A two-division champion, a majority draw and another dominant victory for an undefeated force of nature, UFC 205 delivered on the hype and created as many questions as it answered.

Where should the card’s big winners go next and how should those who didn’t get their hands raised bounce back from their losses?


Conor McGregor

The UFC’s lightweight and featherweight champion can and will do whatever he wants.  After apologizing to no one, The Notorious double champion announced that he will be a father next year and that he wants to be an owner and have an equity stake in the UFC.

While ownership will be up to WME-IMG, there are a few interesting choices for his next fight in the Octagon:

1.    Defend the featherweight title
The 145 lbs. title has not been defended since McGregor starched Jose Aldo 13 seconds into their title fight at UFC 194 in December of 2015. Since then, Aldo defeated Frankie Edgar at UFC 200 to win the interim featherweight title and ostensibly become the number-one contender for the belt. With his victory over Jeremy Stephens at UFC 205, Frankie Edgar has also put himself back into the conversation of top featherweights, but it would be hard to see anyone getting a shot at McGregor at featherweight before Aldo.

2.    Defend the lightweight title
Khabib Nurmagomedov ran his undefeated MMA record to 24-0 with a victory at UFC 205 with a smothering, one-sided victory over Michael Johnson. Prior to the UFC 205 card, Nurmagomedov thought he was going to get the lightweight title shot and says he was sent fight agreements for the bout. After his victory, he called McGregor a chicken and demanded the UFC do the right thing and give him a shot at the belt. McGregor and Nurmagomedov even had an altercation after the weigh-in to add a little fuel to the fire. Tony Ferguson also has a claim to a title opportunity after he defeated former champion Rafael dos Anjos in November.

3.    The trilogy
The PPV fights between McGregor and Nate Diaz at UFC 196 and UFC 202 are among the highest bought cards in the history of the UFC.   With each fighter claiming a victory, Diaz via submission at UFC 196 and McGregor by majority decision at UFC 202, it stands to reason that a third fight has to be in the offing at some point.

4.    The dream fight
Canadian fighter Elias Theodorou expressed on SportsCentre what many people have thought: how great would a fight between McGregor and Georges St-Pierre be? Though GSP hasn’t fought in the UFC since the final defence of his welterweight title at UFC 167 in November of 2013, rumours have swirled about the 35-year-old making a comeback all year. St-Pierre has been tied to possible fights with middleweight champion Michael Bisping, welterweight champion Tyron Woodley and former opponent Johny Hendricks. Stadiums in Canada and Ireland could both easily be sold out for this mega-fight.

Of course, McGregor could get his wish and become a UFC owner and never fight again.

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Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson

The top two welterweights should be linked together for at least one more fight following their majority draw in the co-main event of 205 for the belt. After a little confusion as to the correct decision from the judges, Woodley retained the belt, but did not pin a loss on Wonderboy, who came into the bout with a seven-fight winning streak.

The two fighters were rightfully awarded the fight of the night award for their five-round war that included Thompson escaping what seemed like a hopeless guillotine choke submission situation in the fourth. Demian Maia has earned his way into the welterweight title fight with a six-fight winning streak including a win over Carlos Condit in Vancouver, but it looks like he’ll have to wait for the winner of the rematch, unless the fighters battle to a second draw.

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Joanna Jedrzejczyk

The next person to fight undefeated strawweight champion Jedrzejczyk? Good luck, whoever you are.
 

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Yoel Romero

Another performance of the night winner, Romero could have won his way into a middleweight title fight with a highlight-reel, flying-knee victory over former champion Chris Weidman. Following the fight, Romero and champion Michael Bisping, who was in the booth for the post-fight show, started yelling at each other and the hype machine for the title fight began. Jacare Souza and Luke Rockhold are also in play for a possible number-one contender’s bout, but it would be hard to see Romero not facing Bisping in 2017 for the title.

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Miesha Tate

The former bantamweight champion announced her retirement following her unanimous decision loss to Raquel Pennington.  While the next move for Tate in MMA will not happen inside the Octagon, expect to see her pop up on UFC broadcasts, something she’s already done in the past. Tate is one of the most popular fighters in UFC history and she will be seen again.

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