SBS

Oh, so you thought Islam Makhachev versus Alexander Volkanovski was a done deal? Think again. This is MMA, where nothing is ever cut-and-dried.

After Makhachev dominated the great Charles Oliveira at UFC 280 on Oct. 22 to capture the lightweight title, there was plenty of momentum for him to defend his belt against featherweight champ Volkanovski, who used to fight at lightweight (and welterweight) and was keen to move up a weight class to vie for the 155-pound title and a chance to become just the fifth fighter to simultaneously hold two UFC belts at the same time.

The two men went so far as to meet in the Octagon following Makhachev's victory. But since then, confusion has set in. Volkanovski suggested on Twitter that Makhachev wasn't quite as eager for the bout as he seemed to be while renewing a call for the fight to happen in his home country of Australia.

Are you a man of your word? @MAKHACHEVMMA? 🇦🇺 Let’s make it happen! ✍️ #UFC284

— Alex Volkanovski (@alexvolkanovski) November 4, 2022

Makhachev himself, while indicating he was looking for his next fight, also expressed confusion and a little frustration over the logistics surrounding the bout, opening the door to further uncertainty.

I’m not sure what UFC wants, February Australia or March Vegas, I honestly don’t care about location and opponent, I never choose opponents. Just send a contract and stop playing games

— Makhachev Islam (@MAKHACHEVMMA) November 5, 2022

Here's what we know for sure: Volkanovski is the UFC's current pound-for-pound kingpin and has earned a shot at double-champ status. Makhachev, after being unranked on that illustrious list prior to UFC 280, is now third, behind only Volkanovski and middleweight champ Israel Adesanya. These are two highly skilled and terrifying champs, one with surefire Hall of Fame credentials and one who looks to be well on his way.

But that doesn’t magically make Volk-Makhachev happen. So, what's realistic for the Dagestani's first title defense? Here are the three options.

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Alexander Volkanovski

OK, let's get this one out of the way. Even with fresh doubt surrounding the matchup, it's probably still the most likely scenario.

Reading between the lines, the key hang-up here appears to be location. Volkanovski’s home country of Australia was originally expected to be the landing spot, but Las Vegas now appears to be in the mix.

No matter where it happens, here's hoping they can get something done. Makhachev (5'10") would have a size advantage, making his stellar grappling game even harder to deal with.

But Volkanovski is an MMA computer and an absolute machine in the striking game, where he leads active featherweights in significant strike accuracy (56.6 percent) and striking differential (3.12) while sitting third in strikes landed per minute (6.97), per UFC stats. This is a guy who knows how to find your chin. He'll need that tool to tame the Makhachev attack.

Any of these fights would be compelling, but this one would be appointment viewing.

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Beneil Dariush

Perhaps hoping to boost his own case, Dariush recently told Bella Michaels of ABC affiliate KRGV (h/t Harvey Leonard of MMA News) that Volk-Makhachev may not be a done deal just yet—and perhaps not the best idea even if it is:

"I don’t know who I'm fighting. The UFC's talking about making Makhachev and Volkanovski happen, but that’s not for sure either. If you think about it, there's people [Volkanovski] can fight and there's people Islam can fight, and then they can build that fight up in the future, the lightweight champion and the featherweight champion. We'll see what happens. I'm not really sure."

The best way to help one's own cause, of course, is to take care of business on the field of competition and to do so in a way that will stick in the minds of fans and UFC brass. Mission accomplished on that front for Dariush, who hammered favored hot shot Mateusz Gamrot over three rounds for a unanimous-decision victory further down the UFC 280 main card. It was Dariush's eighth straight win, dating back to 2018.

Oliveira may have a case for a rematch, but it's not as strong as that of other fighters who have yet to face Makhachev. Why? Because he was just dominated by Makhachev. Usually instant rematches only happen following a controversial decision. Plus, with a division this deep, it's time to open the playing field a bit.

Dariush may not have massive name value, but he's been trying his level best to change that with his work inside of the cage. It may be ready to pay off in the form of a title shot. If not, a title eliminator between Dariush and Oliveira could help clear up the back end of the contender picture.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdIBWcQugJ4

Winner Between Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler

These two will do battle on the UFC 281 main card going down at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 12.

After this possibility and the others listed here, there's a steep drop-off among the other candidates in terms of likelihood. But if the UFC decides Volkanovski will stay at 145 pounds for now—or the pair can't get a deal done—or if the promotion believes that Dariush still lacks the star power needed to tentpole a pay-per-view, either of these men would be a ready-made challenge for Makhachev.

Add in the intrigue that comes from the fact that Poirier, maybe the most famous non-Conor McGregor lightweight in the world, was beaten pretty handily by retired lightweight GOAT and Makhachev friend and mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov back in 2019.

Poirier versus Chandler seems to contain some legitimate bad blood, which, knowing these two, will mean another master class in hand-to-hand violence. A Fight of the Night-level performance, which is entirely plausible, would springboard the winner into the thick of this discussion.

One fun aspect of this stems from the fact that Makhachev is relatively new to the elite levels of his division—arguably only since beating Oliveira. So he has yet to tangle with most of the killers that exist at lightweight, the UFC's deepest, most talent-rich weight class. That means all sorts of fresh matchmaking possibilities with top-tier guys like Poirier or Chandler.

These guys are in the third slot on the UFC 281 pay-per-view—pretty prime territory considering the main and co-main are both title fights. If they show out, that could change this equation in a heartbeat, especially if Volk-Makhachev continues to hit snags.

Now that Crown Jewel is in the books, WWE will start to build to its final premium live event of the year, Survivor Series WarGames. The last big four pay-per-view will give the new regime a chance to end the fourth quarter of 2022 on a high note.

The acting head of creative, Triple H, has already reintroduced many former superstars. Even more, he plans to add an iconic stipulation match to this year's card after success with it on NXT.

In an exclusive interview with The Ringer, the creative content officer revealed that Survivor Series will feature two WarGames matches.

“We’ll have a men’s WarGames match and a women’s WarGames match. The tradition of the Survivor Series has ebbed and flowed and changed slightly over time, but this will be similar to that,” he said. “This will not be Raw versus SmackDown. It will be much more storyline-driven. I still look at it as a traditional component of Survivor Series in there because it’s large teams of people competing. We just upped the ante a little bit with WarGames and made it evolve.”

This exciting announcement will rejuvenate one of the company’s most popular events. Although there’s so much nostalgia around it, the brand warfare tagline has grown stale. So, focusing on story-driven feuds is a step in the right direction.

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Gunther’s IC Title Reign and Seth Rollins’ Thirst for Validation

It’s unclear if there will be any champion vs. champion matches on this year’s card. However, one would have to imagine that it caused WWE to make a concerted effort to elevate its midcard titles.

Ever since Triple H’s regime took over, the prestige belts have been much more visible on Raw and SmackDown. There has also been a clear push to put them on a star capable of acting as the brand’s primary champion when Roman Reigns isn’t available.

Bobby Lashley did a tremendous job of making the United States title feel more appearance because he has been on such a great run this year. Likewise, Seth Rollins is doing some of the best work of his career, and he’s popular enough to make fans care about his newest accolade.

Meanwhile, Gunther has been on an absolute tear as the best Intercontinental champion in recent memory. His television matches and rivalry with Sheamus have been phenomenal. As such, it would be fun to see Rollins test his mettle against The Ring General at Survivor Series.

If WWE only does one traditional champion vs. champion match, it should be this spirited matchup.

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Damage CTRL vs. Team Bianca

Damage CTRL vs. Bianca Belair has been in an ongoing feud since the new stable debuted at SummerSlam. Straight away, it seemed like the aligning forces were destined to meet in the women’s WarGames match after Survivor Series.

After all, Dakota Kai, Iyo Sky and Belair have contributed memorable performances in the stipulation match during their time with NXT. It also doesn’t seem like a coincidence that Candice LeRae recently returned as she also competed in the cage.

Adding Nikki Cross to the fray was a pleasant surprise. Many fans have been clamoring to see the unhinged persona that initially won them over before she joined the main roster. The three-time women’s tag team champion also has plenty of experience in a hardcore environment.

Lastly, Survivor Series could be the destination for Sasha Banks’ surprise return to WWE. The Legit Boss has an established history with Bayley, and the event will take place in her hometown of Boston at TD Garden.

Banks also recently took to Instagram to tease an upcoming date she has “been waiting for [for] the past six months.” There’s no guarantee that that means she will step into a wrestling ring soon, but it certainly lines up with a potential appearance at the last major premium live event of 2022.

Nevertheless, WWE already has plenty of pieces on the board, and it will be gratifying to see how they will fall into place in time for Survivor Series.

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The Bloodline vs. Everybody 

The Bloodline is currently the hottest act in WWE. So, the popular faction is an obvious pick for one of the teams set to compete in the men’s WarGames match.

Roman Reigns and his minions have made a lot of enemies this year, which creates many possibilities for potential opponents. Solo Sikoa, The Usos and Sami Zayn attacked Sheamus on the Oct. 21 episode of SmackDown. This leaves the door open for The Brawling Brutes to seek revenge in three weeks.

A three-team showdown similar to NXT’s first WarGames match featuring both stables and Imperium is also a superb option. That would be an admirable way to continue Sheamus’ storyline with Gunther and The Bloodline concurrently.

Kevin Owens could also assemble a team of babyfaces from Raw and SmackDown to reignite his feud with Reigns and attempt to talk some sense into Zayn. WWE hasn’t offered us a payoff to their confrontation from Aug. 29, and this would be a perfect opportunity to advance that plot point.

It would also be an excellent chance to depict The Bloodline as the biggest threat to both brands. The stable already holds most of the gold, so it would make sense for Raw and SmackDown stars to unite to defeat them.