are not in as strong of a position. However, all it takes is for both men to be victorious in their next bout which will make the Welterweight division even more interesting.