What’s next for the stars of UFC 279?

The UFC returned to Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday for UFC 279 which was a much different card than originally planned.

In the main event, Nate Diaz ended up fighting Tony Ferguson after Khamzat Chimaev missed weight by 7.5lbs for his scrap against Diaz. The Swede was then dropped to the co-main event and was booked to face Kevin Holland.

In the end, it was Diaz winning by fourth-round submission to return to the win column and snap his two-fight losing skid. Chimaev, meanwhile, earned a first-round submission over Holland, and now after UFC 279 here is what I think should be next for all four fighters involved.

Nate Diaz

Nate Diaz was one of the biggest winners on Saturday night as he went from being a massive underdog against Khamzat Chimaev to nearly a pick’em scrap against Tony Ferguson.

The first three rounds were very even but in the fourth round, Ferguson shot for a takedown and Diaz quickly got ahold of a guillotine. It was tight from the get-go and ‘El Cucuy’ ended up having to tap to end the fight.

After the victory at UFC 279, Diaz said in the post-fight press conference he would be leaving the UFC for a bit. With that, I expect him to go to boxing and face Jake Paul next in and get a massive payday. However, I believe Diaz will end up returning to the UFC for the trilogy with Conor McGregor.

Tony Ferguson

Tony Ferguson has now lost five fights in a row and it’s uncertain where he will go from here. Ferguson moved up to welterweight at UFC 279 and it still didn’t go his way, however, in the post-fight press conference he made it known he would fight again.

If Ferguson remains at 170lbs, a logical next fight is to face a legend like Matt Brown and or Robbie Lawler – should the former UFC welterweight champ lose to Santiago Ponzinibbio. Regardless, Ferguson needs a step down in competition and to go up against someone near his age.

Khamzat Chimaev

Khamzat Chimaev seemed to lose a lot of fans after UFC 279, as he was booed heavily for missing weight so badly. The Swede lost his matchup against Nate Diaz and was then booked to face Kevin Holland who he made quick work of.

Now, it seems like he will have to move up to middleweight and if he does, a matchup against Paulo Costa makes sense. The two got into it at the UFC PI so the storyline is there for the fight. The winner could also potentially get a title shot. If ‘Borz’ stays at 170lbs, a number one contender bout against Colby Covington would make the most sense.

Kevin Holland

Even though Kevin Holland lost by first-round submission at UFC 279, he still gained a ton of fans for taking the fight and is always entertaining.

Holland didn’t take much damage and has said he wants to return by the end of the year and he should just be rebooked against Daniel Rodriguez who he was supposed to fight at UFC 279.

What do you think should be next for the stars of UFC 279?