Islam Makhachev, Ian Machado Garry's Next Best Fights After UFC 330 Results

Islam Makhachev successfully retained his welterweight championship at UFC 330, beating Ian Machado Garry via unanimous decision in the main event.

The victory is his first title defense in his new division, further cementing his place as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world.

But that distinction is always under threat. Makhachev is just making himself at home at 170 pounds. The division is far from cleaned out with a former challenger, an undefeated challenger and a red-hot contender all coming in as possibilities for him next.

On the flip side, this isn't likely to be the last we see of Machado Garry. The Irish striker is only 28 years old and could still become a champion. There are plenty of intriguing bounce-back candidate for him to recover from this loss and work his way back up the rankings.

Let's explore the top possibilities for each fighter's next bout.

Makhachev's Next Best Fights

Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC

Carlo Prates

• Carlos Prates
• Michael Morales
• Sean Strickland

The welterweight division now officially belongs to Makhachev. With one successful title defense under his belt, he's just starting the process of cleaning out the division.

If that's the goal, then he has two clear options.

Carlos Prates seems to be the one he prefers. The Brazilian has been more active and is currently ridnig a three-fight win streak that includes knockouts of Geoff Neal, Leon Edwards and Jack Della Maddalena.

His pressure and striking volume could make for an interesting clash of styles.

It is notable, however, that Michael Morales weighed in as the backup fighter for Saturday's main event. Morales is 19-0 with knockout wins over Sean Brady, Gilbert Burns and Neil Magny.

Morales made the cut if he was needed for UFC 330, but he hasn't fought since last November. That could be enough to give Prates the nod.

Of course, there's always the possibility that a fighter of Makhachev's magnitude would want to go for a third weight class. After earning and defending the welterweight crown, a shot at middleweight champion Sean Strickland would have to be at least mildly interesting to him.

Machado Garry's Next Best Fights

Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Michael Morales

• Carlos Prates
• Michael Morales
• Jack Della Maddalena

Machado Garry came up short in his first title shot, but he's still in a relatively good spot. His style and personality make him a marketable contender. He still matches up favorably with plenty of challengers in the division.

Prates and Morales might be next in line, but only one of them can get the next shot at Makhachev. The odd man out could see the upside of taking on Machado Garry in a title eliminator while they wait for the championship picture to shake out.

That would be a risk for the 28-year-old. Both Prates and Morales are dangerous strikers, but they would also be playing into Machado Garry's strengths as well.

The safer option would be offering a bounce back opportunity for Jack Della Maddalena. The Australian also lost to Makhachev, but then followed it up with a loss to Prates.

The Della Maddalena could see it as a way to get back in the conversation after two devastating losses. Machado Garry would have the chance to improve his game before going after Prates or Morales.