For the first time in more than four years, neither Khabib Nurmagomedov or Conor McGregor is considered to be the best active lightweight on the planet.

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The emphasis, of course, is on the word ‘active’ with Khabib still technically retired, but the chances of the unbeaten Russian returning appear to be dwindling.

As Dustin Poirier landed the final telling blows on McGregor’s previously granite chin at UFC 257, the landscape of the 155lbs division shifted drastically once again.

UFC 257 – McGregor vs Poirier 2: Live stream, UK start time, TV channel, prelims, fight card from the UAE Visit the post for more. Jump directly to the content. 'Now is the time for sure. 'I like the Oliveira fight or the Dustin Poirier fight.' They built up this whole Dustin Poirier fight to get the rematch with Khabib and then he lost to him.

Just mere minutes before, Michael Chandler tore up the script to knock out Dan Hooker on his UFC debut after transferring from Bellator – a move some sceptics considered too late in his career.

Now, the 34-year-old is firmly entrenched in the top five of the most competitive division in the UFC and the job of matchmaker Sean Shelby just became that much more difficult.

So, what next for the UFC’s lightweight division?

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Dustin Poirier MUST fight for UFC Gold

Ever since touching the interim lightweight title after beating Max Holloway, Poirier told the world he would be ‘paid in full’. At Fight Island, he finally got the big win his career deserved.

Poirier has faced a proverbial Murderer’s Row of lightweight contenders since getting beaten by Michael Johnson in 2016; Anthony Pettis, Eddie Alvarez, Justin Gaethje, Holloway and Dan Hooker all fell to ‘The Diamond’ before McGregor.

Those who suggest ‘it wasn’t the same Conor’ at UFC 257 are exactly right – but only because Poirier didn’t let him be. The Louisiana-native has spent the past five years fighting and beating the best contenders in the world and is arguably the second best to ever fight at 155lbs after Khabib.

If, as expected, the Russian does remain on the sidelines the vacant title must be on the line and Poirier has to fight for it. Who he faces becomes a little more complicated.

An immediate trilogy fight for the belt with McGregor doesn’t make much sense, especially after a second round knockout and Gaethje revealed he’d be furious if this was the case.

He is still highly ranked, but was beaten by Khabib at UFC 254 and Poirier has already stopped him.

It just leaves the dangerous Charles Oliveira as the most viable candidate for the strap; the Brazilian is on an eight-fight winning streak which culminated in a lopsided display of dominance against former interim champion Tony Ferguson.

‘Do Bronx’ carries nowhere near the pay-per-view star quality of ‘The Notorious’, but Poirier is driven by competition and gold – who better to pit him against than one of the most dangerous fighters in the division?

Conor McGregor is not done yet

The parable of Icarus sparked the famous idiom, ‘don’t fly too close to the sun’ and perhaps no fighter in recent history has embodied this as much as McGregor.

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The Irishman transcended MMA in 2015 during his incredible run to featherweight gold as he eventually knocked out Jose Aldo in just 13 seconds. It meant the new fans he ensnared with his devilish charm and wit on the microphone now expected repeat performances every time he stepped foot into the octagon.

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Unfortunately, as Nate Diaz and Khabib Nurmagomedov showed, McGregor is not the immortal being some of his more crazed supporters would have you believe he is – rather a man who loves to fight.

But each defeat le to crazy suggestions he is finished; Poirier is a world-class fighter as established and McGregor won the first round on the scorecard of every judge in the Etihad Arena.

And while the inactivity and lavish lifestyle may suggest to some he has lost the spark which propelled him out of the humble sport of MMA and onto red carpet fashion shows or into computer games, McGregor still drove his 310-foot yacht into Abu Dhabi looking for a scrap.

What next is the multi-million dollar question, with a boxing bout against Manny Pacquiao dead in the water and a UFC title shot slipping from his grasp, it may be time for McGregor to get his hands dirty in this division.

Tony Ferguson is still reeling from consecutive defeats to Justin Gaethje and Oliveira, but remains a ranked lightweight contender and a serious name in the division. There is also added needle between ‘El Cucuy’ and ‘The Notorious’ which stems from their management issues.

The pair were also seemingly locked in a collision course in 2017 after Ferguson won the interim title, but McGregor instead chose to box Mayweather and left the division. A win over the 36-year-old would not mean as much as it did four years ago, but would still carry gravitas.

From there, a trilogy fight with Nate Diaz makes financial and logistical sense. The 35-year-old enjoyed two terrific fights with McGregor in 2016 and a third seems inevitable.

Diaz is the sort of fighter to rile McGregor and play the anti-hero to the UFC’s poster boy, taking him out of his comfort zone before the fight has even started. Back-to-back victories would be seriously tough for McGregor to achieve, but would prove to fans he remains one of the best in the world.

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From there, a trilogy fight with Poirier for the title would be the perfect ending for McGregor, who reportedly only has three more fights left on his contract. As humble and respectful as he was throughout the course of UFC 257, fans fell in love with ‘The Notorious’ and these three fights would be the perfect recipe to unleash the Irishman’s brazen alter-ego.

Michael Chandler vs Justin Gaethje is the new no.1 contender’s fight

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There are few better ways to announce yourself to UFC fans around the world than with a first round knockout in the co-main event of a Conor McGregor card.

‘Iron’ Michael Chandler proved plenty of doubters wrong on Fight Island by knocking out top ranked fighter Dan Hooker in the first round at UFC 257 – leaving even Dana White impressed.

“When guys come into the UFC for the first time, they usually have a rough first time on the big stage,” White said afterwards. “He didn’t.

“He came out and it almost seemed like Hooker froze in that first round. Chandler was just all over him and put on an incredible performance.

“Listen, man, when you get the platform we had tonight, you make the most of it, and that kid did. Some people did tonight and some didn’t.”

Dustin Poirier almost recoiled at the thought of facing Chandler for the vacant title next, simply because he has only fought for less than one round in the UFC and, in Poirier’s eyes, has not yet earned a title shot.

Who better than to earn it against than one of the most violent and legitimate contenders in the division? Justin Gaethje has not fought since his defeat to Khabib in October and needs competition.

Whoever wins this fight would ultimately put themselves in an undeniable position at the top of the rankings and completely deserving of a title shot.

Chandler is a collegiate wrestler and has the potential to test his skills against Gaethje. However, both men love to stand and bang and carry extreme knockout power. This one may have to come with a parental guidance warning.