6 Fights We Need to See After UFC 329

There is a lot to unpack after Saturday's UFC 329 card in Las Vegas.

The main event was a disappointment, as MMA superstar Conor McGregor returned from a five-year absence only to injure his leg seconds into his anticipated rematch with Max Holloway.

It was as anticlimactic as fights get, and despite the Irishman's claims to the contrary, it seems like a pretty definitive end to his MMA career.

The good news is that the rest of the card was packed with meaningful fights between top contenders, and many of those ended with highlight-reel finishes. That includes the co-main event, which saw Paddy Pimblett choke Benoit Saint Denis unconscious in a matter of seconds, and main card victories from veterans Bobby Green and Brandon Royval.

Former UFC middleweight champ Robert Whittaker also impressed on the undercard, knocking out Nikita Krylov in his light heavyweight debut, as did heavyweight prospect Gable Steveson, who ran over Elisha Ellison in his first UFC fight.

Needless to say, the UFC matchmakers are going to have their hands full in the wake of the event. Here are six fights we're hoping they'll make when the dust has settled.

Spoiler alert: We won't be making any suggestions for McGregor, as it's just too hard to believe he will ever fight again.

Max Holloway vs. Mauricio Ruffy

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Max Holloway is in a weird spot after the UFC 329 main event.

If he had beaten Conor McGregor decisively, he could be looking at a fight with new lightweight champion Justin Gaethje, who he famously knocked out at UFC 300.

However, the fight with McGregor never really got started, meaning Holloway didn't have a chance to do anything to erase the memory of a recent loss to Charles Oliveira and reassert himself as a contender.

Unfortunately, that's not where his problems end. The lightweight division is a bit of a mess right now, with Gaethje seemingly considering retirement, and multiple contenders angling for a crack at the belt. That includes Paddy Pimblett and Arman Tsarukyan. They could both be good opponents for Holloway, but they also both seem to have more suitable options at the moment.

The UFC matchmakers have some thinking to do when it comes to Holloway's next move. One matchup they may land on is a clash with Brazil's Mauricio Ruffy.

Ruffy is fresh off a knockout of Michael Chandler, which pushed him right to the cusp of title contention. He's a bit of a step down from the level of opposition Holloway has been fighting lately, but he's very good, and deserving of a big step up.

Interestingly, he's kind of a mirror image of a younger McGregor too, so in some indirect way, this matchup would give Holloway the chance to do the things he intended to do in his UFC 329 fight with the Irishman.

The one wrinkle is timing. Holloway claims he won't fight again this year, and Ruffy, who has tons of momentum, will probably want to compete again soon. Assuming UFC brass can work that detail out, this would be a good fight to make for both guys.

Paddy Pimblett vs. Ilia Topuria

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Paddy Pimblett was perhaps the biggest winner of the entire UFC 329 card, scoring a devastating submission win over a dangerous Benoit Saint Denis early in the first round of their lightweight co-headliner.

It was a very important win for the Englishman, as it separated him from a tough decision loss to Justin Gaethje in his last fight. Now back in the win column, he is once again one of the top contenders in the lightweight division. That said, he definitely has a bit more work to do if he wants a title shot, especially with recent foil Gaethje on the throne.

The obvious choice for his next opponent is Ilia Topuria.

Topuria, who previously held featherweight and lightweight gold, looked just about unbeatable until he suffered a shock loss to Gaethje last month. He's stated he wants an immediate rematch with the new champ, but it's a bit hard to see that happening, and the UFC will most likely match him up with another contender instead.

As luck would have it, he and Pimblett have been beefing for years, and have repeatedly expressed a desire to settle their differences in the Octagon. With Pimblett on the upswing, and Topuria looking to rebound, the timing is perfect. It would make a perfect co-headliner for the UFC's annual November stop in New York City, or its end-of-the-year show in Las Vegas.

Brandon Royval vs. Asu Almabayev

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Brandon Royval wasn't getting a lot of credit heading into his UFC 329 main card clash with fellow flyweight contender Lone'er Kavanagh. That's understandable.

He was riding back-to-back losses to Manel Kape and Joshua Van, and his opponent was fresh off a win over former champ Brandon Moreno. It looked like a very tough fight for him.

However, Royval pulled off a great win, submitting Kavanagh in round three to reassert himself as a title contender at 125 pounds.

From here, the obvious choice for his next opponent is Asu Almabayev.

Almabayev, from Kazakhstan, took a tough loss to Kape a few years back, but has since scored three straight wins, including an awesome Suloev Stretch submission over Charles Johnson in his last fight.

Like Royval, he's close to title contention, but a few steps behind a couple of other contenders, namely Kape and Alexandre Pantoja.

It's logical to match him and Royval up with each other while Van, the reigning champ, takes on a more deserving contender.

King Green vs. Michael Chandler

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King Green showed off all of his veteran craftiness in the UFC 329 main card opener, stopping Terrance McKinney in the final second of round one after being dominated for every moment of the fight to that point.

Green is riding three straight wins in the dangerous lightweight division. That's pretty amazing, considering he's 39 years old, with over 50 fights behind him.

Nobody expects him to become a title contender at this point, but it's clear he's still capable of beating all but the best fighters in the division, and he rarely fails to entertain. He deserves his flowers.

After his win over McKinney, Green was called out by fellow lightweight veteran Dan Hooker. That's a decent matchup, but how about this for an alternative: Match Hooker up with Renato Moicano, who he's also called out in the past, and pit Green against Michael Chandler.

Chandler, a former Bellator champ, has been a mainstay in the UFC lightweight rankings for years, but has really struggled with results of late, suffering stoppage losses to the likes of Paddy Pimblett and Mauricio Ruffy.

His recent defeats give the impression his career is nearly over, but it does bear mentioning that he has been fighting nothing but world-class opposition.

A fight with a fellow veteran like Green, who has also been finished by Pimblett and Ruffy in recent years, seems like much more suitable matchmaking for him. Hats off to E. Casey Leydon for suggesting this one on X—it's a great idea.

Robert Whittaker vs. Jiri Prochazka

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Nobody would have predicted it when Robert Whittaker was starting his UFC career as a welterweight, or even reigning over the middleweight division, but he is now a contender at light heavyweight.

The Aussie made his debut in the division on the UFC 329 undercard, scoring a third-round TKO over a hulking Nikita Krylov.

It was a great performance from Whittaker, but there is still reason for skepticism about his future in the division, as he seemed to struggle a bit with extra weight he was carrying around in the Octagon.

That said, he's made it clear this division is his new home, so how about a fight with Jiri Prochazka next?

Prochazka, a former champ at light heavyweight, is riding a bizarre stoppage loss to Carlos Ulberg in a fight for the division's vacant title. It was a huge setback for him, but given his immense popularity, it will only take him a few wins to put himself back in title contention.

A fight with a fellow former champ like Whittaker makes a ton of sense for him right now. It admittedly looks like a very dangerous fight for Whittaker, but his immense skill and impressive speed will give him a real shot.

Gable Steveson vs. Tai Tuivasa

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Gable Steveson, a former Olympic gold-medal wrestler and the hottest prospect in MMA right now, made a successful UFC debut on Saturday's undercard, knocking out Elisha Ellison to improve to 4-0 as a pro.

There is no denying the future is bright for him, especially considering he's been taken under the wing of Jon Jones, but there are definitely some holes in his game.

Steveson's defense looked quite porous against Ellison, and if he's not careful, he risks suffering some tough knockout losses, much like Aaron Pico, another mega-prospect, did in the early phases of his career.

As such, the UFC would be wise to bring him along slowly, even if it's tempting to book him against a top-10 opponent right away.

How about a fight with Tai Tuivasa? A few years back, the popular shooey-chugging Aussie was one of the top contenders in the heavyweight division. However, he's now riding seven straight losses.

Miraculously, he hasn't been cut from the UFC yet, but there's no question he'll be fighting for his job next time out. A fight with Steveson would give him a huge opportunity to prove he still belongs.

For Steveson, it would be a chance to get some experience against a veteran heavyweight who is unlikely to cause him career-altering harm.

They're in totally different phases of their careers, but it makes a lot of sense to have them fight each other right now.