4 Fights We Need to See After UFC Fight Night

Carlos Prates has once again lived up to his nickname. He is an absolute nightmare for the UFC welterweight division.

On Saturday, in the main event of the UFC's return to Perth, Australia, Prates battered former champion Jack Della Maddalena to a third-round TKO victory.

The win, which follows a knockout of another former champ in Leon Edwards, cemented the Brazilian as one of the top contenders for a crack at welterweight champ Islam Makhachev, and one of the scariest fighters in MMA right now.

Saturday's co-main event was contested at lightweight, where rising contender Quillan Salkilld picked up his first win over a top-15 foe with a quick stoppage of Beneil Dariush. The win will set him up with another top-ranked foe, and if he keeps winning, he could be in title contention soon.

Salkilld was not the only Aussie to make a splash on Saturday. Earlier on the card, rising heavyweight Brando Pericic picked up his third-straight UFC win, emerging as a contender in his division with a second-round KO of Shamil Gaziev.

Here are the fights we'd like to see next for Prates, Salkilld and Pericic, as well as our pick for Della Maddalena's next move.

Carlos Prates vs. Michael Morales

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After his dominant win over Jack Della Maddalena in Perth, Carlos Prates is now 7-1 in the UFC, with victories over a number of highly regarded opponents.

That streak has pushed him close to a title shot, but he's probably going to have to wait a little longer for that opportunity.

At the moment, all signs point to Ian Machado Garry getting the next crack at reigning welterweight king Islam Makhachev, and that makes some sense. The Irishman has had very impressive results in the UFC himself, and is actually the only man to defeat Prates in the Octagon. He deserves it.

If that's the way things happen, Prates has suggested he's willing to wait for a title shot, but that seems like a real waste of his time. Instead, we'd like to see him matched up with Michael Morales.

Morales, like Prates, is a hulking welterweight with a habit for violent knockouts such as his recent stoppage of top contender Sean Brady. He's also in a similar situation to the Brazilian, as he has clearly earned a title shot but will likely be passed up for other contenders in the queue for the time being.

It only makes sense to match up these two while Makhachev and Garry settle their score. It would provide us with an undeniable No. 1 contender at welterweight, and it would be an explosive fight for as long as it lasts.

Jack Della Maddalena vs. Mike Malott

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Things have taken a nasty turn for Australia's Jack Della Maddalena, and quickly.

Less than a year ago, he was the UFC welterweight champion, thanks to a thrilling decision defeat of Belal Muhammad. Now, he's riding back-to-back losses to Islam Makhachev and Carlos Prates—one a decision and one a knockout, but both utterly decisive.

While it's starting to look like Della Maddalena's brief championship reign was a product of being in the right place at the right time, there's no denying he is still a very good welterweight. And with the right matchups, he could theoretically work his way back into title contention.

From here, we'd like to see him matched up with Canada's Mike Malott.

Malott recently became a contender himself, thanks to a stoppage of former title challenge Gilbert Burns. However, he is still a few steps behind the likes of Carlos Prates and Michael Morales, and he will need a few more wins before he's talked about as a potential title challenger.

A fight with Della Maddalena would give the Canadian a great chance to take another big step in that direction. Meanwhile, it would give the struggling Aussie an opportunity to turn things around against a slightly less dangerous level of opposition.

Quillan Salkilld vs. Mateusz Gamrot

Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC

After knocking out No. 12-ranked lightweight contender Beneil Dariush in Perth's co-main event, Quillan Salkilld will most likely land somewhere just inside the division's top 15.

From that position, there will be nothing but big fights ahead for him.

As a new arrival in the rankings, Salkilld has plenty of interesting options when it comes to his next fight, but if he gets his way, it will be a clash with former KSW champ Mateusz Gamrot next.

The Australian called the Polish grappler out in his post-fight interview, and the matchup makes a lot of sense.

While Gamrot is far more established than Salkilld in the UFC lightweight division, he has failed to produce the kind of marquee wins required to transform from a contender to a serious title threat. He may not love the idea of taking on another rising newcomer—something he's been doing a lot of lately—but he's not in a position to call his shots.

This fight would make a welcome addition to any upcoming main card, and whoever is victorious would make a huge leap toward the division's championship—particularly if they can get things done inside the distance.

Brando Pericic vs. Ante Delija

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There are few divisions in the UFC more desperate for new blood than heavyweight. Thankfully, there are a handful of contenders making their way up the rankings, including Australia's Brando Pericic.

Pericic returned to action as part of Saturday's card in Perth, where he improved to 3-0 in the UFC with a knockout of top-15 contender Shamil Gaziev in a Fight of the Night-winning battle.

After the win, he will also certainly debut in the heavyweight rankings. And given how shallow the division is, it will only take a few more wins for him to put himself in title contention.

Our pick for his next opponent would be No. 10-ranked Ante Delija.

The Croatian, a former PFL tournament champ, made a real splash in his UFC debut, knocking out top-15 staple Marcin Tybura. However, he has since suffered back-to-back losses to Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Serghei Spivac, and will need to make a statement in his next fight if he wants to keep his spot in the rankings.

Delija seems like the perfect opponent for the rising Pericic right now. Not only that, but the bout will almost certainly end in fireworks, as both men are extremely aggressive and possess devastating knockout power. Book it.