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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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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