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<\/a><\/p>\nSALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – OCTOBER 03: Natalia Silva of Brazil walks with the flyweight title belt after defeating Wang Cong of China in their flyweight bout during UFC 332: Silva v Wang at Delta Center on October 03, 2026 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Alex Goodlett\/Getty Images) Getty Images<\/p>\n
1. Is Natalia Silva the true UFC flyweight champion?<\/p>\n
As the creator of the Natty Ice nickname, even I can\u2019t justify a yes answer here. Still, she was the fighter who deserved to have her day in court against Valentina Shevchenko, and now that fight just added a little bit of extra with Val chasing.<\/p>\n
But let\u2019s be perfectly clear \u2014 there\u2019s no world where I\u2019m jumping Silva over Shevchenko in the rankings. Congratulations to Silva; she earned her way to a title shot, and will go down in history as a world champion. But in a world where Shevchenko exists, we can\u2019t really bestow the \u201cundisputed\u201d moniker upon this reign.<\/p>\n
Oh, this is a serious question?<\/p>\n
All due credit to Silva, who put on a fine performance on Saturday to claim the vacant belt, but Shevchenko hasn\u2019t even been out for a year yet, and last I checked, she didn\u2019t lose her second title in the cage. Going by our own rankings system, Shevchenko would need to be out of action for another seven months before we removed her from the top spot, and I doubt Silva defends the title before Shevchenko comes back.<\/p>\n
I get it; the question is whether Silva is a true UFC champion, and by the strictest definition she is, but we can\u2019t realistically call her the best woman in the world at 125 pounds.<\/p>\n
Meshew: Wow, all of my colleagues are really down on this very important and very serious title that is absolutely not shambolic in any way\u2026<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, I will play the contrarian and disagree: Silva is the true flyweight champion, because Valentina Shevchenko isn\u2019t coming back.<\/p>\n
Honestly, I\u2019m not even sure I believe this anymore, and Shevchenko certainly isn\u2019t acting like she\u2019s gone forever, but I see no good reason for \u201cBullet\u201d to return to flyweight. She\u2019s already lapped the division to such an extent that, more than likely, no one will ever catch up to her various title records.<\/p>\n
Eventually someone will listen to me and realize that Shevchenko\u2019s future is in fighting the winner of Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes, because there is literally no one else for them to fight, and it will save all three women\u2019s weight classes<\/a>.<\/p>\n SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – OCTOBER 03: Payton Talbott reacts after a TKO victory against Deiveson Figueiredo of Brazil in a bantamweight fight during the UFC 332 event at Delta Center on October 03, 2026 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Jeff Bottari\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n 2. Is Payton Talbot a serious threat at 135 pounds?<\/p>\n Heck: It\u2019s a super tough question, isn\u2019t it? Not that long ago, he was getting the boots put to him by Raoni Barcelos (which is not a knock in ANY WAY), but bounced back from that with his career-best win, and then beat two guys who were way past their expiration date. Outside of injuring himself, Talbott had zero chance of losing either of those fights.<\/p>\n Ask me after his next fight \u2014 whether he gets Sandhagen, or Nurmagomedov, or Bautista, somebody that actually has a chance of beating him. Talbott is certainly talented and has the tools to be a threat, but too early to tell.<\/p>\n Lee: I\u2019m not convinced.<\/p>\n Sure, Talbott passes the eye test in a big way, so the potential is clearly there for him to develop into a champion someday. Someday. Right now, I wouldn\u2019t comfortably pick him to beat anyone in the top 10, and that includes his preferred callout, Sean O\u2019Malley. If that gets booked anytime soon, O\u2019Malley rinses him.<\/p>\n Sorry, but beating up smaller dudes on losing streaks doesn\u2019t wow me, even if we\u2019re talking about former champions Figueiredo and Cejudo. Kudos to Talbott for taking care of business, but he\u2019s still a ways away from being a true contender.<\/p>\n Martin: It sure looks that way, but he has to get through a higher level of opponent before we know for sure.<\/p>\n Talbott can now tout that he took out two former UFC champions in a row after thoroughly dominating Henry Cejudo and Deiveson Figueiredo in back-to-back fights. The problem is Cejudo was on his way out of the sport when he fought Talbott, and Figueiredo has looked like a shell of himself lately while competing as a very undersized bantamweight.<\/p>\n Talbott has the size, speed, and power to become an elite 135-pounder, but until he actually beats someone who doesn\u2019t look like they are one fight away from retirement, he\u2019s going to remain a prospect and not a contender.<\/p>\n Meshew: Yes, but not because he beat a Deiveson Figueiredo who did not seem to care much. We all love Figgy, but the game ain\u2019t in him no more.<\/p>\n Still, Talbott is a terrific prospect who is developing into a legit contender. He seems to have learned a lot from the Raoni Barcelos loss, and his speed, athleticism, and striking acumen mean he\u2019ll be a tough out for just about anyone in the division, assuming he continues to improve.<\/p>\n Bantamweight is a great division, and it\u2019s impossible to know who will end up making it to the top \u2014 heck, Song Yadong is only just now putting it together, and he\u2019s been around for ages. But Talbott has all the signs of fighting for a belt one day, and maybe winning it.<\/p>\n LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 30: Damian Pinas of Suriname reacts after a knockout victory against Vitor Costa of Brazil in a middleweight bout during Dana White\u2019s Contender Series season nine, week eight at UFC APEX on September 30, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n 3. Which prospect from this card do you think has the highest ceiling?<\/p>\n Heck: Despite having further questions, I\u2019ll still lean Talbott.<\/p>\n The fighting skills are one thing, and he has them. The UFC wanting to push him is another thing; he has that also. Having charisma and being interesting is another big thing, and he has those qualities as well.<\/p>\n It\u2019s the easy answer, as he\u2019s furthest along, and a guy who the UFC will likely give multiple chances to. From all of the guys on this list, Talbott, to me, has the best chance of winning a title.<\/p>\n Lee: Anthony Wint, you had my curiosity, but now you have my attention.<\/p>\n The matchmakers have done a fine job of building Wint up, booking him for his third fight in less than eight weeks, and against opposition the athletically gifted heavyweight can shine against. After blitzing Lucas Armand on Saturday, the undefeated Wint cut an assured and steady post-fight promo and later charmed reporters during his backstage scrum. He\u2019s making all the right moves, and it doesn\u2019t hurt that he\u2019s an absolute truck of a human being.<\/p>\n Now get this man to Madison Square Garden.<\/p>\n Martin: I mean, the world loves knockouts, and Damian Pinas delivered one of the most devastating finishes thus far in 2026 with his stunning uppercut to demolish Andrey Pulyaev at UFC 332.<\/p>\n Pinas really does have that mythical \u201cdeath touch\u201d where he just needs one shot to land, and you\u2019re not getting up again. Now he\u2019s only 3-0 in the UFC, so he doesn\u2019t have that much experience just yet, but he seems like he\u2019s ready to take the next step in competition. Hopefully, the UFC brings him along slowly but surely so Pinas could potentially develop into a threat in the top 10 at middleweight.<\/p>\n Meshew: Damon stole my choice, but that\u2019s probably for the best. I don\u2019t think I could have resisted making 41 Pinas jokes in two paragraphs. Fortunately, there\u2019s another super prospect on this card, and a man who arguably had the most impressive win on Saturday, given that he had a tough opponent and not a squash match in front of him: Imanol Rodriguez.<\/p>\n Rodriguez was one of four fighters I graded as a five-star prospect coming off last season\u2019s Contender Series<\/a> (Pinas was another), where I comped him to a flyweight Wanderlei Silva. I think Alden Coria might agree with that assessment. Rodriguez is a superb athlete, trains at a great camp \u2014 who all speak the world of him \u2014 and he\u2019s got that meanness to him that defines the best prospects in MMA. Men\u2019s flyweight has quickly turned into a woodchipper of young talent, but Rodriguez is as good as any of this rising crop, and I think he will eventually be a legitimate title contender.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n