Matches to Make After UFC 298

After a night of eventful fights, UFC 298 is over and Ilia Topuria now sits atop the Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight division. The historic win came at the expense of Alexander Volkanovski, whose run ends after five impressive title defenses. However, there's more than just ramifications at 145 pounds as there were major fights in the middleweight, welterweight and bantamweight divisions as well on the pay-per-view card.

Here are five fights to make after UFC 298.

Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway

Topuria ended an incredible featherweight reign by Volkanovski (26-4) with a vicious knockout and will be looking to make even more history in his first title defense. As a result, why not match him up against another former dominant featherweight champ in Max Holloway? Regardless of the result of his BMF title fight against Justin Gaethje, “Blessed” has cemented himself as still being one of the best featherweights. This would be a fun and fresh fight that would mean a lot for the legacy of “El Matador.”

Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev

Former champion Whittaker proved he still has plenty of gas left in the tank by defeating Paulo Costa in the thrilling co-main event. Still one of the elite fighters at 185 pounds, a fight against Chimaev would make sense for what’s next. Not only would it be attention-grabbing and make plenty of headlines, but it would also serve as a proper middleweight test for Chimaev (13-0), who looked human against Kamaru Usman. A win for “Borz” would justify a title shot, while a loss would let us know that he should look to move back down to welterweight.

Ian Garry vs. Stephen Thompson

Garry outpointed Geoff Neal over three rounds to continue his ascent and pick up a split-decision victory. Up next should be an even bigger name in the welterweight division. Stephen Thompson makes a lot of sense as the two were previously talked about as potential foes. Both are talented on the feet, so the fight would be a thrill for as long as it lasts while also testing the striking of “The Future.”

Merab Dvalishvili vs. O'Malley/Vera Winner

Dvalishvili put on a dominant performance by winning a unanimous decision over former two-division champion Henry Cejduo. With the win, it's clear that a title shot should be next for “The Machine.” That means either a fresh match-up against Sean O'Malley, who Dvalishvili (17-4) already has some beef with after stealing his jacket during a post-fight interview, or Marlon Vera. No matter who comes out on top, there’s no denying that Dvalishvili is the No. 1 contender for the belt and deserves the opportunity to seize it.

Anthony Hernandez vs. Roman Dolidze

Hernandez made a statement by submitting Roman Kopylov with a rear-naked choke. After the victory, Hernandez is now ready for a step up in competition and to continue his conquest over the Roman Empire. A fight against Dolidze would be a perfect test to see where both men stand. "The Caucasian" is in desperate need of a win after losing decisions to Nassourdine Imavov and Marvin Vettori in his last two outings. Either Dolidze (12-3) would stand his ground or “Fluffy” would cement himself as a possible contender.