Fight Forecast: What's next for the champions of UFC 205?
After UFC 205, theScore's Alexander K. Lee picks which matchups should be made for the evening's reigning world champions.
Related - Fight Forecast: Matches to make after UFC 205
Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz 3
A trilogy bout between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz could have been booked months ago, but now that McGregor can bring a shiny, new belt into any 155-pound contest he decides to take, that fight will be even more lucrative.
After a blistering second-round knockout of Eddie Alvarez on Saturday, McGregor is expected to take some time off to rest, recover, and deal with impending fatherhood. When he returns he can have his pick of the litter. That pick should be Diaz, an opponent who is the profane yin to his yang.
Diaz has given no indication that he is considering any other opponents until his business with McGregor is done, as the series between the two currently stands at one win apiece. Critics may balk at Diaz receiving an immediate title shot, since he is coming off of a loss to McGregor, but he's also the only man to hand "The Notorious" a loss in the UFC, and that achievement keeps Diaz inextricably tied to the new lightweight champion.
Other options for McGregor: Khabib Nurmagomedov, Tony Ferguson, Tyron Woodley
Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Paige VanZant-Michelle Waterson winner
Joanna Jedrzejczyk can't be blamed for considering retirement just seven fights into her UFC career. The strawweight queen rules over a division with plenty of promising challengers who all feel like they're still one or two fights away from true No. 1 contender status.
Related: Jedrzejczyk outpoints Kowalkiewicz to retain strawweight title
However, if the champ must be kept busy, then the UFC could do a lot worse than offering her the winner of an upcoming bout between Paige VanZant and Michelle Waterson. As absurd as it sounds to give the 22-year-old VanZant a title shot, a win over Waterson would be her fifth inside the Octagon, trailing only Jedrzejczyk for the most UFC victories at 115-pounds.
As for Waterson, she is a former Invicta FC atomweight champion who has developed a strong fan following in her nine-year MMA career. Both she and VanZant have the charisma that the UFC craves, and either would be an easy sell against "Joanna Champion," even if their chances of upsetting her are extraordinarily slim.
Other options for Jedrzejczyk: Jessica Andrade, Karolina Kowalkiewicz rematch
Tyron Woodley vs. Demian Maia
Welterweight champion Tyron Woodley and Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson battled to a riveting majority draw in the UFC 205 co-main event and the two are destined to meet again. It just doesn't have to be right away.
He's not the sexiest challenger, but there's no denying that 24-fight UFC veteran Demian Maia is the most deserving contender now that Thompson had his shot. The Brazilian jiu-jitzu ace has won his past six fights and nine of 11 since moving to the welterweight division four years ago. Maia is the promotion's Benjamin Button, looking better than ever at the age of 39.
In contrast to a third Diaz-McGregor match, there is a strong chance that a Woodley-Maia fight will struggle to draw in viewers and could make for an unappealing clash of styles. But this is one situation where the company should do right by one of their stalwarts, with the added benefit that a win for Woodley would help to enhance his budding championship resume.
Other options for Woodley: McGregor, Nick Diaz, Thompson rematch