In the co-main event, UFC Flyweight Champion, Joshua Van, successfully defended his strap in a masterful boxing performance over challenger, Tatsuro Taira. In the main event, Sean Strickland edged out the UFC Middleweight Champion, Khamzat Chimaev to snatch back the belt. Only one non-ranked fighter on this edition of What’s Next, but a potential move up in weight for a couple of fighters.

Khamzat Chimaev

(#3) Sean Strickland surprised quite a few fans with his split decision victory of champion Khamzat Chimaev to win back the middleweight title at UFC 328 on Saturday. It was a hard fought bout for both men with Khamzat first looking nearly unstoppable, before his grappling started to fail him early/midway through the fight. This loss was the first of Khamzat’s career, though Kamaru Usman notably took Chimaev to a majority decision on short notice back in 2023. Chimaev is now 15-1 as a pro and 9-1 in the UFC since being signed in 2020.

205lbs.

Not sure if Khamzat will elect to move up to 205lbs or not with his 6’2″ frame and 75″ reach. But, according to UFC President Dana White in the UFC 328 post-fight press conference, Chimaev wants to give light heavyweight a go. If Khamzat indeed moves up, an excellent high profile, immediate test would be against (#6) Jamahal Hill. Jamahal is a 2019 Contender Series alum that has the seemingly unimpressive UFC record of 6-4 with 1 NC. He’s riding a -three-fight losing streak. But upon further inspection, he’s a former UFC light heavyweight champion that strung together a 4-fight win streak to take down Glover Teixeira for the belt in 2023. Hill has dropped three straight since then, losing to Alex Pereira, Jiri Porchazka and most recently Khalil Rountree Jr., last June. This fight would be a dangerous striking litmus test for Khamzat at 205lbs. Hill is 6’4″ with a 79″ reach. This fight could serve as part of a PPV card up to the co main event slot.

185lbs.

If Khamzat changes his mind and stays at 185lbs., the next matchup should be against (#5) Caio Borralho. Caio is 8-1 in the UFC and 1-1 in his last two. He lost to (#2) Nassourdine Imavov in September before bouncing back against Reinier de Ridder earlier this year. Timing would be a tad off but it could still make a lot of since and set up a title shot for either fighter.

Khamzat’s next fight: (#6) Jamahal Hill at 205lbs or (#5) Caio Borralho at 185lbs.

Tatsuro Taira

Flyweight champ Joshua Van brutalized (#3) Tatsuro Taira with his boxing at UFC 328 on Saturday eventually finishing the Japanese fighter after evading grappling exchanges and submissions. Taira showed massive amounts of grit in the bout and his tenacity eventually earned this scrap Fight of the Night honors. Even though Taira came in as a slight favorite, his stock doesn’t drop too horribly after a gutsy performance like that. Tatsuro is now 8-2 in the UFC since being signed in 2022. Taira is 2-2 in his last four bouts. But he’s earned fight of the night honors in both defeats. Tatsuro was riding a two-fight win streak heading into Saturday with second round stoppages over Hyun Sung Park and Brandon Moreno.

Taira’s next fight should be against the loser of Manel Kape vs. Kyoji Horiguchi. That fight goes down on June 20 and is also in the main event slot. Timing wouldn’t be the best but it’d be worth waiting for either either fighter. Kape is currently 7-3 with the UFC and is riding a 3-fight win streak that saw him stop (#15) Bruno Silva, (#8) Asu Almabayev and most recently (#4) Brandon Royval.

Horiguchi is 9-1 with the UFC in total but is 2-0 since being signed back with the promotion in 2025. The former RIZIN flyweight champion has defeated (#14) Tagir Ulanbekov and (#7) Amir Albazi in his second stint with the promotion. Both fighters are ascending and with a victory could likely fight for the title. Since Taira just gave a good showing for the strap he’d be the obvious choice for the loser. This bout could even potentially be on the same card as the flyweight championship bout to line the winner up to take on the Flyweight Champ.

Tatsuro’s next fight: (#2) Manel Kape vs. (#5) Kyoji Horiguchi loser

Waldo Cortes-Acosta

(#2) Alexander Volkov turned in an excellent performance, despite a little chaos late, to capture a unanimous decision victory over (#4) Waldo Cortes-Acosta on Saturday night. The defeat cooled off the 2022 Contender Series Alum as it snapped a 3-fight win streak. Cortes-Acosta is now 10-3 with the UFC. His other losses are to Marcos Rogerio de Lima and Sergei Pavlovich. Heading into this fight he had stopped Ante Delija, Shamil Gaziev and most recently, Derrick Lewis.

Curtis Blaydes Matchup

For his next fight Waldo should take on Curtis Blaydes. Curtis was previously matched up with the winner of Shamil Gaziev vs. Brando Pericic winner on the UFC 327 losers article. Perhaps that matchup isn’t the best option seeing Brando end up getting the stoppage victory over Shamil along with the heavyweight ranking of #15.  Giving Blaydes a fighter like Waldo seems more appropriate. And it seems like a good step for Waldo as well after a loss to top ranked Volkov. Blaydes is 2-3 in his last five. Those three losses came to (#3) Sergei Pavlovich, UFC Heavyweight Champion, Tom Aspinal and most recently (#5) Josh Hokit. He’s beat Jailton Alemdia and (#8) Rizvan Kuniev in that stretch. This could be on the main card of a PPV and gives fans a striker vs. grappler matchup between two top-level heavyweights.

Josh Hokit Matchup

Good backup fight here, if everything falls into place for it, would be (#5) Josh Hokit. Josh is a 2025 Contender Series alum and is just 3-0 with the promotion.  If he gets through Derrick Lewis on short turnaround he’d still need another legitimate win. Especially before unlocking a matchup with the upper echelon on the division. Cortes-Acosta could be that name. But only if it materializes right. That fight goes down on June 14.

Waldo’s next fight:  (#7) Curtis Blaydes or (#5) Josh Hokit if he beats (#9) Derrick Lewis 

Joaquin Buckley

(#6) Sean Brady used his grappling prowess on the main card of UFC 328 on Saturday to find the unanimous decision victory opposite of (#9) Joaquin Buckley. This loss marks just the second time Buckley has been on a losing streak in his 29-fight career (the other being 2022 when he lost to Naasourdine Imavov and then Chris Curtis). Stings for Buckley as before this 2-fight skid he was riding a 6-fight wins streak with included stoppages over former title challengers in Stephen Thompson and Colby Covington.

Gabriel Bonfim Matchup

For his next fight, Joaquin Buckley should take on Gabriel Bonfim if he loses to Belal Muhammad. That fight is scheduled for June 6th so the timing would be great. Bonfim is 6-1 with the promotion with his only loss coming to Nicolas Dalby in 2023. Since then, Bonfim has racked up four in a row including finishes against Khaos Williams and most recently, Randy Brown. Bonfim also has a win over Stephen Thompson in that stretch. It’d also offer fans a great standup matchup. If former welterweight champion Belal Muhammad loses, not sure the grappling aspect would be a good option for Buckley considering the outcome of UFC 328.

Yaroslav Amosov Matchup

Good backup option here would be Yaroslav Amosov. Yarolsav is a former Bellator Welterweight title Challenger a promotion where he went 8-1. Amosov is 2-0 with the UFC since his signing last year. Yaroslav has stopped Neil Magny and on the undercard of UFC 328 he took two rounds to submit Joel Alvarez with an arm triangle choke. Don’t sleep on this matchup. It could be a viable option for the promotion if they’d like to push Amosov at all. Could be a co main or a main of a fight night or a PPV opener/ feature prelim.

Joaquin’s next fight: (#10) Gabriel Bonfim if he loses to (#5) Belal Muhammad or (#14) Yaroslav Amosov

Jeremy Stephens

King Green looked as sharp as ever showing off his signature striking before electing to get the job done on the ground via a late first round submission victory over Jeremy Stephens at UFC 328. Jeremy’s 36th UFC showing went from bad to worse, first 4 lbs. heavy and then proceeded to get finished. Stephens also lost his UFC return last year in a unanimous decision to Mason Jones. Since that fight he suffered a stoppage opposite of Mike Perry during a Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship bout.

Seemed like Stephens was ready to call it a career after his bout with Green as he removed his gloves. But if he gets another bout in with the UFC a perfect option would be a fighter like Jared Gordon. Jared also suffered a submission defeat on the UFC 328 card. Jim Miller took under a round to catch Jared in a guillotine to bring Gordon to 9-8 with the UFC. Gordon has lost three of his last four bouts. Losses in this stretch include Nasrat Haqparast, Rafa Garcia and now Jim Miller. Walking back a previous losers article matchup here, as an Alexander Hernandez bout just doesn’t make much sense here even though he also is coming off a loss to Rafa Garcia too. Gordon shares three common oppeonts with Stephens: King Green, Charles Olivera and Jim Miller. All losses- except Green vs. Gordon ending via NC

Jeremy’s next bout: Retirement or Jared Gordon

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Joshua Van entered UFC 328 as the promotion’s flyweight champion, with a whole host of questions surrounding his legitimacy. That’s what happens when you win the title off of an injury, as Van did against Alexandre Pantoja late last year. Against Tatsuro Taira, however, there was no such injury, and while some including Taira may feel the fight ended early, there wasn’t too much controversy on Saturday.

Taira started strong, using his wrestling until Van erupted and knocked the Japanese challenger down. Taira suddenly found himself under fire but miraculously recovered and even managed to land some takedowns later in the same round. Then, in the fifth, Van dug the body and eventually landed enough punches for the ref to come in and wave off the fight, though Taira would protest.

The bout earned Fight of the Night honors on Saturday, UFC CEO and Dana White told media outlets including Cageside Press after the fight. A better fight than Khamzat Chimaev vs. Sean Strickland, a decent bout that was perhaps overhyped in the build-up.

Performance of the Night bonuses, meanwhile, went to 42-year old Jim Miller, and former Bellator welterweight champ Yaroslav Amosov. Miller snatched the neck of Jared Gordon, locking up a guillotine choke inside of a round. Amosov for his part submitted Joel Alvarez.

All four bonuses winners collect $100,000 U.S., while the night’s other finishers earn $25,000. Those include King Green, Ateba Gautier, Grant Dawson, and Baisangur Susurkaev. Attendence at UFC 328 was 17,783 for a gate of $7.5 million U.S., breaking the UFC’s own record for gate at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

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After surviving early grappling pressure from Tatsuro Taira, Van turned the tide with sharp boxing and relentless pressure, eventually overwhelming the challenger on his way to a late stoppage to retain his title at UFC 328 on Saturday night.

Round 1 – Taira opened the fight behind a sharp jab and quick calf kicks, wasting no time setting the tone. Before Van could even get going, Taira shot in on a takedown, bringing him down quickly and falling straight into mount.

Round 2 – Taira opened with a jab, and Van fired right back. Taira shot in on a double-leg, transitioned to a single, but Van defended well. As they broke, Taira landed a knee on the exit.

Round 3 – Van came out with confidence, establishing his jab early and repeatedly finding a home for it as Taira struggled to answer on the feet. Even with the threat of a takedown, Van stayed aggressive, pressing forward and dictating the pace.

Showing little respect for Taira’s striking, Van pumped out a steady stream of jabs. When Taira shot in, Van met him with a clean knee that rocked the challenger and shifted the momentum decisively.

Sensing the opening, Van began to hunt for the finish. A big right hand landed moments later, further hurting Taira and making it feel like the end was near.

That moment came shortly after, as a stiff jab dropped Taira. Van followed him to the ground and unleashed heavy ground-and-pound in search of the stoppage.

Taira managed to get back to his feet, but Van dragged him down again and briefly threatened with a rear-naked choke that looked more like a neck crank. Taira showed toughness, surviving and working his way upright once more.

Taira then shot a sloppy takedown, and Van made him pay with a sharp right hand. Still, Taira persisted, shooting again and finally securing a takedown with just 18 seconds remaining in the round.

Round 4 – Taira came out firing his jab, and then a heavy calf kick. He landed on Van who popped him with a big shot that forced the takedown from Taira. Taira scored the takedown with Van getting the butterfly guard quickly.

Taira took mount again looking for a submission, and he was able to get Van away fromt he fence which was bad news for the champion. Van tried to power out of the position again, but four rounds in, the gas tank was not what it was in the early rounds.

Taira began to set up submissions, landed an elbow and a right hand, and Van fought to get up, but Taira jumped a triangle choke. Taira worked to adjust the choke, but Van powered out of it and back to his feet.

Van went back to work with his jab, and Taira was taking it.

Taira worked the calf kick, but nowhere near the pace he needed to. He shot in for a takedown, got stuffed but got Van to the fence. Van got away from him and landed shots to end the round.

Round 5 – Taira opened with the first jab, and Van answered with one of his own. Van began to build off it, landing sharp right hands behind the jab, though Taira remained composed and willing to trade.

Taira then shot in on a takedown, but it was stuffed, allowing Van to create space. Van followed with a slick combination that Taira absorbed before the challenger attempted another takedown, which was again defended. Taira then shifted to the body, looking to change levels in his attack.

Moments later, Van landed a crushing right hand that rocked Taira and brought the fight to an end.

Taira protested the stoppage, but the referee’s decision stood.

Joshua Van remained champion.

Official Result: Joshua Van def. Tatsuro Taira via R5 TKO, 1:32

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You’ve heard those words all week long no doubt. “Heated grudge match.” UFC CEO and President Dana White claimed the rivalry was “top three” as far as what he’s experienced in his time heading up the promotion. That might be a bit of promotional hyperbole, but Strickland had called Chimaev every name in the book, alleged that he was a terrorist, and threatened to shoot the champ’s crew should they jump him ahead of the fight.

Strickland, who previously threatened to murder another opponent, Dricus Du Plessis, prior to their fight a couple of years ago, is no stranger to controversy. Rarely, however, has any opponent seemingly got under the skin of Chimaev, who lost his cool at Thursday’s press conference and fired a kick towards Strickland that either strayed, or was aimed, a little low.

All of that overshadowed a next generation style flyweight title fight in the co-main event, with Joshua Van looking to defend his title for the first time against Tatsuro Taira. Two Asian stars, two fighters born post-2000 (a promotional first), with Alexandre Pantoja nearing his return from injury and Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Manel Kape fast approaching. A big moment for the flyweight division, which feels like it has several options moving forward.

Following UFC 328 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ on Saturday, tune in for the night’s post-fight press conference above.

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That lone fighter was Jeremy Stephens, coming in four pounds heavy for his lightweight fight with fellow veteran King Green. Not a good spot for “Lil Heathen” to find himself in, after being defeated by Mason Jones a year ago in his first fight back with the UFC.

Khamzat Chimaev, putting his title on the line against ex-middleweight champ Sean Strickland, meanwhile, made weight last on Friday. He was on and off the scales quick, leading Strickland to claim that he hadn’t made weight at all. The war of words between the two had hit a boiling point during Fight Week, leading to Chimaev throwing a kick at Strickland during the pair’s first face-off on Thursday.

All that is in the past as we head towards Fight Night! Catch highlights from Friday’s weigh-ins below.

UFC 328: Chimaev vs. Strickland Weigh-In Results

Main card

Middleweight: Khamzat Chimaev (c) (185) vs. Sean Strickland (185) – for the UFC middleweight championship
Flyweight: Joshua Van (c) (125) vs. Tatsuro Taira (125) – for the UFC flyweight championship
Heavyweight: Alexander Volkov (257) vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta (264)
Welterweight: Sean Brady (170) vs. Joaquin Buckley (170)
Lightweight: King Green (155) vs. Jeremy Stephens (160)*

Preliminary card

Middleweight: Ateba Gautier (185) vs. Osman Diaz (186)
Welterweight: Joel Álvarez (170) vs. Yaroslav Amosov (170)
Lightweight: Grant Dawson (156) vs. Mateusz Rębecki (156)
Lightweight: Jim Miller (155) vs. Jared Gordon (156)

Early preliminary card

Middleweight: Roman Kopylov (185) vs. Marco Tulio (186)
Featherweight: Pat Sabatini (145) vs. William Gomis (145)
Middleweight: Baisangur Susurkaev (186) vs. Djorden Santos (186)
Flyweight: Clayton Carpenter (126) vs. Jose Ochoa (125)

* Jeremy Stephens weighed in 4 pounds heavy for his fight with King Green

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Strickland has been doing Strickland things ahead of the fight, calling Chimaev a “terrorist” (due in part to his ties with Chechen dictator Ramzat Kadyrov), and threatening to shoot the champion and his team should they engage him physically prior to the fight. Chimaev, for his part, has taken it all in stride, simply calling Strickland a clown and releasing footage of the pair sparring together previously.

Whether the feud is legitimate or manufactured, it certainly has fans talking, though whether that leads to them actually watching is another matter. There seems to be a bit of UFC fatigue in the air at the moment, with the upcoming Freedom 250 card met with eye rolls due to the inherent political angle, and Strickland’s particular brand of “say anything” seems to be turning off as many fans as it attracts. With that in mind, the event has yet to sell out, though talk of “blue dot fever” may be premature, given that as of Wednesday, only small pockets of seats remained.

Also on the card, a flyweight title fight between Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira, the return of veteran Jim Miller, and a possible heavyweight contenders fight in Alexander Volkov vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta.

Weigh-ins for UFC 328 take place Friday morning starting at 9PM ET, 6AM PT. Results can be found below.

Veteran Jeremy Stephens weighed in with a barrier on Friday but still missed weight. All others hit the mark for UFC 328.

UFC 328: Chimaev vs. Strickland Weigh-In Results

Main card

Middleweight: Khamzat Chimaev (c) (185) vs. Sean Strickland (185) – for the UFC middleweight championship
Flyweight: Joshua Van (c) (125) vs. Tatsuro Taira (125) – for the UFC flyweight championship
Heavyweight: Alexander Volkov (257) vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta (264)
Welterweight: Sean Brady (170) vs. Joaquin Buckley (170)
Lightweight: King Green (155) vs. Jeremy Stephens (160)*

Preliminary card

Middleweight: Ateba Gautier (185) vs. Osman Diaz (186)
Welterweight: Joel Álvarez (170) vs. Yaroslav Amosov (170)
Lightweight: Grant Dawson (156) vs. Mateusz Rębecki (156)
Lightweight: Jim Miller (155) vs. Jared Gordon (156)

Early preliminary card

Middleweight: Roman Kopylov (185) vs. Marco Tulio (186)
Featherweight: Pat Sabatini (145) vs. William Gomis (145)
Middleweight: Baisangur Susurkaev (186) vs. Djorden Santos (186)
Flyweight: Clayton Carpenter (126) vs. Jose Ochoa (125)

* Jeremy Stephens weighed in 4 pounds heavy for his fight with King Green

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The match-up was originally booked for UFC 327 in Miami last month, only for Van to pull out due to injury. On the plus side, the fight was quickly rebooked. On the negative, Taira had supporters flying in from Japan to see him fight. They had to change travel plans, from Miami to Newark.

“It’s not easy, but my team always supported me, so my supporters, my friends were flying all the way from Okinawa to watch my fight,” noted Taira on Wednesday. “The postponement was tough for them.”

Van, in his own media day appearance on Wednesday, suggested that the UFC 328 co-main event was the biggest ever for Asian fight fans, given both champ and challenger are Asian-born: Van in Myanmar, Taira in Japan.

Taira agrees with that assessment. “It’s very important, this fight, for Asia. I think we have to improve more, and simply want to spread more of the UFC to Japan and Asia,” he told media outlets including Cageside Press.

As for Van’s win over Alexandre Pantoja, which came early in their fight last December when the champ went down due to injury, Taira suggest that given the circumstances, “we have to prove who’s the real champion [in] this fight.”

Should he come out of UFC 328 victorious, it’s the Brazilian Tatsuro Taira wants to defend against. “I think Pantoja first.”

Watch the full UFC 328 media day appearance by Tatsuro Taira above.

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Instead, Van vs. Taira has been shifted to UFC 328 the following month, pairing it up with a middleweight title fight between Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland.

News of Van vs. Taira falling off UFC 327 was first reported by MMA Fighting on Saturday. During Saturday night’s UFC Vegas 115 broadcast, promotion officials announced that the bout had been moved to the New Jersey card the following month.

UFC 328 takes place on May 9, 2026 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.

The nature of the injury, which was reportedly suffered by Van, has not been disclosed. Azamat Murzakanov vs. Paulo Costa was subsequently announced as the co-main event for UFC 327, which takes place at the Kaseya Center in Miami. Jiri Prochazka vs. Carlos Ulberg headlines.

Van (16-2) is looking to make the first defense of his flyweight title, which he won back in December when then-champ Alexandre Pantoja went down early due to injury in their title fight. Japan’s Taira (18-1), meanwhile, has been in contention for a while now, having posted an 8-1 record in the UFC’s flyweight division since joining the promotion in 2022.

Taira has earned four post-fight bonuses since his arrival in the UFC.

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Van will face off against Tatsuro Taira at UFC 327 on April 11, 2026 in Miami, Florida. The flyweight champ announced the news himself during the UFC Houston Fan Q&A, after the bout had been the subject of rumors from the likes of Krazy Kev MMA on social media.

Van claimed flyweight gold during a bizarre scene at UFC 323, when reigning champion Alexandre Pantoja injured his arm early in their co-main event fight. While not the way anyone wanted to see the bout end, it did cap off an incredible year for Van, who also notched wins over Rei Tsuruya, Bruno Silva, and Brandon Royval.

Overall, the 24-year old American of Burmese descent sits on a six-fight win streak.

Japan’s Taira is 8-1 inside the octagon since arriving in the UFC in 2022. His lone loss came against Brandon Royval in late 2024, but he’s bounced back with impressive wins over Park Hyun-Sung and most recently former champ Brandon Moreno.

Taira is one of two highly-skilled Japanese UFC flyweight contenders at the moment, alongside recently returned star and former Bellator/RIZIN champ Kyoji Horiguchi.

Van vs. Taira is expected to serve as the co-main event of UFC 327 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Floria.

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Petr Yan

As Merab Dvalishvili was attempting to pull off something that had never been done, it was Petr Yan who ended up writing a piece of history. Before UFC 323, none of the two-time champions had ever regained their title after surmounting a three-fight losing streak. The man who was near the top of the pound-for-pound list in 2021 incomprehensibly threw away his belt with a stupid illegal strike. He then lost consecutive split decisions that were each a punch or two away from going his way. That skid was topped by Dvalishvili who thoroughly defeated him, blanking him on the scorecards. By that point, “No Mercy” was already two years removed from losing his belt and looked further away from it than ever. Years or specific training and game-planning for an eventual rematch with the Georgian “Machine” finally paid off on Saturday as Yan put on one of the greatest performances in a title fight by a challenger in recent memory. He beat Goliath, slayed the dragon, however you want to refer to it.

As Yan will undoubtedly skyrocket back up the pound-for-pound list, he has to know the job isn’t done yet. Yes, Umar Nurmagomedov and Sean O’Malley could slide in should they get a nice win in January. However, assuming Merab’s activity stays reasonable, those two will have to meet again.

Yan’s next fight: Merab Dvalishvili

Joshua Van

Some will refuse to count this as a legitimate win for Joshua Van, but on paper, the 24-year-old from Myanmar is your new flyweight champion. This anti-climactic ending has unfortunately thrown cold water on what has been a phenomenal year for Van. Time will tell whether Pantoja can heal and turn around in time to reasonably be Van’s next opponent. If he can, there’s no reason to not simply wait and book it again. If not, Van should be fighting Tatsuro Taira next. I understand that a lot of people will be on the Kyoji Horiguchi train, but I would prefer to have Kyoji win another fight because I don’t see a win over Tagir Ulanbekov warranting a title shot. The man who might insert himself in this conversation is Manel Kape, should he put on a standout performance against Brandon Royval this weekend.

Van’s next fight: Alexandre Pantoja if available (or Tatsuro Taira)

Tatsuro Taira

Say what will about the stoppage, Taira was dealing and looking like a million bucks. While I do believe referee Mark Smtih stopped the action a tad early, it doesn’t affect my read on the fight since I personally don’t think it impacted the outcome of the bout. Brandon Moreno grabbed a triangle in the first round and held it for almost its entirety. But Taira stayed calm, defended the submission attempt and got out of it. As soon as round 2 started, it was all Taira. After learning valuable lessons from his five-round banger with Royval last fall, the Japanese uber prospect appears to be putting it all together, which is a scary thought for the rest of the division since he’s still only 25.

With Pantoja’s timeline still unclear, I can’t tell who will be the champion by the time Taira gets his title shot, but one thing if clear in my mind: his next fight should be for a title.

Taira’s next fight: Title shot

Payton Talbott

What a way for Payton Talbott to end 2025. The man who laid an egg in January as a -1000 betting favourite against Raoni Barcelos outwrestled Henry Cejudo. After surrendering eight takedowns to Barcelos earlier this year, Talbott’s stock took a massive hit. So much so that he was the underdog coming into his next fight against Felipe Lima. He already looked a lot improved in that win in June and even more so after putting a beating on the former double champion Cejudo. A rocky start to the year, but it now feels like we can strap a rocket to the 27-year-old who has shown massive improvements in such a small time frame.

The UFC seems to be looking for stars as they will want to pull in viewers to start their new broadcast deal with Paramount. Talbott seems to have star potential, so I would imagine the promotion will look to give him fights that would favour him on paper. Someone like Marlon Vera, who is on a losing skid, or Rob Font, who is 38, could make sense. I wouldn’t hate a Barcelos rematch. They could also look to give him Sean O’Malley, a fellow star who’s been hinting at perhaps leaving the sport sooner than later, but that could be too much too soon. That’s why I like the idea of matching him up with Aiemann Zahabi. The Canadian is ranked inside the top 10, on a win streak, but is 38 and has arguably lost his last two fights.

Talbott’s next fight: Aiemann Zahabi

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