Two right hooks heard ‘round the world.

That’s what it took for Israel Adesanya (24-2) to defeat his archnemesis Alex Pereira (7-2) for the first time. Despite losing three of his four kickboxing/MMA fights against Pereira, he regained what matters most: the UFC Middleweight (MW) title. After a stellar and historic performance at UFC 287, “The Last Stylebender” cemented himself as one of the greatest middleweights to ever step in the octagon. The future remains especially uncertain for Adesanya as he has defeated every current MW fighter in the UFC’s top five. Even MMA’s best insiders have little insight as to who is next for the best middleweight in the world.

Meanwhile, Pereira was handed his first loss in MMA since 2015. After UFC 287, Pereira announced he would make the move to light heavyweight. The future is bright for the Brazilian kickboxer and he will likely become a dominant force in the UFC’s Light Heavyweight (LHW) division. One question, however, remains about the future of his MMA career: how will he fare against strong wrestlers in the LHW division like Magomed Ankalaev and Jan Blachowicz? The good news for Pereira is that he has plenty of time to improve his wrestling abilities with his coach and former UFC LHW champion Glover Texeira.

The rest of UFC 287’s main card was nearly as thrilling as the main event. While Rob Font and Kevin Holland scored spectacular knockout finishes, Christian Rodriguez and Gilbert Burns cruised to decision wins over 18-year-old Raul Rosas and now-retired Jorge Masvidal, respectively. This UFC event provided us with answers, but also left us with lots of questions.

Now, “it’s time” to consider the futures of UFC 287’s main card winners.

Israel Adesanya: 

An MMA trilogy bout with Pereira is a possibility. This remains unlikely, however, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, Pereira already announced he would be making the move to LHW. Unless the Brazilian kickboxer decides to change his mind in the near future, a MW bout between these two fighters will not occur. Secondly, Adesanya’s method of victory decreases the likelihood of a Pereira rematch. The Nigerian-born champion left Pereira motionless in the octagon and all it took was two punches. Definitive finishes are not favorable precursors for potential trilogy bouts as they establish seemingly conclusive ends to heated rivalries

On the other hand, Adesanya has cleaned the MW division out already, and a rematch with any of the top five contenders seems repetitive and unnecessary. Can Adesanya fight someone he hasn’t already beaten?

That probably isn’t possible. One fascinating title-eliminator, however, could present itself in a potential fight between Robert Whitaker and Khamzat Chimaev (as long as he decides to move to middleweight). Chimaev in Welterweight (WW) seems to be a wreck, especially after a disastrous weight miss in what was supposed to be a UFC 279 headliner against Nate Diaz. “Borz” has publicly considered a fresh start at MW which would prevent ridiculous weight cuts. On the other end, Whitaker is coming off a dominant unanimous decision win over Marvin Vettori in 2022 and is hungry for a title shot. A fight between Chimaev and the veteran Whitaker could be a headliner or co-main event for any UFC pay-per-view this year. Overall, this matchup would create a path to the title for both Chimaev and Whitaker and provide a seemingly unstoppable Adesanya with a worthy opponent.

Gilbert “Durinho” Burns (22-5):

After a clean win over Masvidal, Burns edges toward the opportunity for a title fight. “Durinho” now has two wins in a row since his early 2022 loss to Chimaev in what was a three round thriller. 

The WW division is currently one of the most chaotic divisions in the UFC, let alone any MMA promotion. UFC CEO Dana White stated that Colby Covington was next in line to fight WW Champion Leon Edwards. Edwards, however, claims this is not the case. “There’s no talks of that fight happening,” the British champion explained in an interview with mmafighting.com. 

Other WW contenders, including Burns, claim that they have earned their right to fight the champion. 

An exciting title-eliminator bout presents itself in a fight between Burns and Covington. Bad blood, trash talk, a high stakes fight; what else could fans want? This matchup would be technical and exciting as both fighters are well-rounded in all three aspects of MMA. A fight between Burns and Covington would also definitively answer the question of whether or not Covington deserves an opportunity to face Edwards for the title. 

Rob Font (20-6):

After a long layoff, the boxer from Massachusetts made an emphatic return by finishing rising Bantamweight (BW) contender Adrian Yanez in round one. After consecutive unanimous decision losses to former BW champion Jose Aldo and contender Marlon Vera, Font took nearly a year to improve and prepare for his UFC 287 bout. Font utilized clean combinations and fantastic movement to wobble the young Yanez. The Massachusetts native put Yanez away in the middle of round one with a straight right hand, forcing the referee to stop the fight. 

BW is by far the UFC’s most elite division in terms of depth and talent. Font is nowhere near a title fight, but he can certainly begin a run toward the coveted BW belt. 

One exciting fight for Font that could send him climbing up the BW mountain would be against Petr Yan. The Russian is coming off a lackluster performance against Merab Dvalishvili and has suffered three losses in a row. This is a great opportunity for Font to prove to the fighting world that he is top five material in what would be a fantastic matchup between two exceptional boxers.

Kevin “Big Mouth” Holland (24-9):

“Big Mouth” has done it again! The active, newly transitioned WW had a spectacular performance against Santiago Ponzinibbio, using his height and reach (nearly 8 in.) advantages to control the fight. Holland finished the fight with a wild left hook, causing Ponzinibbio to collapse on the mat. After back-to-back losses against Stephen Thompson and Chimaev, Holland finally returned to the win column. Holland’s striking continues to improve and he is talking less in the octagon. His performance at UFC 287 may have been his most dominant as a WW. Holland’s physical advantages in this fight clearly played a role in his success, but he fought intelligently by establishing his range and chopping at Ponzinibbio’s base with calf kicks. 

Michel Pereira recently entered the UFC WW rankings at #15. He has won four fights in a row and his last win came over Ponzinibbio. Pereira’s style is similar to Holland’s; they are both showmen and utilize their striking abilities to win fights. This matchup would be magical for fans who want fast-paced standup action. How about it, Dana?

Christian “CeeRod” Rodriguez (9-1):

Rodriguez was a significant betting underdog heading into his fight against Raul Rosas, the 18-year-old and formerly undefeated phenom. The 25-year-old Rodriguez had a rough start in the first round as Rosas took his back and maintained control for most of the round. “CeeRod,” however, rebounded in the second and third rounds by stuffing Rosas’ predictable takedown attempts and using his knowledge of grappling transitions to control Rosas on the ground. Rodriguez earned a unanimous decision win and derailed one of the hottest hype trains in MMA today.

Rodriguez is young and has plenty of time to continue to improve his game, as does Rosas. “CeeRod” has won two fights in a row and will continue to work his way up a stacked bantamweight ladder. Miles Johns is one of many potential opponents for Rodriguez. For young and rising contenders, the sky’s the limit in regards to who you can fight.