The UFC lightweight title is vacant, and the UFC is most likely to organize a vacant title bout to crown a new UFC lightweight champion of the world. While there are a lot of fighters being considered for the matchup, there seems to be one more than one deserving candidate.

UFC 254 went just as expected in some ways, and in some ways completely took us by surprise. The buildup to the main event couldn’t have been better, and the main event was worth all the buildup. Khabib Nurmagomedov went up against Justin Gaethje in a lightweight unification bout and took the contest via submission in the second round.

In the post-fight interview, Khabib announced his retirement from the sport and vacated the lightweight title.

Initially planning to leave at 30-0, Khabib stepped back a little early, as he wasn’t willing to contest anymore without his father in his corner. Giving his mother his word, Khabib Nurmagomedov retired from the UFC at 29-0, a legacy no one will ever be able to match up anytime soon.

The next step for the UFC lightweight division

Looking at the vacant UFC lightweight title, a post on Twitter suggested the various options the UFC have. The picture contained 4 fighters in the frame, namely Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, Tony Ferguson, and Michael Chandler.

2 men were clearly left out – Justin Gaethje and Charles Oliveira. Does the UFC have a plan for them? There were a lot of comments on how all these 6 could be matched up to take the division forward in the year to come.

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One of the most popular suggestions was Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier for the vacant title, Tony Ferguson vs Michael Chandler for the number 1 contender’s sport, and a fight between Justin Gaethje and Charles Oliveira.

But Chandler just signed with the promotion and Oliveria is on a 7 fight win streak. Putting Oliveria in place of Chandler is what the fans want.

If you were given the responsibility to take this division forward, what would be the permutation and combination you would apply?