Brett OkamotoFeb 1, 2026, 12:00 PM ETCloseBrett Okamoto has reported on mixed martial arts and boxing at ESPN since 2010. He has covered all of the biggest events in combat sports during that time, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre. He was also a producer on the 30 for 30 film: “Chuck and Tito,” which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare time.Follow on XMultiple Authors
Alexander Volkanovski put to bed any suggestion that his win over Diego Lopes last April was a fluke when he defeated Lopes again at UFC 325 in Sydney on Saturday. With that settled, attention now turns to who could beat Volkanovski. Two names immediately come to mind, but to get to Volk, they may have to go through one another.
With big wins of their own, lightweights Benoît Saint Denis, Mauricio Ruffy and Quillan Salkilld each took major steps toward establishing themselves among the division’s elite. Lucky for them, matchmaking options are plentiful at 155 pounds. Take a look at who we foresee as the next opponents for the stars of UFC 325.
If Volkanovski decides he really wants to fight again in a matter of months, he’d need a challenger. And even though Evloev hasn’t fought in over a year, he is the No. 1 contender and Volkanovski wants to face him.
There’s animosity between these two, dating back to a press conference last spring when they went back and forth over Lopes’ ties to Mexico. Rodriguez has had trouble staying active throughout his career and he’s been dealing with a hand injury as of late. But if he can be ready to go in a reasonable timeframe, this is 100% the fight to make.
This fight is doubtful because I don’t see Oliveira or Holloway having any interest in it. Sometimes the UFC will try to force a matchup, but I don’t think even the promotion would see sense in this one. The winner of the BMF title fight at UFC 326 will absolutely be looking for a bigger fight than Saint Denis — but depending on what happens, they might not have a choice. For his part, Saint Denis was smart to call for the BMF winner in his postfight interview.
Not too long ago, Turner was being viewed as a potential title hopeful. Then he lost four of five fights and even “retired” for a minute before getting back in the win column in December against Edson Barboza. Is Turner back for real and ready to make a run, or is he on borrowed time, less than a year removed from announcing an MMA departure? We could find out in a matchup like this.
The UFC hasn’t announced a bout between Evloev and Murphy, but it’s a strong possibility — and at this point, it makes sense. Volkanovski likes quick turnarounds, but at 37 years old, it would be appropriate for him to take time before jumping right back into camp. And to make Volkanovski’s next title defense as big as possible, let’s be honest, Evloev and Murphy both need a win first. They’re both deserving of a title shot, but neither fighter is terribly exciting at the moment. Perhaps a fight between them would give UFC fans a true, exciting, No. 1 contender.
Anything outside of a title opportunity feels like a slight to Tsarukyan, but that’s where we’re at. He’s not getting a title shot next, outside of something really wild taking place. So, what then? Saint Denis has now entered similar territory. It doesn’t make sense for him to fight down in the rankings, other than simply to stay active. It’s not a perfect situation for either of these guys, frankly. The entire division is logjammed, with champion Ilia Topuria on a leave of absence, an interim belt in the mix and two monster names, Charles Oliveira and Max Holloway, still ranked in the top 5. Unless Saint Denis and Tsarukyan both want to sit and wait, they’ll need to keep taking fights, and this one undoubtedly makes the most sense.
Ruffy called out the likes of McGregor and Paddy Pimblett, which is smart and may come to fruition. At the moment, I don’t see either lining up. So if Ruffy can’t get the big name (throw Chandler in there as well), the next best thing is to continue to solidify himself as a legitimate contender against the established names of the division. Dariush is as established as they come, even though he’s likely near the end of his career. Dariush needs to defend his ranking, and Ruffy is one of the bigger figures knocking on the door.
How much hype can one fight have, right? It’s hard to temper excitement for a young talent such as Salkilld. He’s a well-rounded finisher with plenty of charisma — and has performed well under the spotlight. The UFC has a million matchmaking options for Salkilld and might elect to take the slow approach. Personally, I wouldn’t. A matchup against another high-octane finisher such as Torres would be electrifying and could already serve as a main event. Torres is 5-1 in the UFC with five first-round knockouts. The UFC is always in need of a star, and one way or another, a star would emerge from this matchup.
Brett OkamotoFeb 1, 2026, 12:00 PM ETCloseBrett Okamoto has reported on mixed martial arts and boxing at ESPN since 2010. He has covered all of the biggest events in combat sports during that time, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre. He was also a producer on the 30 for 30 film: “Chuck and Tito,” which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare time.Follow on XMultiple Authors
CloseBrett Okamoto has reported on mixed martial arts and boxing at ESPN since 2010. He has covered all of the biggest events in combat sports during that time, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre. He was also a producer on the 30 for 30 film: “Chuck and Tito,” which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare time.Follow on X
Who should be next: Winner of Movsar Evloev vs. Lerone Murphy
Wild card: Winner of Josh Emmett vs. Kevin Vallejos on March 14
Wild card: Winner of Oliveira vs. Holloway at UFC 326