Song Yadong

In a year full of upsets, Song Yadong’s second-round KO of Umar Nurmagomedov will make the shortlist for ‘Upset of the Year’. After falling short to Sean O’Malley in January, Song has now managed to not only bounce back, but to put a stamp on his 2026. His fate now rests in the hands of Merab Dvalishvili this October. If Merab wins, then I think Song will get the next shot since there would be no appetite for Merab/O’Malley 3. If Petr Yan defends his belt, then the O’Malley rematch is a no-brainer. If we give the champion the benefit of the doubt, then Song will have to face Mario Bautista in a number one contender bout.

Song’s next fight: Mario Bautista

Denise Gomes

The strawweight has been in bad need of fresh names to rise and Denise Gomes has now added her name to the Fatima Klines and Alexia Thainaras of the world. Yan Xiaonan may be 37 years of age coming off a 16-month layoff, but she was still a top5 strawweight and former title challenger. Gomes didn’t just beat her, she clobbered her inside a round. This win was more impressive than Kline’s over Ricci or Thainara’s over Lemos. I get the sense that Tatiana Suarez may get the next shot at the title, so I say make Gomes vs Thainara in the meantime.

Gomes’ next fight: Alexia Thainara

Kai Asakura

The flyweight experiment may have failed for Kai Asakura, but the Japanese fighter looks a whole lot more promising at bantamweight. After earning back-to-back KOs at 135 pounds, Asakura called for a shot at a ranked opponent, and I wouldn’t be opposed to it. With everyone ranked 8^th to 13^th already booked, I say give Asakura a big jump and book him with Aiemann Zahabi in Canada this fall.

Asakura’s next fight: Aiemann Zahabi

Sumudaerji

After the No Contest in last May, the book on the Alex Perez-Sumudaerji rivalry is now closed, with the ‘Tibetan Eagle’ emerging victorious. Sandwiched in between a slew of impressive finishes, this fight won’t be remembered as the high point of the card, but it was carrying real stakes at flyweight nonetheless. After falling out of the rankings a couple years ago, Sumudaerji has now fought his way back inside the top15. A fight with Amir Albazi would make a lot of sense for both fighters.

Sumudaerji’s next fight: Amir Albazi

Liu Ce

It was a successful debut for Liu Ce as he not only scored the second-round KO of Levi Rodrigues Jr., but also earned ‘Fight of the Night’ honours. From Muhammad Saidov, Lucas Fernando and even Reinier de Ridder making the move up last week, to a former K1 kickboxer in Liu Ce the light-heavyweight division, which is in need of any exciting additions, has been adding some intriguing pieces lately. Let’s test Liu’s MMA striking against another former kickboxer in Dustin Jacoby.

Liu’s next fight: Dustin Jacoby

Bilal Hasan

From earning a sub-one minute KO on the Contender Series earlier this month to the Michael Jackson walkout, 25-year-old Bilal Hasan looks like a future star. Knowing Hasan has not gone to the scorecards since his MMA debut, I say the best move for the UFC is to keep him active against a consistent level of opposition. Give him as many reps in the octagon as possible to build his highlight reel and make him a known commodity to the casual fans. A veteran like Kevin Borjas is good enough to test Hasan, while being beatable enough that Hasan would be favoured. He’s exactly the kind of fighter the ‘IndoNinja’ should be facing.

Hasan’s next fight: Kevin Borjas

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Gregory Rodrigues

After suffering what looked like a damning setback against Jared Cannonier just last year, there is something quite admirable about Gregory Rodrigues being able to rebuild himself and obtain the best win of his career against “Fluffy”. We never doubted Rodrigues’ physicality, but there were doubts about his ability to go five rounds after succumbing to Cannonier in the fourth round 18 months ago. While he definitely slowed down in the championship rounds, “Robocop” still got the job done, earning a unanimous decision win.

With the way the division is currently constructed, Rodrigues could face Joe Pyfer, Caio Borralho or Brendan Allen next. But from a pure entertainment standpoint, I can’t think of a cooler matchup than Dricus Du Plessis. That matchup has car crash written all over it.

Rodrigues’ next fight: Dricus Du Plessis

Vitor Petrino

Vitor Petrino now moves to 4-0 since making the move to heavyweight. The division change has given his career a new life and with this win over Serghei Spivac, he will now enter the division’s top10. With half the top8 already being booked and Ciryl Gane seemingly set to rematch Tom Aspinall, there aren’t a ton of options for Petrino, at the current moment. However, there is Sergei Pavlovich, who sits comfortably at #3 and is in need of an opponent has hasn’t already faced.

Petrino’s next fight: Sergei Pavlovich

Reinier de Ridder

While he wasn’t facing an established light-heavyweight, you could tell going in weight did RDR some good. He looks healthier and made quick work of Roman Dolidze, who is a good grappler in his own right. RDR has a name that can garner some interest in the fanbase, which is why I believe the UFC will be interested in inserting him at the top of division sooner rather than later. I think a matchup with Paulo Costa could be in the books for de Ridder.

de Ridder’s next fight: Paulo Costa

MarQuel Mederos

After going to a draw in April, both Chris Padilla and MarQuel Mederos had standout wins at UFC Sacramento, with Mederos earning what should be seen as the more impressive one. Mederos took on a streaking Mason Jones who had looked much improved in his second stint in the promotion and he stopped him inside two rounds. There a ton of options at lightweight for Mederos, such as any of the winner of the Klose/Grantt, Camilo/Herbert or Ziam/Sola matchups. I went with the Frenchmen, since I believe they are the closest ones to a shot at the rankings.

Mederos’ next fight: Ziam/Sola winner

Carli Judice

Carli Judice got a shot on the Contender Series at just 3-0 and 24 years of age. That is incredibly early, even for the most talented of fighters. She then lost back-to-back split decisions and moved to 3-2. She has since won four consecutive bouts, three of which came by finish and earned her performance of the fight bonuses. She asked for a shot at the rankings and she has earned it. I say have her face the winner of the Aldrich/Tarin matchup at Noche.

Judice’s next fight: Aldrich/Tarin winner

Anthony Wint

Anthony Wint had to face more adversity than what was probably expected, given the fact that he was a 10-1 betting favourite, but he still got the job done inside the first round. While there can be some enthusiasm about his ceiling, he should be getting a lot more reps against this level of competition to hone his skills. Anyone at the bottom of the heavyweight division would do, but I landed on Louie Sutherland, who was submitted quite quickly not too long ago.

Wint’s next fight: Louie Sutherland

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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

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Quillan Salkilld

This was by far the biggest test of the young Salkilld’s career. Mateusz Gamrot is what you could describe as an elite gatekeeper. His losses to Charles Oliveira, Dan Hooker and Beneil Dariush put a cap on his ceiling, but beating him still firmly puts you inside the division’s top 10. At just 26 years old, the Aussie dismantled the much more experienced Gamrot faster than Do Bronx did not even a year ago.

Salkilld now puts himself in a position to realistically face just about anyone at lightweight. Oliveira, Max Holloway, Benoit Saint Denis, Paddy Pimblett, the winner of the Ortega/Moicano rematch or the Paris main event, etc., there are endless possibilities for him, now. However, the one I see as most probable is the loser of the UFC 331 co-main event.

Salkilld’s next fight: Tsarukyan/Ruffy loser

Diego Ferreira

It was just another night at the office for the two old dogs in the co-main event. The two notoriously action-oriented veterans earned themselves ‘Fight of the Night’ honours. This win doesn’t impact Ferreira’s position in the lightweight division in any substantial way; it simply keeps him in the promotion. I doubt the UFC will give Ferreira another age-appropriate matchup and I suspect they will throw him at a younger fighter who will try and squeeze the last bits of action the Brazilian has left in him. There’s no better candidate to do just that than Terrance McKinney.

Ferreira’s next fight: Terrance McKinney

Yadier del Valle

Yadier del Valle fighter played spoilers to Darren Elkins’ retirement fight, knocking him out in just 35 seconds. The Cuban came in as an enormous betting favourite, and he proved that the fight was lined correctly. There’s a number of featherweights that del Valle could face next, but Bogdan Grad seems like a sensible matchup as they’ve both just bounced back from the first UFC losses.

del Valle’s next fight: Bogdan Grad

Alexia Thainara

With this win, Alexia Thainara will break into the strawweight top 10. However, with her last three wins coming by decision. It’s difficult to see her overtaking Tatiana Suarez, Fatima Kline or a returning Zhang Weili in the title picture. Someone is going to have to draw the tough, undesirable assignment that is Virna Jandiroba, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was Thainara.

Thainara’s next fight: Virna Jandiroba

Ty Miller

The 26-year-old Ty Miller came into this fight as a four-to-one betting favourite and he looked the part. He put a beating on Billy Ray Goff on his way to a third-round finish. With this win, Miller moves to 2-0 in the promotion and keeps his perfect record intact. With the welterweight division being as competitive as it is, there shouldn’t be any rush for the UFC to push Miller up the ranks. I would stick with the Adam Fugitts and Billy Ray Goffs of the world, for now. Someone like Oban Elliott would make a good dance partner.

Miller’s next fight: Oban Elliott

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Uros Medic

On Saturday, Uros Medic graduated from fun action fighter to legitimate welterweight contender. After proving to the promotion that he’s a sure bet for entertainment, he earned himself a homecoming main event spot and made the most of that opportunity. The logical next step here is either another main event, or a spot on the main card of a numbered event. In either case, a matchup with Leon Edwards works.

Medic’s next fight: Leon Edwards

Navajo Stirling

One week after Magomed Ankalaev and Bogdan Guskov failed to change the status quo at light-heavyweight by lulling us to sleep, 28-year-old Navajo Stirling became the first to KO Jan Blachowicz since Thiago Santos in 2019. This division was in bad need of new blood and Stirling delivered it. Considering Blachowicz hasn’t gotten his hand raised since 2022, it seems unlikely that this result will grant Stirling a title shot, no matter how impressive the victory. For that reason, I think a fight with Jiri Prochazka could be next for the Kiwi.

Stirling’s next fight: Jiri Prochazka

Aleksandar Rakic

Last time Aleksandar Rakic won a fist fight, Alex Pereira still hadn’t been signed by the UFC. It had been a while since the Serbian tasted victory, but five years and a long overdue weight class change later, here we are. While no one would describe this fight as exciting, we can perhaps excuse Rakic’s shy fighting approach considering getting the win was his utmost priority. With that monkey now off his back, we can set the bar higher for his next outing. I think Ante Delija has a fight style that could tell us a lot about where Rakic’s confidence is after Saturday.

Rakic’s next fight: Ante Delija

Robert Valentin

After failing to win his season of The Ultimate Fighter, Robert Valentin now finds himself on a win streak, while Ryan Loder, who defeated him that TUF Finale, is still winless inside the promotion. Funny how those things work out sometimes. However, before we start taking the Swiss seriously at middleweight, he would first need to at least defeat someone with a bit of legitimacy to his name. Because he’s been on a slide, someone like Marvin Vettori might fake for an interesting pairing.

Valentin’s next fight: Marvin Vettori

Gilbert Urbina

Coming in as a near three-to-one betting underdog and off consecutive first-round KO losses, it was no wonder this looked like Urbina being fed to a newcomer. But credit to him, Urbina pulled off the upset and knocked out the debuting Vlasto Cepo in just a minute. In the short term, I doubt this means anything more than Urbina simply extending his stay in the UFC. He will probably need to pull off more than one of these upsets in order to plant his flag in the promotion. It would not be surprising to see him matched up with someone like Michael Oliveira next.

Urbina’s next fight: Michael Oliveira

Noah Gugnon

It can be difficult to gauge the value of a win when it’s two debuting fighters facing off. Since most of the fanbase doesn’t have any prior UFC highlight to go off of, it’s hard to know what this type of win teaches us about Noah Gugnon. For that reason, I think the UFC would be wise to treat Gugnon’s next fight as his actual debut and therefore approach the matchmaking in that fashion. Someone like Nikolas Motta is a known commodity at lightweight: dangerous, but vulnerable. Someone that will test the 25-year-old Frenchman without being an insurmountable task.

Gugnon’s next fight: Nikolas Motta

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Magomed Ankalaev

Yes, former champion Magomed Ankalaev got back in the win column, but this was the furthest thing from “Big Ank Time”. A pedestrian point-fight until a strange stoppage by Marc Goddard. That was a mercy stoppage, but not for Bogdan Guskov, but rather for the fans, who had seen enough. While Carlos Ulberg still doesn’t have a clear number one contender, the silver linings to his injury means the UFC gets more time to figure out who to throw at him. The promotion already didn’t seem like they wanted to be in the Ankalaev business and this kind of performance is exactly why, so I doubt this win will push the Russian back to the front of the line. Even with Ulberg out for maybe more than a year, performances like these will not renew interest in this division and means the UFC won’t be in any hurry to create an interim championship. The most likely scenario is a simple rebooking of the Khalil Rountree Jr. matchup…unless Navajo Stirling brings new life to this division next week.

Ankalaev’s next fight: Khalil Rountree Jr.

Ramazan Temirov

It was a 16-month waiting period for Ramazan Temirov, but the Uzbek finally got the opportunity to remind people why he had hype behind him when he joined the promotion in late 2024. This man throws with bad intentions and is one of the few flyweights with real one-shot KO power. While he called for a shot at the title, Alexandre Pantoja’s resumé should grant him a shot in his next fight and Manel Kape has done enough to fight for the title as well. That means Temirov will need at least one more victory. This win allowed him to break into the top10, the logical next step is the top five. A main event against Kyoji Horiguchi would test him against an experienced top five name and would show us what he’s got in the championship rounds, should the Japanese be able to take him there.

Temirov’s next fight: Kyoji Horiguchi

Magomed Zaynukov

“Chanco”, “Johny Pork”, whatever you want to call him, Magomed Zaynukov delivered in his debut, showing his array of weapons to win a wide unanimous decision over undefeated 24-year-old Damian Rzepecki. With some clear fan support behind him, I think the UFC would be wise to keep him fighting in front of live crowds. I think bringing him back to Abu Dhabi in October against a name like Alexander Hernandez would be a good test for Zaynukov.

Zaynukov’s next fight: Alexander Hernandez

Rizvan Kuniev

After the way both of their last fights went, most people had a good reason to expect a snoozefest between Rizvan Kuniev and Tyrell Fortune. However, Kuniev made sure things would go down differently this time around. He battered Fortune on his way to a third-round mercy stoppage from the referee. Originally, I had Josh Hokit booked against Alexander Volkov, but after yet another Valter Walker submission victory, I’m quite intrigued by what a matchup between two characters like Hokit and Walker would yield. That change of plan gives Kuniev an opening to face Volkov next.

Kuniev’s next fight: Alexander Volkov

Abubakar Vagaev

The Khamzat Chimaev protégé was successful in his promotional debut, earning a hard-fought unanimous decision over Sayid Izagakhmaev. Despite the win, Vagaev didn’t seem happy with his performance, claiming he’s a better fighter than he showed in this bout. Part of that dissatisfaction might come from the fact that he was originally scheduled at middleweight and saw not only an opponent change, but a weight class change to his fight with only a few weeks to go in his camp. For that reason, I think his next fight should be at middleweight. Why not simply rebook the original fight?

Vagaev’s next fight: Magomedrasul Gasanov

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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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