UFC’s first trip to the City of Brotherly Love since Justin Gaethje knocked out Edson Barboza was headlined by two champions attempting to defend their newly acquired titles, with the number one pound-for-pound fighter at the top. The card featured standout finishes from Jalin Turner, Charles Johnson and Donte Johnson, as well as two sizeable upsets from Dustin Stoltzfus and Jeremiah Wells. With UFC 330 now in the books, let’s look at what’s next for the winners.
Islam Makhachev
Not every win can look as clean and pretty as that Alexander Volkanovski rematch; sometimes these elite-level wins are just hard miles that the true all-time greats manage to accrue. With this victory, Islam Makhachev not only surpassed Anderson Silva for the longest ever UFC win streak, but he accomplished something that the other double champs arguably haven’t done: defeat the true number one contender in their new division. Ian Machado Garry is a 28-year-old who had solidified his case as next in line, is tough to look against, and a 34-year-old Makhachev still got the job done.
As for what’s next, there are two viable contenders in Carlos Prates and Michael Morales. There is no wrong answer, but I went with Morales since he, in theory, poses a more interesting and physically imposing challenge for Islam.
Makhachev’s next fight: Michael Morales
Mackenzie Dern
Until she slowed down and ultimately punted that fifth round, Mackenzie Dern looked as good as she ever has, dominating ang shutting out Gillian Robertson for 20 of those 25 minutes. Some will still call Dern’s title a “paper belt” since she didn’t beat Zhang Weili for it, but until the Chinese legend actually announces an official comeback, the division will simply have to move on without her. That would mean that Tatiana Suarez should be next, which, after Virna Jandiroba and Robertson, should make for another interesting grappling test for Dern.
Dern’s next fight: Tatiana Suarez
Jalin Turner
A win over a geriatric Edson Barboza last December didn’t tell us much about where Jalin Turner was in his career, after a sudden retirement in March of 2025. Taking care of a hungry Kaue Fernandes who came in on a three-fight win streak does tell us a lot more about what we can expect from “The Tarantula” going forward. I wouldn’t be opposed to fiving Turner his shot to take back the ranked spot he once held, but instead went with Drew Dober, if only for the action potential.
Turner’s next fight: Drew Dober
Dustin Stoltzfus
Dustin Stoltzfus may have busted more than a few parlays, pulling off the upset against Mansur Abdul-Malik as a near five-to-one underdog. After surviving the usual early onslaught from Abdul-Malik, Stoltzfus weathered the storm, hurt Mansur and snatched a rear-naked choke. With this win, Stoltzfus keeps his spot as a viable litmus test for young middleweights. I’d like to see if Donte Johnson, who was also victorious on Saturday, can pass this test.
Stoltzfus’ next fight: Donte Johnson
Esteban Ribovics
I have nothing good to say about this kind of matchmaking from the UFC. Sending a 40-year-old Edson Barboza out there to speedrun some more CTE serves little to no purpose for this promotion. As for Ribovics, he gets to keep serve and hold his position as a TV-friendly fighter. Let’s give him a matchup that will produce similar levels of action, but how about we make it age-appropriate? Let’s give him Manuel Torres.
Ribovics’ next fight: Manuel Torres
