UFC 321 is now one for the books and unfortunately, it didn’t live up to expectations. In the main event, Ciryl Gane poked Tom Aspinall in both eyes in the first round, leading to a no-contest. The co-main event didn’t provide an instant classic either, however, we do at least have a new strawweight champion in Mackenzie Dern.

Umar Nurmagomedov got the better of Mario Bautista, rebounding from his loss last time out to the champion and Alexander Volkov narrowly got the nod over Jailton Almedia in a fight that bored fans.

You can check out our full UFC 321 breakdown here:

We take a look at some of the winners from UFC 321 and predict what could be next for them in 2026… or sooner.

UFC 321 – Fights to Make
Tom Aspinall vs Ciryl Gane 2

This one goes without saying. The two men hardly got going before the eye poke stopped things. The fight was just warming up to a fascinating heavyweight clash with the champion, Aspinall, seemingly on the back foot and needing to adjust.

Book it for the final PPV of the year in December… if Aspinall’s eyes are healthy.

Mackenzie Dern vs Tatiana Suarez

There are serious questions as to whether Mackenzie Dern is truly the best 115lbs fighter on the planet, despite holding the belt. With that being said, she’s now the hunted in the division.

Dern’s next outing largely depends on the co-main event of UFC 322. If Zhang Weili loses to Valentina Shevchenko, there’s a chance she moves back down to try and win her belt back. If she wins, Tatiana Suarez vs Mackenzie Dern is the fight to make.

August 5, 2023, Nashville, Tennessee, USA: TATIANA SUAREZ celebrates her win during a Women’s Strawweight bout during UFC Fight Night at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Nashville USA – ZUMAr187 20230805_zsp_r187_043 Copyright: xJustinxRenfroex

Both have great back stories, would provide an intriguing clash of styles and, more than anything, it would be competitive. Once Dern is healthy, get her back out against Suarez.

Umar Nurmagomedov vs Sean O’Malley or Merab Dvalishvili 2

This one isn’t as straightforward as many think. The logical pick would be to book Umar Nurmagomedov vs Merab Dvalishvili 2, again for the belt. The two men originally met in January, with the champion retaining his belt. Despite what many think, the original fight wasn’t extremely competitive, with one judge having it 4-1 in favour of Merab.

January 18, 2025, Inglewood, California, USA: MERAB DVALISHVILI 19-4-0 of Tbilisi, Georgia defeats UMAR NURMAGOMEDOV 18-1-0 of Kizilyurt, Russia by unanimous decision 48-47, 48-47, 49-46 during UFC 311 at the Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California Inglewood USA – ZUMAo117 20250118_zsp_o117_099 Copyright: xMikaelxOnax

Does Nurmagomedov deserve a title shot off the back of just one win at UFC 321 over Bautista? It’s a hard sell and without a doubt, if he didn’t have the surname ‘Nurmagomedov’ he’d struggle to get the rematch so soon. Of course, it all depends on whether Merab gets the better of Petr Yan at UFC 323. If Yan wins, a trilogy bout would be inevitable.

If this happens, book Sean O’Malley vs Umar Nurmagomedov. O’Malley is without a win in his last two bouts, however, is still one of the most talented, dangerous and marketable men at 135lbs. Ranked #2, only behind Nurmagomedov, O’Malley needs a big fight next to get him back in the title picture. Even if Merab defeats Yan, O’Malley vs Nurmagomedov could be the fight to make.

Alexander Volkov vs Aspinall vs Gane 2 Winner

Alexander Volkov is in a difficult position. He’s 1-1 in his last two fights, however, the win over Almedia at UFC 321 wasn’t convincing at all. He’s deserving of a title shot as he was arguably on the wrong end of a wrong decision against Gane in December of last year. If he would have got that win, he would be on a six fight winning run.

In a shallow heavyweight division, Volkov could be the next contender; however, he will have to sit out until the division becomes more settled.

Azamat Murzakanov vs Khalil Rountree

It doesn’t get any easier for Khalil Rountree, but unfortunately, that’s the UFC. The former title contender put up a great fight against Alex Pereira when the two fought for the belt, rebounded against Jamahal Hill and was winning against Jiri Prochazka until being stopped. He can’t fight ‘up’ the rankings coming off a loss, so the only logical fight for him is the in-form Azamat Murzakanov.

The undefeated Russian was unlucky not to get a performance bonus for his brutal first-round knockout of Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 321, however, it did cement his legitimacy in the eyes of fans.

With scary knockout power, good takedown defence and without time to waste, Murzakanov needs to make a title push as soon as possible… and Rountree provides just that.

Other Fights to Make from UFC 321

Quillan Salkilld vs Alexander Hernandez

Ikram Aliskerov vs Joe Pyfer

Ludovit Klein vs Chase Hooper

Valter Walker vs Mick Parkin

Nathaniel Wood vs Giga Chikadze

Mitch Raposo vs Lone’er Kavanagh

Mizuki Inoue vs Loma Lookboonmee