What’s next for UFC 236 main and co-main event fighters

Last night, the UFC returned to Atlanta, Georgia where two interim title fights were on the line. In the main event, featherweight champion, Max Holloway was moving up in weight to take on Dustin Poirier for the interim lightweight title. In the co-main event, Kelvin Gastelum was taking on Israel Adesanya for the interim middleweight title.

Ultimately, both fights delivered. Adesanya ended up beating Gastelum by unanimous decision, the same result of the main event where Poirier beat Holloway for a second time and snapped his 13-fight winning streak.

Here are the fights we would like to see next for the stars of the UFC 236 main and co-main events.

Dustin Poirier

Dustin Poirier had 22 UFC fights before getting his first UFC title shot and now the win over Holloway lines him up for a shot against Khabib Nurmagomedov. The undefeated champion has said he will be ready to go in September which seems like the logical opponent and date for Poirier to fight next.

Against Holloway, Poirier showed he has the cardio to go all five rounds. But, his takedown defense wasn’t tested, and it no doubt will be against the current champion. What is going for Poirier is the fact that he has knockout power as he almost finished Holloway numerous times during the fight.

Max Holloway

At UFC 236, Max Holloway was looking to set up another date with Nurmagomedov. He was set to fight the Russian back at UFC 223 before the commission wouldn’t let him cut any more weight.

Holloway has stated he was trying to become the top pound-for-pound fighter, but as UFC President White says, he looked in the lightweight division and might be better suited for the featherweight division.

For Holloway’s next fight, it depends on the outcome of Jose Aldo vs Alex Volkanovski. If Volkanovski wins, then that should be his next fight. But, if Aldo is to win the next logical fight would be against Frankie Edgar. No matter what, he has options for his next fight, but going back down to featherweight makes the most sense.

Israel Adesanya

Israel Adesanya has had a phenomenal run in the UFC so far. After making his debut in February of 2018, he has gone 6-0 and is now the interim middleweight champion.

There is only one logical fight for Adesanya’s next fight and that is to unify the title against Robert Whittaker. This fight, according to White, will happen in a stadium in Australia and could very well be one of the biggest sporting events in Australia and New Zealand’s history. The only question is when the fight will take place.

Kelvin Gastelum

Kelvin Gastelum was supposed to fight for the middleweight title back in February. However, after Whittaker pulled out with an injury, Gastelum had to fight for the interim title instead. Although he had success against Adesanya and managed to rock him a few times, he just couldn’t get the win.

Now, Gastelum will need to string together a couple of wins to get another shot at the title. For his next fight, a fight against Yoel Romero makes a ton of sense. Both Gastelum and Romero are in the top-five in the division. If he were to beat Romero it could very well get him another title shot or be one win away.

Who do you think these four fighters should fight next after UFC 236?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 4/14/2019.