What's next for UFC 262's top fighters?

Another UFC event is in the books.

Charles Oliveira captured the vacant lightweight title, Beneil Dariush continued his winning streak, and Edson Barboza took out a top-10 featherweight.

Here's what should come next for UFC 262's notable fighters.

Charles Oliveira

Defeated: Michael Chandler by second-round TKO
Should fight: Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor 3 winner

This is the obvious first title defense Oliveira should make.

Poirier was widely considered the No. 1 lightweight after Khabib Nurmagomedov's retirement, and that likely won't change in the eyes of many fans, even with Oliveira now holding the title. Poirier wasn't part of Saturday's vacant title bout because he decided to pursue a trilogy fight with Conor McGregor instead, which seemed to be a far more lucrative option and is now scheduled for July.

"The Diamond" has already done enough to deserve a title shot after knocking out McGregor in January, so there would be no doubt his next fight should be for the lightweight championship if he gets past the former two-division titleholder again this summer.

On the other hand, if McGregor pulled off a victory against Poirier to win their series 2-1, it would be hard to deny the Irishman a title shot. Yes, he hasn't been overly successful in the 155-pound division since capturing the belt in 2016, but a win over the No. 1-ranked contender would speak volumes about where McGregor's at in his career.

Plus, McGregor is still the biggest star in the sport, so you know the UFC would do all it could to get him in a title fight. And Oliveira would surely be open to that big-money opportunity.

If something happens to the winner between Poirier and McGregor and he's forced to sit on the sidelines for an extended period, then a fight between Oliveira and Justin Gaethje would suffice. But the Poirier-McGregor winner absolutely has to be the front-runner as Oliveira's first challenger.

Michael Chandler

Should fight: Justin Gaethje

There are no easy fights in the UFC lightweight division, so why not give Chandler one of the absolute best at 155 pounds as he looks to bounce back from his unsuccessful bid for the title?

Gaethje is a high-risk, high-reward matchup for Chandler, and it would be understandable if the former Bellator champion wants to face someone outside the top five. But for the fans, this is too good of a matchup to pass up.

Gaethje is the ultimate technical brawler. He comes forward until you wilt under his pressure, he has one-punch knockout power, and his leg kicks are devastating.

But if there's anyone who can stand up to Gaethje's offense, it's Chandler. He also has devastating power, as seen in his UFC debut against Dan Hooker earlier in 2021, and he's also generally very aggressive. Gaethje-Chandler would be a striking battle for the ages.

Two top-five fighters in one of the UFC's deepest divisions, both looking to rebound from losses in title fights (Nurmagomedov submitted Gaethje last October), and they'll face off in a high-stakes clash ... What's not to like?

Beneil Dariush

Defeated: Tony Ferguson by unanimous decision
Should fight: Rafael dos Anjos

Dariush took the next step toward challenging for the lightweight title in Saturday's co-main event, improving his winning streak to seven with a lopsided victory over Ferguson.

While Dariush seems ready to fight a top-three fighter like Poirier or Gaethje, it's unlikely he'll receive that opportunity given the division's current landscape.

Also, the 32-year-old said after beating Ferguson that he doesn't plan to fight again until the end of the year or early 2022, so the division could look quite different by the time he returns to the Octagon. But for our purposes, we'll look at what makes the most sense right now, and that's a fight with former champion Dos Anjos.

Dos Anjos looked terrific in his return to 155 pounds late last year, dominating Paul Felder in a short-notice UFC main event. He and Dariush are both on the cusp of becoming top-five contenders, and a win in that matchup would be the final fulfillment in their careers before they begin taking on the absolute best in the division.

Dariush used to train with Dos Anjos at Kings MMA and once said he would never fight him. If that remains true in 2021, and if the previous matchup between Gaethje and Chandler doesn't come to fruition, then a fight against Chandler would also be really intriguing.

Tony Ferguson

Should fight: Donald Cerrone

Yeah, it's time to run this one back.

Ferguson beat Cerrone in a June 2019 contest via doctor's stoppage after the latter suffered a nasty eye injury heading into the third round. In a strange turn of fate, neither fighter has looked the same since that fight. It was the start of Cerrone's current six-fight winless streak, and Ferguson is 0-3 since besting "Cowboy" nearly two years ago.

A longtime contender in the division and once considered the biggest challenge for Nurmagomedov, Ferguson's fall from grace has been sudden. At 37 years old, it seems like his age has caught up to him. He looked quite bad in his last three fights against Gaethje, Oliveira, and Dariush, so there's no way he should step into the Octagon with a contender in his next outing.

Cerrone also needs a step down in competition after suffering a first-round knockout loss to Alex Morono in a welterweight bout earlier in May. He's planning to return to his original 155-pound weight class, and a fight with Ferguson would give one of the veterans a much-needed opportunity to bounce back.

Of course, the UFC can always choose to book declining fighters against rising contenders, prospects, or fighters with lesser names, and that's sometimes the route the promotion goes with its former champions or contenders who are on the skids. But most fans would likely rather see Ferguson and Cerrone fight each other and not have their name used to build up a younger fighter's career. It's the perfect time for the rematch, and it would actually be somewhat of an intriguing matchup, especially considering the way their first bout ended.

Edson Barboza

Defeated: Shane Burgos by third-round TKO
Should fight: Calvin Kattar

There are a ton of options for Barboza after earning his second win in the featherweight division.

The one that sticks out is a meeting with No. 5-ranked Calvin Kattar, who's coming off a devastating loss to former champion Max Holloway in January. Kattar still doesn't have a timetable for his return after taking a ton of damage against Holloway, but a matchup with Barboza toward the end of the year may line up perfectly.

This fight would give Kattar a chance to rebound from the loss and continue his path up the 145-pound ladder, while it gives Barboza an opportunity to break into the top five and make it known that he's one of the top contenders in the division. Barboza, No. 13 in the weight class before Saturday's victory, will likely enter the top 10 after beating No. 9 Burgos, but he still needs one more big win to reach that top-five position.

If Kattar isn't ready to go by the time Barboza wants to fight next, then a matchup against the winner of the June 19 main event between Chan Sung Jung and Dan Ige would be a great second choice. If the UFC doesn't want to give Barboza as big of a step up in competition for whatever reason, the surging Giga Chikadze would also be a fine opponent.