Gabriel Bonfim

After a successful first main event last November, the young Brazilian has now another one, this time against a former champion. While Belal Muhammad is clearly showing his age since winning the belt in July of 2024, a clean, 25-minute sweep on every judge’s scorecard is nothing to sneeze at.

With Ian Machado Garry seemingly set to face Islam Makhachev this summer and Carlos Prates most likely being next in line, guys like Michael Morales and Gabriel Bonfim cannot afford to sit on their laurels. I think a number one contender matchup between 26-year-old Morales and 28-year-old Bonfim, who have a combined 39-1 record would be one of the most exciting number one contender bouts we have had in a while.

Bonfim’s next fight: Michael Morales

Brendan Allen

Most people looked at this matchup wondering what its purpose was. In a fight where Brendan Allen seemingly has everything to lose and very little to gain, he managed to hold serve, winning a Fight of the Night bonus in the process. Though he won his third consecutive fight and was already inside the top5, unless an injury happens and the UFC needs him as a substitute, this win will not grant Allen a title opportunity. Caio Borralho, Joe Pyfer and Gregory Rodrigues are all names that could be thrown at Allen if need be, but I personally landed on Christian Leroy Duncan, should he defeat Jared Cannonier next month.

Allen’s next fight: Cannonier/Leroy Duncan winner

Tom Nolan

In what may have been the most interesting fight on the card aside from the main event, two streaking lightweights under 30 were meeting the feature bout. Despite Fares Ziam coming in with the longer win streak, it was Nolan who came out on top, nearly sweeping the Frenchman on every scorecard. With this win, the Aussie will crack the lightweight rankings and will officially be in the lion’s den. There are a few matchups that make sense, but the one that excites me the most is the winner the Baku main event going down later this month.

Nolan’s next fight: Fiziev/Torres winner

Bryce Mitchell

“Thugnasty” has now won both of his fights at bantamweight since making the move down. He defeated a known commodity in Said Nurmagomedov and has now taken the 0 of youngster Santiago Luna. This division is too deep to give Mitchell a ranked opponent yet as there are a lot of names more deserving of that opportunity. I think Kai Asakura or Charles Jourdain would be great matchups, but I really like the storyline with Aleksandre Topuria. Mitchell lost to Ilia at featherweight, but can he get his revenge on the Topuria family by beating Aleksandre?

Mitchell’s next fight: Aleksandre Topuria

Iwo Baraniewski

In just seven months, Iwo Baraniewski has not only won three fights, but he has made his brand identity very clear with the UFC fanbase. Another name who has proven to be all gas no brakes type of fighter is Abdul-Rahman Yakhyaev, who is favoured to beat Julius Walker later this month. Why not put those two together and see who comes out on top?

Baraniewski’s next fight: Yakhyaev/Walker winner

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Song Yadong

Song Yadong needed this win, perhaps more badly than most realize. He’s still just 28 years old, but he was given ample opportunities to break through against names like Cory Sandhagen, Petr Yan and most recently, Sean O’Malley, and he has fallen short every time. This was another main event, this time in his home country against an older veteran who was 1-3 in his last 4 outings coming into this bout. It was an important win, but it shouldn’t propel Song back into title contention; he needs to do more to earn yet another kick at the can. I think beating a younger, streaking up-and-comer like David Martinez would be much more restorative to his stock.

Song’s next fight: David Martinez

Alonzo Menifield

With this win, “Atomic” Menifield’s last three victories have come against then 25-year-old Julius Walker, then 29-year-old Oumar Sy and now 27-year-old Zhang Mingyang. While most people will look at this as an indictment on the light-heavyweight division, there is something to be said for Menifield being an undying litmus test for these guys. He’s proven to be the Neil Magny, Dan Ige, Angela Hill-type gatekeeper for the 205ers and that’s a very respectable role to have. There are some upcoming fights featuring light-heavyweight prospects, Iwo Baraniewski, Navajo Stirling, and Abdul-Rahman Yakhyaev. With a win, I think by far the most deserving of ranked opposition would be Navajo Stirling.

Menifield’s next fight: Stirling/Cutelaba winner

Sergei Pavlovich

My main takeaway from this fight is that it was fun to see the Pavlovich of old. Not since April of 2023 had we seen Pavlovich as his bulldozing self. After back-to-back losses to Tom Aspinall and Alexander Volkov, his confidence took a massive hit and he was fighting tentatively. However, not one person actually believed Tallison Teixeira was worthy of an opportunity like this one, so the fight had squash match written all over it and the result speaks for itself. This doesn’t really move Pavlovich forward; it more or less keeps him posted in the division’s top5. A highlight-reel like this may at least get him a shot against the loser of the White House co-main event.

Pavlovich’s next fight: Pereira/Gane loser

Kai Asakura

It took two losses, a division change and a significant drop in opposition level, but alas, there it is: Kai Asakura’s first UFC win. Cam Smotherman is a respectable, but far from elite opponent, so who’s to say what this win ultimately will do for the Japanese fighter. What I believe the UFC was aiming for, here, was to get Asakura a win to get his confidence back. When he’s fighting with his usual swagger, Asakura can be an incredibly exciting fighter. I think Charles Jourdain is the perfect name to throw at him. He’s still unranked, but it’s a clear step up in competition from Smotherman and would immediately become of the coolest, most acrobatic fights on the UFC calendar.

Asakura’s next fight: Charles Jourdain

Jake Matthews

This was Matthews’ first fight since his collapse against Neil Magny last September. While he successfully rebounded, I am not convinced that this performance against Carlston Harris was enough to take away the bitter taste from that last loss. Facing and defeating someone like Nicolas Dalby might provide the redemption Matthews is looking for since the Danish fighter has a similar grinding style to Magny.

Matthews’s next fight: Nicolas Dalby

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Arnold Allen

Arnold Allen is a very skillful fighter that has been on the cusp of a title shot on more than one occasion, but untimely losses to names like Max Holloway, Movsar Evloev and Jean Silva has prevented him from getting that shot. A near sweep on all three judges’ scorecard against a red hot Melquizael Costa is the type of win that Allen needed to get back on track and keep his spot in the division’s top 10. I think a fight against fellow Englishman Lerone Murphy is a perfect headliner for a Fight Night card in the UFC. The timing can’t work better than that; run it.

Allen’s next fight: Lerone Murphy

Doo Ho Choi

Despite a 17-month hiatus, “The Korean Superboy” came kept his winning ways going against Daniel Santos to get his first three-fight win streak since coming into the UFC. He survived the expected onslaught from “Willycat” in the first round and then proceeded to melt the Brazilian in the following frame, finishing him off with a nasty body shot that folded him in half. The now 35-year-old has earned a shot at a ranked opponent, and I think a matchup with veteran Patricio Pitbull would be a lot of fun for the fans.

Choi’s next fight: Patricio Pitbull

Juan Diaz

Malcolm Wellmaker is not an easy assignment for someone making his debut, but Diaz passed the test with flying colours. After committing a foul at the end of Round 1, Diaz kept pressuring Wellmaker, finally submitting via rear-naked choke him in the second round. You could realistically throw any name at Diaz, but I’d be curious to see how he would deal with a grappler like SuYoung You, who was on a nice win streak before suffering his first UFC loss to Elijah Smith in March.

Diaz’s next fight: SuYoung You

Modestas Bukauskas

As pedestrian a split decision as it may have been, getting back in the win column was the priority for Modestas Bukauskas, who had seen his four-fight win streak snapped by Nikita Krylov back in January. A fight with Ivan Erslan, who was also victorious on this card would make sense, considering where both fighters are currently positioned in the division.

Bukauskas’ next fight: Ivan Erslan

Bernardo Sopaj

After suffering a brutal highlight-reel loss at the hands of Vinicius Oliveira in his promotional debut, “The Lion King” has now won back-to-back fights. He dominated Timmy Cuamba on his way to a second-round finish. In the current tier he’s in, there is a ton of names that the UFC could throw at Sopaj, but I landed on Hecher Sosa who was successful in his debut earlier this year.

Sopaj’s next fight: Hecher Sosa

Khaos Williams

Khaos Williams was in bad need of a win, coming off consecutive losses that made him look particularly bad. This first-round KO was just what the doctor ordered. The best way to matchmake for Khaos is to simply put him up against someone who will be willing to stand and bang with him. Carlos Leal seemed like a good candidate, but I ultimately went with Oban Elliott, who will throw down with anyone.

Williams’ next fight: Oban Elliott

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Joshua Van kept his title at flyweight with an impressive outing against Tatsuro Taira. But none of these compare to what we saw in the main event, which can only be described as the early favourite for upset of the year. With UFC 328 now in the books, let’s look at what’s next for the winners.

Sean Strickland

Despite having one of the most unorthodox styles the sport has ever seen, Sean Strickland has overcome two title losses on his road to get it back from the man who was best described as the boogeyman. Don’t look now, but Strickland has taken the belt from Israel Adesanya and Khamzat Chimaev, which is likely a Hall of Fame worthy achievement. This is nothing short of a monumental win for Strickland. You can’t help but feel bad for Nassourdine Imavov since the split nature of the decision will probably lead us to a much anticipated rematch.

Strickland’s next fight: Khamzat Chimaev

Joshua Van

Joshua Van is officially the winner of the first ever UFC title fight between two fighters born in the 21st century. He had to overcome Tatsuro Taira’s elite grappling, but his melting style eventually still came through and the abuse for too much for the Japanese warrior. While this still won’t convince people he defeated Alexandre Pantoja, this at least legitimizes Van’s title a little bit. Hopefully, Pantoja’s injury recovery is going well enough that the next flyweight title fight is a rematch between Van and Pantoja.

Van’s next fight: Alexandre Pantoja

Alexander Volkov

Alexander Volkov has to be on the unluckiest run of any top3 contender in the UFC. He’s 6-1 in his last 7 fights, and most people believe he’s actually 7-0. Despite turning away yet another younger contender who had real momentum behind him, I highly doubt this win will grant Volkov his much-deserved title shot. Tom Aspinall will have to face the winner of the upcoming interim title fight, which means we probably won’t have an undisputed heavyweight champion ready to defend his belt against Volkov until at least early 2027. To add to that, would anybody be shocked if Josh Hokit, with a big finish against Derrick Lewis at the White House, overtakes Volkov as the number one contender? For as unfair as it is, Volkov will surely need another win. At the very least, the heavyweight division will keep throwing options at Volkov and the winner of the Rizvan Kuniev and Tyrell Fortune fight is one that makes sense.

Volkov’s next fight: Kuniev/Fortune winner

Sean Brady

Sean Brady was in bad need of a bounce back performance, and he delivered. A dominant showing against a fellow to10 contender in Joaquin Buckley and all of a sudden, Brady seems to be back on track. Because of the title picture is clogged with names like Ian Machado Garry, Carlos Prates and Michael Morales, I wouldn’t book Brady with someone up the rankings just yet, as it would simply clog it even more. Instead, I would look at a streaking contender who deserves a shot at someone in Brady’s position, any of the names ranked from 11 to 15 would make sense, but Mike Malott is the name with the best case to get a matchup like this.

Brady’s next fight: Mike Malott

King Green

When Mauricio Ruffy sent King Green to the shadow realm, it looked it might be the end for King Green in the UFC. Fast forward a year, and now Green is on a three-fight win streak, coming off back-to-back dominant performances punctuated by finishes. Until they book this fight, I will keep recommending it: King Green vs Michael Johnson. This fight sounds like too much fun to keep passing over.

Green’s next fight: Michael Johnson

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Carlos Prates

We already knew how potent Prates’ offense was, but we didn’t know it was this dangerous against the top of the welterweight division. It took someone with elite defense like Ian Machado Garry to stifle him, and even the Irishman got a taste of the “The Nightmare” in the final frame of their bout. The Brazilian completely steamrolled Jack Della Maddalen en route to a 3^rd-round mercy stoppage from the referee. In most cases, this would make Prates the next title contender, but it would be a bit ridiculous to make him the next challenger considering his loss to Machado Garry. One thing is sure, though, his next fight should be for the welterweight title.

Prates’ next fight: Title shot

Quillan Salkilld

Not to take away from young Sakilld’s first-round finish, but it’s difficult to know exactly what we learned from this victory since it appears that Beneil Dariush’s punch resistance is completely gone, which means Salkilld was always going to win if he could connect just one punch on Dariush. What we do know is that this win will push the Australian inside the lightweight rankings, where he will be surrounded by sharks. Nobody seems to want to fight Mateusz Gamrot as he is a very unenviable opponent for several reasons. If Salkilld is game for it, I don’t see why the UFC wouldn’t make this fight next.

Salkilld’s next fight: Mateusz Gamrot

Steve Erceg

After dropping three fights in a row, “Astroboy” now finds himself on a win streak. An encouraging sign, as this win over Tim Elliott was more convincing than the previous one against Ode’ Osbourne. After fighting three killers in Alexandre Pantoja, Kai Kara-France and Brandon Moreno consecutively, going back to the Ode’ Osbournes and Tim Elliotts of the world was the right call. Having now won both of those fights, I think Erceg can start to look up the rankings once more. Someone like Amir Albazi makes a ton of sense, considering where both fighters are at.

Erceg’s next fight: Amir Albazi

Marwan Rahiki

Rahiki offered himself an early birthday gift as he scored his second UFC win before turning 24 next week. He made quick short of Ollie Schmid, who came in on very short notice. At such a young age, there is no reason the UFC should rush Rahiki up the featherweight ladder. Let him keep sharpening up his skills for next couple of fights before thinking of a big increase in competition. A reasonable increase in competition would be a name like John Yannis, who is 1-1 in the promotion, but coming off a 1^st-round KO victory just two weeks ago.

Rahiki’s next fight: John Yannis

Brando Pericic

A 31-year-old heavyweight who is now 3-0 with three finishes will enter the top15. Pericic has proven to be a bright spot in a division that has very few of them. Unfortuantely, if you want to climb the heavyweight ladder as an exciting puncher, you’re going to need to get passed some less than favourable matchups in terms of fan-friendly action. Someone like Tyrell Fortune would test Pericic in ways he hasn’t been, thus far, while also providing a potential launchpad to the top10.

Pericic’s next fight: Tyrell Fortune

Louie Sutherland

Nice of Louie Sutherland to get his first victory in the UFC, but what can you say about Tai Tuivasa, at this point? This isn’t Curtis Blaydes and Josh Hokit; this is the version of heavyweight that fans are hoping gets filtered out. In the meantime, give Sutherland anyone who’s willing to stand and bang with him. Someone like Steven Asplund, who nearly beat Vitor Petrino his last time out, should be a fine option.

Sutherland’s next fight: Steven Asplund

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With UFC Vegas 116 now in the books, let’s look at what’s next for the winners.

Aljamain Sterling

Aljamain Sterling gave Youssef Zalal a “welcome to the big leagues” moment as he muscled the overmatched Moroccan around for most of the 25 minutes in the UFC Vegas 116 main event. While Sterling is now on a win streak, it’s nearly impossible to see him earn a title shot off of this performance. Not only does he have a loss to current number one contender Movsar Evloev, but the UFC has not shown a real interest in being in the Aljamain Sterling business in a long time. For that reason, I believe he’ll draw another tough matchup against another younger, up-and-coming featherweight contender like Aaron Pico.

Sterling’s next fight: Aaron Pico

Joselyne Edwards

After coming into the promotion at just 25 years old and starting her UFC career 1-2, the now 30-year-old Joselyne Edwards now finds herself on a 5-fight win streak, having just beaten s streaking Norma Dumont. Edwards’ game really appears to be coming together nicely. She came into this fight riding a four-fight finishing streak. Who knows how the title picture will look at bantamweight with the Kayle Harrison and Amanda Nunes matchup not even rescheduled yet, but Edwards has now earned herself a title shot.

Edwards’ next fight: Title shot

Rafa Garcia

The Mexican has had won consecutive bouts twice in the UFC, but with Saturday’s win, he now has his first three-fight win streak. The lightweight division is a shark tank even for the unranked, which is why Garcia isn’t out of the woods yet. There are multiple names the UFC could throw at him, but I landed on Mason Jones, who is also on a three-fight heater since joining the UFC again.

Garcia’s next fight: Mason Jones

Davey Grant

Even at 40 years of age, Davey Grant proves to still be a real tough out for anyone. This time around he defeated Adrian Luna Martinetti, who was one half of last year’s Fight of the Year contender with Mark Vologdin. Any unranked bantamweight could be thrown at Grant and it would make sense, but an option that I am particularly fond of is Serhiy Sidey. Grant would serve as a good test for the 29-year-old Canadian, but I also have no doubt that Sidey would make sure to pull his weight to contribute to the action quotient in that clash.

Grant’s next fight: Serhiy Sidey

Raoni Barcelos

Not too long ago, Barcelos was on a 1-4 stretch and looking old. He’s now on a five-fight win streak and the undying Brazilian will somehow enter the rankings at 38 years old.

It might sound like a strange matchmaking idea, but I really like the idea of a Payton Talbott rematch. If you look at it from the UFC’s perspective, they will want to invest in the young Talbott, who seems to have real star potential. There’s a promotional angle to be able to market Talbott as someone who has defeated everybody he’s faced. Talbott may no longer be undefeated, but the Barcelos loss is still one he can get back. And despite the bad nature of that loss, at the rate he seems to improve, I believe Talbott would be favoured in a rematch.

Barcelos’ next fight: Payton Talbott

Ryan Spann

With this win, Ryan Spann finds himself on his first win streak in almost four years. He’s been around for so long that it can be easy to forget he’s only 34 years old, which is quite young at heavyweight. The heavyweight division being in its current state means this KO win is probably enough to give Spann a ranked opponent. I think a fight with Marcin Tybura, Mick Parkin or the winner of next week’s Shamil Gaziev vs Brando Pericic bout all make sense. I went with the Englishman.

Spann’s next fight: Mick Parkin

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Overall, Canadian fighters went 4-5 on the night, with Jasmine Jasudavicius and Melissa Croden also getting wins. Marcio Barbosa and Gokhan Saricam also scored impressive knockout wins in their promotional debuts. With UFC Winnipeg now in the books, let’s look at what’s next for our winners.

Mike Malott

While it was true that Gilbert Burns came into this fight having lost four consecutive bouts, those losses came against Belal Muhammad, Jack Della Maddalena, Sean Brady and Michael Morales. No shame losing to these guys as all four of these names are either former champions or top 5 contenders. Time will tell if Mike Malott is of that ilk, but for now, we can add him to the list of names to have defeated Durinho. There are a lot of interesting matchups for Malott at welterweight, but in my opinion, the winner of the upcoming Sean Brady vs Joaquin Buckley fight is the best option on the table for the Canadian.

Malott’s next fight: Brady/Buckley winner

Charles Jourdain

It wasn’t easy, but Charles Jourdain came out in the right side of his Fight of the Night with Kyler Phillips, earning a third consecutive victory. Jourdain has always been a fan favourite because of his personality and action-oriented fight style, but he really seems to be coming into his own at 30 years old. Undefeated since coming down to 135lbs, he should keep steadily climbing up the bantamweight ladder. For that reason, fighting the winner of Saturday’s Montel Jackson vs Raoni Barcelos bout would make a ton of sense.

Jourdain’s next fight: Jackson/Barcelos winner

Jai Herbert

Jai Herbert proved once again that if you do not mind your Ps and Qs, he is going to get you. “Rat Garbage” is a fan favourite, but he wasn’t careful enough and the Englishman caught him. Herbert will always be a good measuring stick to throw against anyone at lightweight. I think he’d be a good test for Gauge Young, who was also victorious on Saturday.

Herbert’s next fight: Gauge Young

Jasmine Jasudavicius

Jasmine Jasudavicius successfully bounced back from her bad loss to Manon Fiorot, not letting the knockout turn into a losing streak. She outworked a limited, but tough Karine Silva en route to a unanimous decision victory. From Alexa Grasso and Erin Blanchfield to Rose Namajunas, Casey O’Neill and Wang Cong, there isn’t a shortage of names to throw at Jasmine, I just happen to prefer other matchups that don’t involve her. Once Maycee Barber is cleared to get back inside the octagon, I believe a fight between those makes the most sense.

Jasudavicius’ next fight: Maycee Barber

Gauge Young

Thiago Moises has always been a tricky fighter for anyone at 155lbs, so for Gauge Young to manage to beat him at just 25 is a promising sign. Despite getting his hand raised, Young also showed that he’s still green in some aspects of his game. I would look to give an opponent of similar calibre before having him climb up the ranks. I’d like to see him try to solve someone like Jai Herbert, who poses some fairly unique problems at lightweight with his length and off beat striking style.

Young’s next fight: Jai Herbert

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Carlos Ulberg

What a clutch win by the Kiwi. With an obvious injury to his right leg, it looked like a Jiri Prochazka victory was a formality. Ulberg probably wouldn’t have been cleared by his corner or the doctor for a second round, so he had to take care of Prochazka in this opening round, with a compromised leg. And that’s exactly what he did. He landed his favourite shot, a clean left hook, and put Jiri out cold.

As for what’s next for the newly crowned champion, anything is on the table. The top contenders are all coming off losses, so maybe Paulo Costa’s win over Murzakanov will be enough to sneak into a title fight. Should Alex Pereira be unsuccessful in his bid at heavyweight and look to come back down, an immediate title shot would certainly be in the cards. And who knows how long Ulberg’s recovery from his leg injury will take? Maybe by the time he’s ready to come back a clear number one contender will have emerged. If Bogdan Guskov puts out Jan Blachowicz in highlight reel fashion, he might steal the number one slot. For now, though, it’s difficult to find someone with a better case than Paulo Costa.

Ulberg’s next fight: Paulo Costa

Paulo Costa

Despite barely holding on to a ranking at middleweight, the Brazilian knocked out the undefeated, top10-ranked Azamat Murzakanov in the third round. Light-heavyweight being the state that it is, who knows what could be next for “The Eraser”. I love the idea of Costa facing off with Jiri Prochazka, but Jiri should look to take some time off after getting brutally put out by Ulberg. With Magomed Ankalaev, Khalil Rountree Jr., Jamahal Hill and the aforementioned Prochazka all coming off losses, Costa may just currently have the best case for a title shot, as wild as that sounds.

Costa’s next fight: Carlos Ulberg

Josh Hokit

Usually we hear that the UFC “doesn’t make fights the night of,” but Josh Hokit’s brawl with Curtis Blaydes was too good not to stick him on the White House card right away. Time will tell if fighting Derrick Lewis barely two months after taking over one hundred strikes from Curtis Blaydes will pay off, but for now, there’s no matchmaking needed for me to make on my end.

Hokit’s next fight: Derrick Lewis

Dominick Reyes

Dominick Reyes may have gotten back in the win column, but we can’t pretend he did it in impressive fashion. Johnny Walker has been quite a vulnerable target for any decent puncher at 205 pounds, but Reyes still put on a pretty anemic performance and did just enough to get away with a split decision. He doesn’t deserve a big fight after a performance like this, so I think the loser of the upcoming Blachowicz/Guskov rematch makes sense.

Reyes’ next fight: Blachowicz/Guskov 2 loser

Cub Swanson

Getting back-to-back knockouts like the ones Swanson got against Billy Quarantillo and now Nate Landwehr, Killer Cub clearly still has it. But 42 years of age is a good time to call it a career and props to Cub, the last remaining WEC alumni, for going out on a high note like this one. Happy retirement Cub!

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Renato Moicano

It was nice to see Moicano bounce back from his back-to-back losses from last year. He was on a hot streak before running into Islam Makhachev and dropping the ball against Beneil Dariush. A win here doesn’t propel him back to the front of the line, but it does put him back on track. I wouldn’t be against booking the Paddy Pimblett fight, which seemed to be next when Moicano defeated Benoit Saint Denis back in 2024. For now, I think rebooking the Brian Ortega rematch is the right call.

Moicano’s next fight: Brian Ortega

Virna Jandiroba

It will be difficult for Jandiroba to fight her back into title contention, but if she was to do it, it had to start with a win on Saturday. Knowing Loopy Godinez has already lost to Mackenzie Dern, I’m doubtful that she would get the next shot even with a win at UFC 327. So if Godinez is victorious next Saturday, I believe she will have to face Jandiroba next. If Tatiana Suarez gets her hand raised, I think she will earn her shot, meaning Jandiroba will most likely face Gillian Robertson in the meantime. I think the Brazilian’s next bout will be determined by the result of the upcoming Suarez/Godinez bout.

Jandiroba’s next fight: Loopy Godinez (if victorious at UFC 327) or Gillian Robertson

Abdul-Rahman Yakhyaev

Judging by the way he fights, the 25-year-old light-heavyweight clearly understands that he isn’t paid by the hour. At this age, Yakhyaev should be focused on getting as many reps in the octagon as he can so as to sharpen his skills before having the face the top of the division. With his fighting style, he’s in and out so quickly that he doesn’t absorb a lot of damage, which should allow him to jump back into the cage fairly quickly. I think the promotion should look to keep sending him fighters who create car crashes to test Yakhyaev’s ability to work his way through them. Someone like Ibo Aslan perfectly fits that description.

Yakhyaev’s next fight: Ibo Aslan

Ethyn Ewing

After upsetting the highly touted Malcolm Wellmaker on short notice at Madison Square Garden, Ethyn Ewing has now taken the ‘0’ off Rafael Estevam. Ewing has gone from unknown prospect to hyped contender in just two UFC outings. I think the promotion should try and make the most out of the momentum he has garnered in just five and a half months. Giving him someone like Bryce Mitchell not only keeps testing Ewing’s skills, but also gives him the opportunity to beat a known name.

Ewing’s next fight: Bryce Mitchell

Tommy McMillen

Who’s to say what Tommy McMillen’s true ceiling is? But for now, the young American seems to fit the action-oriented approach that the promotion has clearly been favoring in this new Paramount era. The UFC should try to find fighters who will indulge McMillen in his firefight type of style without being too challenging. There are a few names like this at featherweight, I settled on John Yannis.

McMillen’s next fight: John Yannis

Jose Delano

Jose Delano had a fairly impressive showing in his promotional debut, outstriking the former two-time KSW champion Robert Ruchala 107 to 67. He landed 62% of his strikes, while limiting Ruchala to just 33% striking accuracy. Any name could be thrown at Delano, but I think the returnee Kai Kamaka III, who was victorious in the card’s opening bout, who make for a fun scrap.

Delano’s next fight: Kai Kamaka III

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Joe Pyfer

Some will argue about the value of Pyfer’s win on Saturday, considering how diminished Israel Adesanya has kept looking every time out for the past two and a half years. But Pyfer was tasked with beating the man in front of him and he did just that. He may not look like a title contender right now, but he has steadily shown some signs of improvements and at this stage of his career, there is no reason to think he’s a finished product.

With the title picture looking like it currently does, I wouldn’t book Pyfer with the top 3 just yet (although a fight with Dricus Du Plessis does sound like a blast). I would instead look at someone like Caio Borralho. Both Pyfer and Borralho sound like they would be good measuring sticks for one another, right now. And with Nassourdine Imavov clearly being the most deserving contender, there’s no reason to rush either of them against the winner of the UFC 328 main event.

Pyfer’s next fight: Caio Borralho

Alexa Grasso

The former champion was in such bad need of any win that I think she would’ve taken a closely contested split decision if that’s what was presented to her. However, there’s was no need for any of those hypotheticals as she put Maycee Barber out cold in a way that I can’t quite recall a flyweight doing since Valentina Shevchenko head kicked Jessica Eye into oblivion. Statement needed, statement made.

Despite being around for a long time, Grasso still has a couple fresh faces to fight at the top of the division. Erin Blanchfield would be a great opponent, but I prefer the idea of Blanchfield against the other flyweight who had a fantastic first round KO victory on this card. I’d like to see the striking matchup between Grasso’s boxing and Manon Fiorot’s kickboxing. Fiorot still needs to do more work to get back in a title shot, so a former champion like Grasso makes a ton of sense as her next opponent.

Grasso’s next fight: Manon Fiorot

Michael Chiesa

Too often, a four-fight win streak would give a fighter the illusion that they should stick around for another run. Calling it a career in Seattle was the right move. Happy retirement, Maverick!

Lerryan Douglas

The ”Gunslinger” is not just a super cool nickname, it also turns out to be a very accurate one for Lerryan Douglas. Defense has never been a staple of Julian Erosa’s game, but not everyone has been skilled enough to make him pay for it. Of Melquizael Costa a six-fight heater, four have come by finish, yet Erosa went the distance with him. Douglas made short of ”Juicy J”, getting him out of there in just 3 minutes and 33 seconds. Douglas already deserves a step up in competition. A more skilled version of Erosa would be Andre Fili, who has proven to be beatable while being a tough out for anyone.

Douglas’ next fight: Andre Fili

Yousri Belgaroui

Belgaroui has come a long way from failing to earn a contract on the Contender Series twice. Since then, he has won by knockout in back-to-back fights as a betting underdog against young up-and-comers who had momentum behind them. This was probably his best MMA performance yet. At 33 years of age, I’d be in favour of pushing Belgaroui up the food chain a bit quicker than usual. For that reason, I would book him against Roman Dolidze next.

Belgaroui’s next fight: Roman Dolidze

Terrance McKinney

The Evel Knievel of MMA as Luke Thomas calls him, had a vintage performance as he dismantled Kyle Nelson in just 24 seconds. We are most likely passed the days of thinking McKinney will evolve into a top10 lightweight contender. Since he’s not the one the UFC is testing, they can use him as a way to test other fighters. With T-Wrecks, it’s not complicated; you either survive the storm, or you don’t. Kyle Nelson couldn’t, so now McKinney moves on to another test. I think a fight with Manoel Sousa would be perfect to test the Brazilian, but would also make for maximum chaos, which is the best way to use a fighter like T-Wrecks.

McKinney’s next fight: Manoel Sousa

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