UFC London was a card that gave us answers to some important questions. We had two former champions fighting to keep their spot at the top of their respective divisions in Leon Edwards and Jan Blachowicz. We also had Kevin Holland making a comeback to the welterweight division after two uninspiring performances at middleweight. Let’s look at what should be next for the fighters that got their hands raised at the O2.
Sean Brady
UFC London was by far Brady’s most impressive performance so far. He, for the most part, completely shutout the number one ranked Edwards and became the first fighter to finish him. This was his coming out party.
As impressive as this showing was, I doubt it was enough for Brady to secure a title shot given the lay of the land at welterweight. Belal Muhammad is set to face Jack Della Maddalena in May with Shavkat Rakhmonov being next in line. And should Muhammad lose, Islam Makhachev may enter the picture as well. There are simply too many moving parts ahead of Brady to feel confident slotting him as the next title challenger.
Kamaru Usman and Ian Machado Garry would be fine options, but I like the idea of those two fighting each other. For that reason, I’d have Brady fighting Joaquin Buckley in a title eliminator.
Brady’s next fight: Joaquin Buckley
Carlos Ulberg
The 34-year-old Ulberg kept his winning streak alive at UFC London, pushing it to eight. He’s now tied for the second-longest active win streak among non-champions with Khamzat Chimaev, only behind Movsar Evloev (#9).
Not unlike Brady, this was the best scalp of Ulberg’s career, but it simply won’t be enough to secure a title shot. With Magomed Ankalaev and Alex Pereira clearly on a path towards a rematch in the second half of the year, there’s no question that Ulberg will have to fight again, if only for activity’s sake.
At this stage, a fight with Jiri Prochazka practically books itself. Sure, there is a fight between Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree Jr. that could produce a potential opponent, but both Hill and Rountree appear to be behind Prochazka in the picking order.
Ulberg’s next fight: Jiri Prochazka
Kevin Holland
Not that he had to worry about job security, but this was probably as close to a must win scenario as Holland has been in since initially dropping to welterweight in 2022. He had always looked like an improved version of himself when making the cut to 170 pounds that it was strange to see him move back up to middleweight and accept fights against stronger grapplers.
This time around, Holland looked less interested in putting on a show and having a laugh with his opponent and more focused on leaving London with a W. He was fighting a grappler once again, but he’s evidently tougher to deal with at welterweight than at the weight class above.
Holland said that for a fight at welterweight, he’d want to come back in July, but he wouldn’t be opposed to fighting a striker at middleweight anytime. Before accepting Roman Dolidze as a replacement last October, Holland was originally booked against Chris Curtis. After losing his last fight in January, Curtis hinted at potentially making the cut to 170 pounds himself. Curtis is a small middleweight who has never attempted a single takedown in the UFC. He perfectly fits the style of opponent that Holland is seeking. At 170 or at 185, Kevin Holland vs Chris Curtis should be re-booked.
Holland’s next fight: Chris Curtis
Alexia Thainara
After earning her UFC contract on the last season of the Contender Series, Alexia Thainara accepted her fight at UFC London on short notice, making her debut overseas. She got the first-round submission win against the crowd favourite Molly McCann, retiring her in the process.
Hopefully for Thainara, her second fight will be under more usual circumstances. Any unranked name at strawweight would be a fine option. I ultimately landed on Ariane Carnelossi, a veteran who should offer a little more resistance.
Thainara’s next fight: Ariane Carnelossi
Chris Duncan
Despite only closing as the betting favourite once, the Scot moved to 4-1 in the promotion at UFC London after getting his second consecutive guillotine finish. This was the third straight bout where Duncan came in as the underdog against a younger prospect. After passing his last two tests, he deserves a fight against someone on a similar trajectory as he is.
Lightweight is such a deep division that there is no shortage of fun options for Duncan, but I picked someone who not only shares his first name, but also got his hand raised on Saturday. Chris “Taco” Padilla joined the UFC last year and has won all three of his fights since. Let’s book them against each other and see which Chris can keep climbing the lightweight ladder.
Duncan’s next fight: Chris Padilla
Nathaniel Wood
Nathaniel Wood took a nearly two-year hiatus after losing to Casey Kenney in 2020. He came back as a featherweight and has gone 5-1 since, with the sole loss not without controversy. He thoroughly defeated another highly regarded player at 145 in Morgan Charrière. With this win, I think Wood has earned the chance at someone who is both known by the fans and closer to the rankings.
After a rough 2024, Billy Quarantillo needs to prove he still deserves to be in the mix in that tier of fighters hovering just outside the rankings. He got knocked out viciously by Cub Swanson in mid-December, so accounting for some much-needed time off, his timeline should theoretically align with Wood’s for a return in the second half of the summer.
Wood’s next fight: Billy Quarantillo
