Makwan Amirkhani (13-2) defeated Mike Wilkinson (9-2) by unanimous decision on Saturday in London at UFC Fight Night: Silva vs. Bisping. Amirkhani used his bread and butter of wrestling and grappling to grind out the three round decision victory.
Mr. Finland beat a tough Mike Wilkinson who had only lost once in his MMA career. Amirkhani is now 3-0 inside the Octagon and will be looking getting a fight that would propel him into the top 15 of the Featherweight division. Here are three potential fighters Amirkhani could face next.
Doo Ho Choi (13-1): Like Makwan Amirkhani, Doo Ho Choi is another top prospect of the Featherweight division. Choi is 2-0 in the UFC and won both of his fights with early 1st round TKO’s. The prospect vs. prospect bout could be intriguing and determine who is ready to fight with the top tier of the UFC.
Rustam Khabilov (18-3): Rustam Khabilov also on Saturday’s card and beat Norman Parke by unanimous decision. Before his win over Parke, the Russian was out for a year due to visa issues. Stylistically this could the most interesting matchup in Amirkhani’s UFC career since Khabilov’s strength is also in his wrestling. Both fighters like to take the fight to the canvass and use ground-and-pound and top positions.
Thiago Tavares (20-6-1): Tavares is a UFC veteran. The 31 year-old is 10-6-1 inside the Octagon. He holds notable wins over Manvel Gamburyan, Sam Stout, and Clay Guida. This fight could be an interesting matchup for Amirkhani, since the outspoken fighter has not yet fought a guy that is a seasoned veteran like Tavares. A win over a well-known Tavares could get him into the top 15 of the UFC and bolster his resume.
