The pound-for-pound king, Islam Makhachev, added a jewel to his crown on Saturday, cruising past Ian Machado Garry with a five-round unanimous decision victory in the main event at UFC 330 on Saturday night. In the crowd, a pair of potential opponents for the next title shot were watching it all go down. Carlos Prates and Michael Morales, two of the most exciting fighters in MMA, have to be on the top of the UFC’s list of welterweight challengers, but which one should get the first look?
The next opponent for strawweight champion Mackenzie Dern seems obvious — and legacy-building. After dismantling Gillian Robertson in the co-main event to earn the biggest win of her career to date, Dern should get former strawweight champion Zhang Weili next, but it’s still unknown whether Zhang will come back to strawweight after her failed attempt to capture flyweight gold last year. If not Zhang — which is still a possibility — what options are left for Dern?
Let’s take a look at the most-likely scenarios and a wild card for Makhachev, Dern and their UFC 330 opponents.
Islam Makhachev, welterweight champion
Who should be next: Carlos Prates
It’s either Prates or Morales next for Makhachev. Both are deserving of a title shot, but Prates is the far more enticing option at the moment. Morales is an exciting fighter at 19-0 and riding three first-round finishes, but Prates’s UFC strength of record is stronger than Morales’s at this point, even with a loss to Ian Machado Garry mixed in there. Let’s be real, Prates has more hype and intrigue around him than just about every other MMA fighter, period, so I vote for Prates. It is one of the biggest fights the UFC could make right now.
Wild card: Morales
Morales did weigh in as the backup for the UFC 330 main event, which sometimes doesn’t mean anything — but sometimes does. Makhachev vs. Morales would be a heck of a fight. I still give Prates the edge, but no one will be too disappointed if this is the next welterweight title matchup.
Ian Machado Garry, welterweight
Who should be next: Gabriel Bonfim
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Matchmaking Machado Garry is challenging because he has fought many of his ranked peers and is coming off a failed title bid. A Jack Della Maddalena pairing feels appropriate, albeit not terribly exciting. Personally, I like Bonfim a lot more. Bonfim doesn’t have the aura of Prates or Morales yet, but he’s not far off. Bonfim looks the part of another young welterweight who’s going to be involved in important fights for years to come. Machado Garry would be a step up in competition for him, even though he’s coming off a win over former champion Belal Muhammad. If Bonfim can get past Sean Brady in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Nov. 7, I want to see him in a matchup that could elevate him to knockout artist status. And I want to see how Machado Garry can respond to another dangerous up-and-comer.
Wild card: Morales
If the UFC gives Prates the next title shot, it’s doubtful Morales will wait around for the winner. Picture a card in which Makhachev vs. Prates is the main event and Machado Garry vs. Morales is the co-main event. Or back-to-back weekends in which Makhachev vs. Prates is a numbered card main event and Machado Garry vs. Morales is a UFC Fight Night main event. Who says no to that?
Mackenzie Dern, strawweight champion
Who should be next: Zhang Weili
It’s obvious. And it’s an unfortunate situation for Dern, who has no control over whether Zhang fights at strawweight again. But as long as there is ambiguity around her future, it’s almost as if Dern is keeping Zhang’s spot atop the division warm until she returns. There’s a chance that the narrative dies down after Dern’s performance against Robertson on Saturday. Sure, the five-round bout ended with Dern losing the final frame, but she was otherwise extremely dominant against a tough opponent. No one is going to definitively say Dern is the best strawweight in the world, though, until she fights Zhang or Zhang announces she’s never going back to 115 pounds. Dern deserves an answer in the near future.If Zhang Weili, right, doesn’t return to strawweight, Tatiana Suarez, left, could be in line for the next title shot. Suarez lost her first championship fight to Zhang last year. Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLCWild card: Tatiana Suarez
If Zhang does not return to try and reclaim her title, it’s all systems go for Dern vs. Suarez. World-class Brazilian jiu-jitsu vs. world-class wrestling. It’s a stylistic matchup the sport has wanted to see for years. It hasn’t come together for a variety of reasons — Suarez’s health, a Dern setback, bad timing — but a matchup between these two has always been inevitable. If Dern doesn’t get the Zhang fight, this fight is a nice consolation.
Gillian Robertson, strawweight
Who should be next: Mizuki
It’s kind of remarkable that Robertson had 20 fights in the UFC before getting her first title shot. Knowing that, you would think she must have fought pretty much everyone in the top 10 by now. In reality, she hasn’t fought any of the top-ranked women around her, so there are plenty of fresh matchups to choose for her next bout. Admittedly, I’m looking a little further down the list than is probably appropriate. Mizuki is currently the UFC’s No. 10-ranked strawweight, but she’s new to the rankings. There’s excitement around her that is lacking for some of the more established names in the division. She’s also a strong grappler, so, matchup-wise, this one feels like the most fun.
Wild card: Virna Jandiroba
Going strictly by rankings, this matchup makes a lot of sense. Robertson and Jandiroba are the last two title challengers to come up short against Dern, so it would make sense to pair them together since both are going to need wins to get back into the title picture. But it does feel less exciting than the Mizuki matchup, doesn’t it?
Jalin Turner, lightweight
Jalin Turner, right, could be ready for a top-15 opponent after he knocked out Kaue Fernandes in 39 seconds at UFC 330. Chris Unger/Zuffa LLCWho should be next: Rafael Fiziev
Turner’s potential has always been worth getting excited. It’s taken longer than expected for his game to come together — and even now, it’s too early to say it has necessarily come together — but it’s trending in that direction. When Turner has a good night, it’s the kind of performance that jumps off the screen. I’m all for throwing him right back into the lightweight top-15 mix. His first run into ranked competition didn’t go well, resulting in a 1-4 skid and a short retirement in 2025. But he reset and is now on back-to-back first-round finishes. Fiziev, somewhat similarly, has had mixed results in ranked competition. Both need to prove exactly where they stand in top matchups. It would make sense to have them prove it against each other.
Wild card: Farés Ziam
Like Turner, Ziam has been highly touted at points in his UFC career. He’s coming off a lackluster performance in upset decision loss to Tom Nolan his last time out. The French lightweight is set up for a potential rebound against Axel Sola next month in Paris. If he looks good, he’ll still be in the rankings and the future will look bright. Turner vs. Ziam would be a fun matchup between two guys who have flashed tremendous potential in their respective careers.
