UFC 332 was a total blowout. Natalia Silva became the new women’s bantamweight champion, Payton Talbott added another former champion to her resume and Johnnie Walker could find a new home in the heavyweight division. With Roberto Soldic’s long-awaited UFC debut and Roman Kopylov reminding everyone that Ateba Gautier still has some work to do.
Now comes the fun part: figuring out what’s next. Here are the five fights I’ll be doing after UFC 332.
1. Natalia Silva vs. Valentina Shevchenko
Natalia Silva is the new queen of the women’s bantamweight division, and her first title defense should be against the woman who has held the octagon belt for years. If Valentina Shevchenko is healthy enough to return, it’s a fight.
Shevchenko was forced to vacate his title due to injury, and he is still one of the greatest fighters the division has ever seen. Silva rose to the top after stringing together a 15-fight winning streak, but defeating a former champion like Shevchenko would be the best way to establish his reign.
Of course, the UFC shouldn’t rush to bring back Shevchenko before he’s ready. But once he’s cleared to compete, there’s no reason to make it difficult to adjust. Silva gets a chance to prove he’s the real deal, while Shevchenko gets a chance to reclaim the title he’s never lost in a fight.
2. Payton Talbott vs. Sean O’Malley
June 14, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Sean O’Malley (red gloves) celebrates after defeating Aiemann Zahabi (not pictured) during UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House. Mandatory credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images Talbott made a statement against Deiveson Figueiredo, stopping the former featherweight champion in the first round and then calling out Sean O’Malley. At this point, I’m not sure what else the guy needs to do to get a big fight.
O’Malley has already answered the call, although he has revealed that his next move depends on the outcome of the heavyweight title fight between Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili. If Yan wins, O’Malley wants another shot at the belt. If Merab wins, the battle with Talbot becomes more realistic.
I understood. O’Malley earned the right to chase another title shot. But Talbott is one of the most exciting young fighters in the division, and he’s now beaten Henry Cejudo and Figueiredo in back-to-back fights. Facing O’Malley would be a huge step up and a chance to prove he’s ready to hang with the elite. If the title picture doesn’t work for O’Malley, it’s a struggle.
3. Esteban Ribovics vs. Benoît Saint Denis
July 11, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Benoit Saint Denis during UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Ribovics scored a big win over King Green, stopping the veteran in the first round and adding another highlight to an already entertaining UFC run. Now it’s time to see how he does with someone who can match his aggressiveness.
Enter Benoit Saint Denis.
The Frenchman always wants to turn a fight into a war and Ribovics is not the type to back down from a fight. Neither guy needs much encouragement to start throwing, which makes it a pretty easy match to sell.
Saint Denis are up against tougher opposition, so the question is whether Ribovic is ready for this level. That’s exactly why I like it. Ribovics deserves promotion after beating Green and Saint Denis will give him a chance to show if he belongs in the conversation with the division’s more dangerous rivals. It can get ugly in the best possible way.
4. Roberto Soldić and Geoff Neal
It took a while to bring Roberto Soldic to the UFC, but his debut against Khaos Williams showed why the promotion was interested in signing him. After some early nerves, Soldić took over the fight, got into the fight and earned a unanimous decision.
It was a good first outing, but now I’d like to see him against a more established middleweight name. Geoff Neal feels like the right kind of challenge.
Neal has been at the top of the division for years and has shared the cage with some serious competition. He is also a dangerous striker who will force Soldic to be sharp from the first bell. Soldic has built his reputation on finishing people, but the Williams fight showed he can win when things don’t go as planned.
Neal would tell us more about where Soldić fits in the UFC middleweight division. If Soldić can get past someone with that kind of experience, the conversation around his potential will be even more interesting.
5. Johnnie Walker vs. Marcin Tybur
October 3, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Johnny Walker (red gloves) reacts after his fight with Mick Parkin (blue gloves) during UFC 332 at the Delta Center. Mandatory credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images Johnnie Walker’s heavyweight debut couldn’t have been better. After struggling to find consistency at light heavyweight, Walker rose to his feet and knocked out Mick Parkey with a knee in the first round. It was a performance that made me wonder if he should have made the move sooner.
Walker has always had the physical tools and explosive power to make things interesting. At 205 pounds, the challenge was putting everything together consistently. Fighting at heavyweight might give him a little more room to work without the same wild weight loss, but one win doesn’t suddenly make him a contender.
So Marcin Tybura makes sense. He’s a seasoned heavyweight who can give Walker a real test without immediately throwing him into a matchup with one of the division’s top names. Tybura’s durability and experience will tell us if Walker’s heavyweight success is something he can build on.
Walker said he is already interested in getting back soon and facing Tybura next. Sometimes adaptation really is that simple. Give him a fight, build some momentum and see where this new chapter takes him.