On the prelims, Jonathan Micallef, Cam Rowston and Billy Elekana scored nice finishes. While on the main card, finishes from Quillan Salkilld, Mauricio Ruffy and Benoit Saint Denis were followed by yet another 25-minute masterclass from the all-time great Alexander Volkanovski. With UFC 325 now in the books, let’s look at what’s next for our main card winners.

Alexander Volkanovski

As easy as it would be to look at this title defence as a waste of time, there’s something to be said about a 37-year-old Alexander Volkanovski giving still a young, hungry contender in his prime a second crack at him and still blanking him. I loved hearing what Volkanovski had to say about his responsibility as a champion to face the most deserving contenders. It was a respectful way to call out the UFC on their matchmaking practices. The UFC then wasted no time announcing Movsar Evloev versus Lerone Murphy as the headliner to the London Fight Night card in March. They are already both deserving; there’s no question that the winner should fight for the belt next.

Volkanovski’s next fight: Evloev/Murphy winner

Benoit Saint Denis

He may not be a perfect fighter and who’s to say how he would fare against the very top of the division, but one thing that Benoit Saint Denis’ harshest critics could never accuse him of is being boring. He walks into chaos, but he loves it and often comes out on the winning side. He’s also very active as this was his third bout in five months. I don’t think someone with the nickname “God of War” can be seen as a bad option to challenge for the BMF title.

Saint Denis’ next fight: Oliveira/Holloway 2 winner

Mauricio Ruffy

Learning about the tough circumstances he had to overcome coming into this fight made this performance look even better for Mauricio Ruffy. After laying an egg in Paris last September, Ruffy was given a different kind of task, but a difficult one, nonetheless.

It took him a little while to get his offense going, but once he did, he had Rafael Fiziev figured out. He looked like a Sean O’Malley-type sniper, consistently tagging Fiziev with long range shots on his way to a second round TKO. The poise with which he finished Fiziev after hurting him made him look like a killer. There are a lot of directions the promotion could go with Ruffy, and I think he deserves a big name next. The loser of the BMF title bout could make a fun fight.

Ruffy’s next fight: Oliveira/Holloway loser

Tallison Teixeira

It wasn’t exactly the most redemptive performance, but at 26 years old, Tallison Teixeira got back in the win column and that’s what ultimately matters in the long-term. The heavyweight division is in such bad need of any kind of new blood that this win for Teixeira can at least push a young name up the rankings. I think someone like the loser of the upcoming Serghei Spivac versus Ante Delija bout makes sense as a next step for the young Xicão.

Teixeira’s next fight: Spivac/Delija loser

Quillan Salkilld

Yes, it was a showcase fight, and he came in as a -1200 betting favourite, but Quillan Salkilld did what he supposed to do. He made short work of a 12-fight UFC veteran who’s been around the block. Sometimes young prospects are put in a showcase position, and they don’t deliver, but Salkilld oozes confidence and passed this test with flying colours. He just turned 26 and he’s in a shark tank of a division, so I see no point in rushing him. I think rebooking the fight against fellow prospect, Rongzhu, is the way to go.

Salkilld’s next fight: Rongzhu

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The #8-ranked lightweight, however, had the edge in momentum, having won his last two fights. Hooker, for his part, was looking to bounce back from a loss to Arman Tsarukyan in the fall.

Saint-Denis began shooting takedowns to start the opening frame as Hooker defended well. Hooker attempted a high head kick that was blocked, before Benoit attempted another takedown. Hooker reversed position and returned to the center of the cage, a good left hand landed for Saint-Denis, who forced the fight to the clinch moments later. A front kick up the middle snapped back the head of Saint-Denis as Hooker seemed to be finding a rhythm on the feet. Sensing danger, Saint-Denis landed a judo throw that saw him end up in north-south position. Returning to his feet with a minute left in the round, Hooker landed a good left hand on the inside before getting taken down for the third time in the round. Saint-Denis landed some good ground and pound putting a stamp on the first five minutes of action.

In the second, Saint-Denis immediately forced the fight to the fence as Hooker attempted a guillotine. Scrambling out of trouble, Benoit was able to secure top control and land multiple damaging 12-6 elbows that connected clean. Moving to side control, Saint-Denis threatened an arm triangle as Hooker seemed to be fading away. With two minutes left in the round Benoit was in complete control. Landing some more elbows on top, Hooker was now leaking blood from his eyes while fully mounted. Veteran referee Herb Dean was taking a close look at the action as Hooker absorbed another 25 consecutive strikes before the contest was stopped. A bloodbath between two of the best lightweights on the roster, Benoit Saint-Denis closed the show in impressive fashion.

Stopping “The Hangman” in his own country, Saint-Denis put on a performance fight fans won’t soon forget. In his post fight interview, the French standout and former special forces operator expressed interest in the BMF title. Saint-Denis has the most finishes on the roster since 2021 (9) and has as good of claim to BMF title contention as anyone in the division.

Official Result: Benoit Saint-Denis def. Dan Hooker by TKO, Round 2, 4:45

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In the co-main event spot, Dan Hooker (24-13) will be fighting close to home when he takes on France’s Benoit Saint-Denis (16-3, 1NC). Rafael Fiziev (13-4), meanwhile, takes on Mauricio Ruffy (12-2) in a second promising match-up at 155lbs.

Both bouts were announced during Saturday night’s UFC 323 broadcast. UFC 325 takes place in Sydney, Australia at the Qudos Bank Arena on February 1, 2026 (locally, January 31 in North America).

Hooker, a.k.a. “The Hangman,” hails from nearby New Zealand and trains out of the famed City Kickboxing. Hooker was just seen in the main event of UFC Qatar last month, where he was submitted by #1-ranked lightweight Arman Tsarukyan.

Prior to the loss to Tsarukyan, Hooker had compiled a three-fight win streak.

Benoit Saint-Denis was last in action at UFC 322 in New York, where he knocked out Beneil Dariush, earning a Performance of the Night bonus in the process.

Rafael Fiziev snapped a three-fight skid in June, when he defeated Ignacio Bahamondes. Two of those losses, it’s worth noting, came to current lightweight contender and former interim champ Justin Gaethje.

Brazil’s Ruffy suffered the first loss of his UFC tenue last time out, coincidentally losing to Benoit Saint-Denis.

Dan Hooker sits at #6 in the lightweight division, Saint-Denis at #8, while Fiziev is #9 and Ruffy #14.

UFC 325 is headlined by a featherweight title fight, as Alexander Volkanovski throws down with Diego Lopes for the second time. A heavyweight match-up between Tai Tuivasa and Tallison Teixeira is also scheduled.

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It felt great to know that the promotion still treats Madison Square Garden as a tentpole event. With UFC 322 now in the books, let’s look at what’s next for our main card winners.

Islam Makhachev

If you showed this fight to a new fan and told them one of the fighters in the main event was a former lightweight moving up 15 pounds to try and grab a second title, I bet most people would’ve guessed that Islam Makhachev was the established welterweight. He handled Jack Della Maddalena in a way that is even more impressive when you remember how good JDM’s scrambles are. Islam just makes so few mistakes he even managed to shut down Jack’s offense on the feet. This win now opens the door to a conversation about Makhachev potentially having a stronger resumé than his friend Khabib Nurmagomedov. Moving up 15 pounds and going four-for-four on takedown attempts and getting 19:10 minutes of control time in a 25-minute bout against the undisputed champion five years his junior. Khabib simply does not have a win like this.

As far as his next fight goes, I loved hearing Islam’s attitude of “bring the next one.” From Shavkat Rakhmonov to Ian Machado Garry, Carlos Prates and Kamaru Usman, Makhachev won’t be lacking in contenders. However, I believe the most deserving one is Michael Morales and I’ll explain why further down this article.

Makhachev’s next fight: Michael Morales

Valentina Shevchenko

Yes, Zhang Weili was the smaller fighter coming up a division, but looking at her resumé and the streak she was on coming into this matchup, this might just be Valentina Shevchenko’s best win yet. This fight was a mere pick ’em up until fight week, and Valentina handled Zhang in a way that made her look like just another random contender. While I am incredibly curious to see how Valentina would deal with Kayla Harrison’s physicality at bantamweight, Harrison has to face Amanda Nunes first. In the meantime, there’s a clearly deserving contender for Valentina to face: Natalia Silva.

Shevchenko’s next fight: Natalia Silva

Michael Morales

He’s 25 years old, he’s 19-0, he’s progressively been building his skillset and he’s probably the most athletic fighter at welterweight. What’s not to like about Michael Morales? In his last three fights, he’s KO’d Neil Magny, Gilbert Burns and Sean Brady all in the first round. He’s also been knocking them out faster as he’s moving up the food chain.

Some might say that it’s too early to give him a title shot, but I’d argue he’s the most deserving of the bunch. Shavkat Rakhmonov is in the mix, but he’s been out for the entire and the promotion rarely rewards long layoffs. Kamaru Usman is a legend of the division, but one decision win over Joaquin Buckley shouldn’t put him ahead in such a stacked division. Carlos Prates has had two spectacular consecutive KO wins, but he’s just lost to Ian Machado Garry. Speaking of Garry, he’s coming off a win over Prates and could jump ahead with a win over Belal Muhammad this upcoming weekend, but he lost to Rakhmonov just last year. Morales is the only one with a perfect track record thus far and a 3:27 KO of Brady is as good a win as anyone in that division has. I want to see how Makhachev deals with Morales’ youth and physicality.

Morales’ next fight: Islam Makhachev

Carlos Prates

Man, how about “The Nightmare”? Our 2024 newcomer of the year saw his momentum slow down by Ian Machado Garry in April. Even then, he nearly still pulled off the comeback in the final minute of the fight. He has since responded with highlight reel knockouts of Geoff Neal and now former champion Leon Edwards in just three months. He’s one of the most entertaining fighters at welterweight and now finds himself one fight away from a title shot. After knocking out Neil Magny a year ago, he called out Jack Della Maddalena. While things played out differently, a year later this fight now makes even more sense. With JDM coming off the title loss and Prates one win away, this matchup almost books itself.

Prates’ next fight: Jack Della Maddalena

Benoit Saint Denis

After a rough 2024, the promotion has been building Benoit Saint Denis’s confidence back up by gradually increasing the level of competition. After getting KO’d by Dustin Poirier and then thrashed by Renato Moicano, BSD has finished Kyle Prepolec, a streaking Mauricio Ruffy and now the veteran Beneil Dariush. The “God of War” has had a real bounce back year in 2025 and is now going into 2026 with a lot of the hype he had at the end of 2023. With Paddy Pimblett perhaps getting a title shot and the winner of this upcoming weekend’s main event getting the next one, that leaves Justin Gaethje as the odd man out. The Frenchman is exactly the type of action fighter that offers the sort of challenge that Gaethje has historically welcomed.

Saint Denis’ next fight: Justin Gaethje

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Now, the “God of War,” a former French paratrooper, has his sights set on bigger goals. Primarily, a top five opponent, and perhaps a chance at the UFC’s “BMF” title.

“Of course I want to fight somebody in the top five. As [for] the BMF and the lightweight belt, they’re the two belts I have my eyes on,” Saint-Denis (16-3, 1NC) said backstage at Madison Square Garden, speaking with media outlets including Cageside Press. “I want to make this division the greatest again, like it’s supposed to be.”

Charles Oliveira has also been petitioning for a shot at “BMF” champ Max Holloway as well (if you don’t know what “BMF” stands for in this case by now, we’ll let you search that out on your own). So what case can BSD make to jump the line?

“A 100% finish rate, against such a veteran,” he suggested. “I guarantee war, but I think Oliveira and Holloway does the same though. Let’s see, but it’s guaranteed war whoever you choose.”

As for Beneil Dariush, who protested Saturday’s stoppage but did appear to be out, Benoit Saint-Denis paid him nothing but respect. “Dariush is an inspiration. I haven’t done what he has done yet. I want to do a career as good or even better,” he stated. As for the final blow, “I had a hesitation before the last shot, because I knew he was out. Obviously it was not clear for everyone.”

Watch the full UFC 322 post-fight press conference with Benoit Saint-Denis above.

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There were plenty of big finishes, plenty of deserving fighters. Newcomer Ethyn Ewing shocked many with an upset of Malcolm Wellmaker. Erin Blanchfield submitted Tracy Cortez in a rematch from their Invicta days, back in 2019.

Four other fighters, however, took home the bonus money at UFC 322. Each was awarded a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus; no Fight of the Night was announced for the New York card, a common theme of late.

Leading the pack Bo Nickal, the only one of the four winners the appear on the preliminary card. Nickal put away BJJ star Rodolfo Vieira with a head kick in the night’s featured prelim, and in doing so bounced back from his first career loss, against Reinier de Ridder. If there was any question as to whether the loss to RDR had shaken the decorated collegiate wrestler, he most certainly answered it.

Kicking off the main card, lightweight Benoit Saint-Denis floored Beneil Dariush in just sixteen seconds. Then, in sequence in the follow two fights, Carlos Prates became the first man to knock out former welterweight champ Leon Edwards, while Michael Morales scored a TKO finish of Sean Brady.

Morales extended his winning streak and overall record to 19-0 with that performance, and cemented himself as the frontrunner for a title shot at 170lbs.

20,464 was the announced attendance, per UFC CEO and President Dana White.

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Whether the botched weight cut would have any effect on the fight itself remained to be seen. Dariush was looking to build on a win over Renato Moicano, while BSD had won his last two bouts.

Dariush opened the fight with a leg kick, fanned on a punch, but moments later, the fight was over. Beneil would protest, but Benoit Saint-Denis had clobbered him, dropping him with a single punch. Dariush was face down, protest or not. The fast start by Dariush clearly backfired, as Saint-Denis landed a left hand over top of the ear in a clinch that followed a second leg kick by Dariush that had briefly taken BSD himself off his feet.

A whirlwind of chaos that ended in just sixteen seconds, a new lightweight knockout record. A statement, perhaps, by Saint-Denis, and certainly a tactical error by Dariush, who came out of the gate just a little too hot.

After the fight, BSD, a former soldier himself, shouted out military veterans as part of Veterans Week. “I couldn’t be more happy and privileged to fight here in Madison Square Garden,” he added, before saying he had both the BMF and lightweight titles on his mind.

Official Result: Benoit Saint-Denis def. Beneil Dariush by knockout, Round 1, 0:16

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“Yeah this is a good fight. It’s exciting, he’s a good fighter, he’s very skilled. He’s more experienced now,” Dairush told reporters including Cageside Press on Wednesday.

“I just think stylistically it’s a fun fight for me, and I think I’m better. I’m excited for the fight.”

Dariush (23-6-1) has done his homework on Benoit Saint-Denis, and he’s not fooled by the flashy finishes. The veteran lightweight believes the real danger lies beneath the surface.

“When I watch him I see more of a grappler to be honest with you, but everybody sees him differently. I would say current culture is very short-attention spanned so what you see a lot is his highlights, but if you watch the entirety of his fights, clearly he’s a great grappler,” he said.

“Very dominant in that, and I think something I need to watch out for.”

A win over Saint-Denis would move Dariush into second place all-time for victories in the UFC’s lightweight division, trailing only Jim Miller. It’s a milestone the veteran admitted he wasn’t aware of, but one he finds pretty cool.

“I wasn’t aware of it, but it sounds cool. It sounds very cool. Even Cowboy (Donald Cerrone) he had more wins because he went to 170 and whatever. I’m sure there’s other guys that fought in different divisions, but it’s still cool,” said Dariush.

Watch the entire media day scrum with Beneil Dariush above. He faces Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 322 on Saturday night.

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After losing back-to-back fights against Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano, BSD finally went ahead and got himself a head coach in MMA, after essentially running his own fight camps for years. That has almost certainly helped him turn things around.

“I cannot wait to fight on Saturday night, because we don’t have the opportunity every day to show the world, against world-class opposition, what type of progress we have made,” Saint-Denis (15-3, 1NC) stated on Wednesday, speaking during the UFC 322 media day with outlets including Cageside Press.

“It’s been almost a year now, like over six months that I’ve been working with an MMA head coach, and I feel like I’m really a better fighter now. And I cannot wait to be at MSG for game day,” he added.

“You have to take the technical and tactical aspect of the fight game very seriously,” noted BSD, especially at the UFC level where all fighters are well-rounded. Taking on an experienced MMA coach, added Saint-Denis, leaves him feeling “blessed, because he changed the way I see fighting. Of course I’m still the ‘seek and destroy’ guy everybody loves, but I’m putting stuff inside the recipe to get the job done against anybody. And to take this fight, and take my future fights very seriously. That’s all.”

As far as the UFC’s official rankings are concerned, Dariush sits in the #9 spot, several positions ahead of BSD at #13. “Beneil is a very well-rounded guy, been for so many years in the top 5, top 10 of the division. It’s an honor and a privilege to face him at MSG,” Saint-Denis stated.

While he’s spoken of being well-rounded, Benoit Saint-Denis has seen his last few fights come against opponents happy to stand and bang with him. Mauricio Ruffy, who suffered his first loss in the UFC against the French lightweight, is known as “One Shot” after all. Dariush is a different animal, having won the World No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Championships at the Blue, Purple, and Brown belt levels in three consecutive years from 2008 to 2010.

“We’re both very good grapplers, we’ve been proving it time and time again,” replied Saint-Denis, asked how his grappling compares to that of Dariush. “It’s a very interesting position, because it’s a fight where tactics mean something. The one of us who imposes his will the most will be the winner of the fight.”

Watch the full UFC 322 media day appearance by Benoit Saint-Denis above.

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Nassourdine Imavov

With the middleweight division booming, the UFC seemingly set up an unofficial tournament between the four main contenders to see whose performance would stand out of the pack. The first of those matchups was between Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho. While the Frenchman was in control the entire fight, it’s not like he put on the type of show that will raise his profile dramatically. Additionally, he mentioned a foot injury in his post-fight interview. Now, was that just an attempt at saving face for not getting even close to a finish or a genuine explanation for how the fight played out? I guess we won’t know, but with the way the fight looked combined with a potential injury, there are valid reasons to doubt Imavov’s chances at being the next title challenger.

However, Imavov was already the most deserving challenger when he knocked out Israel Adesanya in February. Add to that a clean victory over a rising Borralho who hadn’t lost in 10 years? As of right now, there’s no question he has earned his title shot.

Imavov’s next fight: Title shot

Benoit Saint Denis

After a rough 2024 capped off by a true ass-kicking in front of his own crowd, Saint Denis was looking to gain back some of that momentum he had back in 2023. He first bounced back in May (at UFC 315, beating Kyle Prepolec) and was now facing the highly touted Mauricio Ruffy. After dominating the opening round, BSD got the fight back down to the mat and found a rear-naked choke along the fence. Now winner of back-to-back fights, Saint Denis called out Arman Tsarukyan and Mateusz Gamrot for a fight at Madison Square Garden. While I think Tsarukyan is a long shot, Gamrot is a very smart and realistic callout. Enough so that I don’t mind at all fulfilling his wish.

Saint Denis’ next fight: Mateusz Gamrot

Modestas Bukauskas

After fighting his way back to the promotion, The Baltic Gladiator was looking to go 6-1 since joining the UFC again in 2023. There’s no doubt putting the veteran Paul Craig out with a buzzer-beating elbow is Bukauskas’ most important win to date. Now winner of four straight, he has built a case for a shot at the rankings. I think any of Johnny Walker, Zhang Mingyang and Alonzo Menifield are fine options, but I went with Nikita Krylov. On the wrong end of two straight knockout losses, Krylov needs a step back in competition and Bukauskas represents that type of test he needs at this moment in time.

Bukauskas’ next fight: Nikita Krylov

Mason Jones

After going 1-2 (1) in his first UFC stint, it’s easy to forget that at 30 years of age, Mason Jones is only now entering the prime of his career. He suffered losses to Mike Davis and Ludovit Klein as a 25 and 27-year-old and his sole win for over David Onama, a now top15-ranked featherweight. The Welsh fighter was now looking to add to his successful comeback in May against Jeremy Stephens. He overcame a scare in the first round and got the TKO finish in the second after getting to full mount. Why not put Jones up against another lightweight prospect on his second UFC stint? China’s Rongzhu is also on a two-fight win streak after going 1-2 in his first run. Let’s see which of the two can keep their streak going.

Jones’ next fight: Rongzhu

Axel Sola

The undefeated 27-year-old Sola was making his UFC debut as one of the bigger prospects on the French MMA scene. With a former Ares champion with four title defences facing a former two-time Cage Warriors champion, it was the Frenchman Sola who came out on top. After a back-and-forth in the first two rounds, Sola’s knockdown and follow up shots forced Herb Dean to step in despite the fact that McKee was working his way back up. Stoppage controversy aside, it was a successful debut for the prospect Sola. With the adversity McKee offered, there’s no reason to rush Sola up the queue. I think someone like the veteran Song Kenan would be an appropriate test for where Sola is at, right now.

Sola’s next fight: Song Kenan

William Gomis

After suffering his first UFC setback in March, the Frenchman Gomis was welcoming KSW champion Robert Ruchala. It looked like what we’ve come to expect from Gomis: a technical yet tepid decision. Getting the win is always the most important thing, but Gomis has yet to produce a signature highlight in the now three years since he joined the promotion. For that reason, I doubt he will be rewarded with a name any bigger than Ruchala’s. I think Andre Fili, who’s coming off a win from a month ago, is exactly the kind of name the UFC will be looking at.

Gomis’ next fight: Andre Fili

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