Dricus Du Plessis

The former champion held his spot near the top of the division by winning a unanimous decision over welterweight great Kamaru Usman. Though the name value in Usman is still good, going the distance with a 39-year-old Usman who has been known to have bad knees for some years is not the accomplishment it is on paper. It certainly shouldn’t be enough to leapfrog Nassourdine Imavov in the title picture, even with two wins over the current champion. I am not saying Du Plessis is three or four fights away from a title shot, he’s probably one good finish away from getting back in there, but he still needs to earn said good finish. If Gregory Rodrigues defeats Anthony Hernandez next month, the car crash that “Stillknocks” and “RoboCop” would create could result in a Fight of the Year contender, and that is an opportunity I am not willing to pass on.

Du Plessis’ next fight: Hernandez/Rodrigues winner

Christian Leroy Duncan

Though he didn’t get a finish, CLD won a clean unanimous decision over a staple of the middleweight top 10 in Jared Cannonier to keep his momentum going. With this win, the Englishman now puts himself with the Gregory Rodrigues’ and the Joe Pyfers as the next crop of 185ers looking to take out the established names. With “RoboCop” already having a fight booked, CLD can look at names such as Caio Borralho, the winner of the Sacremento co-main or even Dricus Du Plessis. However, the one I landed on is Brendan Allen, who unfortunately still seems to be in no man’s land despite a big upset win over Reinier de Ridder last October.

Leroy Duncan’s next fight: Brendan Allen

Chase Hooper

After seeing his five-fight win streak get snapped by knockout against the then fellow streaking Alexander Hernandez last summer, Chase Hooper failed to bounce back against Lance Gibson Jr. this past March. The UFC then opted to give Hooper what can only be described as a “gimme” fight against Mitch Ramirez who was winless in the UFC and on DWCS, getting KO’d in every bout. Hooper, as expected, made short work of Ramirez, and while the win was meant to get him some confidence back, the weight miss still wasn’t a good look for the 26-year-old. For that reason, I’d look to give Hooper another “gimme” before steadily increasing the level of competition again. There are multiple candidates for a fight like this, but someone like Anshul Jubli should do.

Hooper’s next fight: Anshul Jubli

Fatima Kline

Filling in on short notice up a division against a top 10 flyweight in Jasmine Jasudavicius, who is big for that weight class and in the middle of the best win streak of her career, was always going to be a tough debut for anyone. But since then, Fatima Kline has done nothing but win. This latest win against Tabatha Ricci will propel her into the strawweight top 10 and will provide her with a great opportunity to insert herself into the title conversation. With Tatiana Suarez and Zhang Weili still around, Kline will surely be in need of another win before truly asserting herself as the next challenger. I think facing the loser of the upcoming title fight in Philadelphia is exactly the kind of fight she needs next.

Kline’s next fight: Dern/Robertson loser

Tommy McMillen

Tommy McMillen earned his second UFC victory in as many fights. His loud personality combined with his fan-friendly style will surely put him in the promotion’s good graces. He asked to be on the Noche UFC card in Arizona in September and I don’t see why the UFC wouldn’t acquiesce to that demand. Why not have him fight another featherweight who will be willing to throw down and put on a show? Someone like Fernando Padilla, who happens to be Mexican, would be a good dancer partner for McMillen.

McMillen’s next fight: Fernando Padilla

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As anticlimactic as the main event was, the card still had some standout moments. Paddy Pimblett notched an impressively quick finish of Benoit Saint Denis, Brandon Royval and Lone’er Kavanagh put on an absolute show and the seemingly unkillable King Green score a last-second first-round comeback win against Terrance McKinney. With UFC 329 now behind us, let’s look at what’s next for the winners.

Max Holloway

Since there’s barely any information we can take from this result, Max Holloway unfortunately finds himself in pretty much the exact same situation he was in after the Charles Oliveira loss in March. We should therefore think of his next fight in the same way as we would have if Conor McGregor has not been part of this equation. Holloway would still be a top5 lightweight coming off a loss needing to hold his spot against an up-and-comer. That is why I think the striking matchup with rising contender Mauricio Ruffy is utterly fascinating and guaranteed fireworks.

Holloway’s next fight: Mauricio Ruffy

Paddy Pimblett

After taking his first UFC loss back in January against now undisputed champion Justin Gaethje, Paddy Pimbett bounced right back, making very short work of Benoit Saint Denis. A failed takedown attempt by Saint Denis resulted in Pimblett immediately attacking the neck and putting the Frenchman to sleep with a nasty guillotine choke. Already a fan favourite, options are not lacking for Pimblett. I could see him face Charles Oliveira for the BMF title just as much as I could see him being Ilia Topuria’s comeback fight. I prefer the Topuria fight, because it’s genuinely rare nowadays to have real bad blood in a high stakes bout. Additionally, Topuria’s recovery will take some time, but Pimblett’s never been the most active fighter anyways, so I think he’d be willing to wait for Ilia.

Pimblett’s next fight: Ilia Topuria

Mario Bautista

After running through Vinicius Oliveira in February, Mario Bautista asked for a rematch with Cory Sandhagen and saw his wish granted by the UFC. He made the most out of this opportunity by winning a decision and avenging the loss. A leg lock at the tail end of the first round compromised Sandhagen’s left leg for the remainder of the fight. A knockdown to start round 3 followed by multiple mat returns made the result a clear one.

If Merab Dvalishvili gets his trilogy with Yan, then Bautista should fight David Martinez or Song Yadong, should he beat Umar Nurmagomedov in Shanghai. If Sean O’Malley gets the shot, then Bautista should instead face Merab. My hunch currently being that Merab will get the next shot, I will go with David Martinez.

Bautista’s next fight: David Martinez

Brandon Royval

The self-proclaimed Master of Chaos once again proved why he is worthy of that nickname as he stood toe-to-toe with the hard-hitting Lone’er Kavanagh and left the octagon with his hand raised. It wasn’t without adversity, but Royval managed to outlast the highly touted Englishman to get back in the win column after losing his previous two bouts. Having already gotten a title shot and having recently lost to both the current champion and the number one contender, it will be exceedingly difficult for Royval to get back into title contention. For that reason, I think the promotion will keep booking him against fighters ranked lower than him. I think the winner of the upcoming Steve Erceg vs Ramazan Temirov bout is the most likely next fight for Royval.

Royval’s next fight: Erceg/Temirov winner

King Green

We’re midway through 2026 and King Green somehow finds himself on a four-fight win streak. This win was a testament to Green’s resilience and overall veteran savviness. He had to overcome the onslaught of first-round Terrance McKinney, but once he found an opening, he immediately took advantage of it. As for what’s next, there’s a fight that has never happened that I will keep asking for until it gets booked: King Green vs Michael Johnson.

Green’s next fight: Michael Johnson

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Rafael Fiziev

A rough patch would be an understatement for how it’s gone lately for Rafael Fiziev. He came into the UFC Baku main event 1-4 in his last 5. While the losses to Justin Gaethje have aged fine and the loss to Mateusz Gamrot is barely considered a loss at all, there were doubts about “Ataman” coming into this fight due to how much of a psychological toll tasting victory just once in the last 3 years would take. The win against Ignacio Bahamondes was nice, but the following loss to Mauricio Ruffy seemingly had fans ready to put a nail in Fiziev’s coffin.

A highlight reel KO against a dangerous youngster like Manuel Torres was exactly what he needed to rejuvenate the fan excitement. He called for a BMF title fight, and while I don’t blame him for shooting his shot, I think a fight with Dan Hooker would be a perfect preamble, with the winner getting to fight the aforementioned BMF belt. After getting beat up on the ground against Arman Tsarukyan and Benoit Saint Denis, Hooker needs an opponent who will accept his stand-and-bang terms. Fiziev also needs another win before calling out the top5 of the division. This matchup almost books itself.

Fiziev’s next fight: Dan Hooker

Shara Magomedov

Yes, Shara Bullet did get his hand raised on Saturday, but there’s an argument to be made that this fight hurt Shara’s stock more than anything. From the lack of action to the multiple fouls and the overall closeness of the result against someone who’s proven to be very beatable, this wasn’t the best look for the Russian. For a few fights now, I think there’s been a recalibration of the expectations for what “Bullet” can become. With a convincing win, I was going to book Shara against Edmen Shahbazyan as I thought that would be a good step in competition. Seeing how this fight played out, I would still favour a slow progression and go with someone like Brunno Ferreira, who will bring the fight to Shara and make it fun.

Magomedov’s next fight: Brunno Ferreira

Matheus Camilo

After getting upset in his debut against journeyman Gabe Green, Matheus Camilo has now won his next two fights since coming down to his natural weight class. Pulling off the upset KO against the more known Nazim Sadykhov in enemy territory should force us the reconsider the expectations for what Camilo could be. I think a fight with another fighter who debuted at welterweight, but has done well since coming down to lightweight in Evan Elder makes sense for both fighters.

Camilo’s next fight: Evan Elder

Asu Almabayev

With this win, Asu Almabayev earned himself a second consecutive win via finish against a ranked flyweight. He now moves to 7-1 in the promotion, with the sole loss coming against the current number one contender Manel Kape. This latest win coming via an extremely rare suloev stretch, the Kazakh clearly deserves a big fight. It’s a good thing for him that there are a lot of options at his disposal. Kyoji Huriguchi and the winner of the Royval/Kavanagh fight would both be great options, but I prefer the Tatsuro Taira fight.

Almabayev’s next fight: Tatsuro Taira

Ikram Aliskerov

Ikram Aliskerov came into the UFC with a fair bit of hype for being Khamzat Chimaev’s biggest pre-UFC test. Then came the Robert Whittaker loss, which was quite devastating, but also served as a reminder of who “The Reaper” is. Aliskerov has been slowly but surely rebuilding since and now finds himself on a three-fight win streak. A fight with Nursulton Ruziboev, who also earned a third consecutive victory in this card, to see who gets a spot in the rankings would make a lot of sense.

Aliskerov’s next fight: Nursulton Ruziboev

Abus Magomedov

While it’s been an up and down affair for Abus Magomedov in the UFC, the caliber of fighters who have beaten him is quite high. Champion Sean Strickland and top10 middleweights Caio Borralho and Joe Pyfer are the only ones with a win against Abus. This certainly puts a ceiling on what we can expect Magomedov to accomplish, but a win against the streaking Michal Oleksiejczuk also proves that he will be a tough out for anyone who’s not cut out for the top10. As for what’s next, I’d like to see how Abus would deal with someone with the durability of Kelvin Gastelum.

Magomedov’s next fight: Kelvin Gastelum

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Manel Kape

With this third-round TKO win, “Starboy” avenged a loss from 2017 against Kyoji Horiguchi. By losing the fight up until he wasn’t, Kape reminded everyone that the danger factor is always present when he’s in the cage. This is Kape’s fourth consecutive knockout win against ranked opponents. Even if Alexandre Pantoja is ready to come back and rematches Joshua Van, there should be no doubt about who the backup should be and who should get the next shot: it’s Manel Kape.

Kape’s next fight: Title shot

Navajo Stirling

While the betting odds seemed a bit wide, Navajo Stirling did pass what certainly was his toughest UFC test, thus far. After going to the judges’ scorecards in his first three fights, Stirling has now earned finishes in his last two. I think the sensible increase in competition would bring Stirling to a matchup with veteran Alonzo Menifield. Julius Walker, Oumar Sy and Zhang Mingyang couldn’t pass the Menifield test, let’s see if Stirling can.

Stirling’s next fight: Alonzo Menifield

Christian Rodriguez

After back-to-back losses, a head kick into a nasty guillotine choke that puts Hyder Amil out cold was just what the doctor ordered. Though he’s still quite young, the apparent ceiling on Rodriguez may have come down in people’s eyes, but there is little doubt that he’s going to stick around for a long time. He’s the kind of fighter that is beatable but will beat you if you don’t mind your Ps and Qs. He can grow into a Neil Magny, Dan Ige-type of litmus test for unranked featherweights. He should fight the undefeated featherweight prospect that won spectacularly on this very card.

Rodriguez’s next fight: Murtazali Magomedov

Murtazali Magomedov

Murtazali Magomedov made a splash in his promotional debut, earning a Scottish twister against Melsik Baghdasaryan. He had a difficult strength of schedule on the regional scene and now looks primed to make some noise at 145 lbs. But before we get too carried away, he first needs to pass the test that all undefeated featherweights need to: beat Christian Rodriguez. Rodriguez has taken the 0’s off of multiple fighters in his UFC career. Let’s see if Magomedov’s 0 can survive C-Rod.

Magomedov’s next fight: Christian Rodriguez

Vinicius Oliveira

“LokDog” had to overcome some adversity, but was ultimately successful in his new division, defeating a respected veteran in Andre Fili. There are reasons to be optimistic about Oliveira at featherweight, and another similar test should tell us more about what kind of run we can expect out of the 30-year-old. Someone like Joanderson Brito would not only be a good test, but would certainly produce fireworks.

Oliveira’s next fight: Joanderson Brito

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Justin Gaethje

What can you say about “The Highlight”? This will not be remembered as the biggest upset in UFC title fight history when it comes to the odds, but circumstances-wise, this has to be, at worst, top 5. The aura of invincibility that Ilia Topuria had coming in was akin to something like Thanos having every infinity stones and calling himself “inevitable.” I’m not sure we’ve someone who looked this unbeatable get dominated so badly since Ronda Rousey getting head kicked by Holly Holm. The delta between Topuria’s image before and after the fight is almost incomprehensible and truly a testament to Gaethje as an all-time great war horse.

As for what’s next, we will see whether or not the UFC will give Arman Tsarukyan the shot. But as far who is the most deserving, this isn’t even worth debating. Let’s just get it over with.

Gaethje’s next fight: Arman Tsarukyan

Ciryl Gane

Say what you will about Ciryl Gane’s seemingly infinite title shots, but there’s no doubt he made the most out of this one. He was widely considered undeserving of the shot against Aspinall, but it’s the fact he was winning that fight until the eye poke that got him this interim shot against legend and fan-favourite Alex Pereira. It used to be that Gane would be flustered under the bright lights, but not this time. He got it done and left no doubt, knocking out “Poatan” and punching his ticket for a rematch with the Englishman.

Gane’s next fight: Tom Aspinall

Sean O’Malley

After dropping back-to-back title fights to Merab Dvalishvili, it was unclear how Sean O’Malley’s confidence had been shaken up. It may not have been the most convincing victory of his career, but he did get the job done against Song Yadong in January. However, this walk-off KO paired with the celebration was vintage “Suga” Sean. It seems like the Petr Yan and Dvalishvili trilogy is on its way, but if it isn’t, then a Yan/O’Malley rematch practically books itself.

O’Malley’s next fight: Title shot

Josh Hokit

This fight didn’t deliver like the Curtis Blaydes one, but perhaps those expectations were unfair. At the very least, Hokit kept his undefeated record and earned himself another finish, as sloppy as this one may have been. His best hope is that Tom Aspinall will be out for a much longer time, to the point that they will either strip him or have Gane defend his interim belt. That would open up the door to Hokit fighting for a title. Until that happens, I don’t think anybody’s more deserving of yet another number one contender bout than Alexander Volkov.

Hokit’s next fight: Alexander Volkov

Mauricio Ruffy

Mauricio Ruffy was the biggest betting favourite on the card and he fought like it. He made short and easy work of Michael Chandler, picking him apart for the entire opening round on his way to a knockout win. If the UFC is looking to throw another older lightweight at Ruffy, they could definitely do worse than Dan Hooker. “The Hangman” is always looking to stand and bang and Ruffy would certainly oblige. However, if Max Holloway dispatches of Conor McGregor next month in the way that I believe he will, I would love to see the striking matchup between those two.

Ruffy’s next fight: Holloway/McGregor winner

Bo Nickal

While this was probably the least interesting bout on the card in terms of stakes, it was a great indicator of how the UFC still sees potential in Bo Nickal, even post-de Ridder loss. Kyle Daukaus had looked very good since getting cut and then coming back to the UFC and Nickal knocked out using his boxing, which must have been an encouraging sign. I still think the UFC should use a slower approach with him and match him up against more known, yet beatable names. I thought of the winner of Shara Magomedov vs Michel Pereira, but instead went with Edmen Shahbazyan, who fits that description to a tee.

Nickal’s next fight: Edmen Shahbazyan

Diego Lopes

After a relatively quiet first round by Diego Lopes and Steve Garcia’s standards, they both started to open up in the second and the Brazilian’s durability and power got him the edge. After a poor showing in the Volkanovski rematch, Lopes needed a good rebound performance. Ending Garcia’s seven-fight win streak via finish on a stage like this one will go a long way to restore his image. Knowing the bad blood between he and Yair Rodriguez, this fight is long overdue to main event a Fight Night card in Mexico or Brazil.

Lopes’ next fight: Yair Rodriguez

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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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