Fights to Make After UFC 330

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen

Sportz Nation - 8/17/2026

Photo Credits to Derik Hamilton via Associated Press

Islam Makhachev vs

Carlos Prates

Matt Hylen -

There's only one man, now that Ian Machado Garry got his shot, that deserves a shot at the title and that's Carlos Prates. Sure, Michael Morales was the backup fighter for the Makhachev/Garry fight, but his resume still needs one more top contender before getting a shot over Prates.

Now, do I think Prates is stylistically the guy who is going to dethrone Islam? No, I don't, but that does not mean Prates doesn't deserve the shot. Prates has absolutely dominated everybody in his path to get to where he is, with the one exception of Ian Machado Garry who just fought for the title. Prates holds a severe disadvantage on the ground with much worse takedown defense than Garry, but if anyone can knock Makhachev out, it's Carlos Prates.

Ian Machado Garry vs

Shavkat Rakhmonov

Zak Drapeau -

All signs point to the boogeyman, Shavkat Rakhmonov returning to the Octagon around early-2026 which would line up perfectly with when I expect Garry to return as well. These two already had a fight in 2024 but Garry has gotten significantly more experience since then and Shavkat hasn't even fought in that time.

The Welterweight division is very active right now and every single person in the Top-15 has fights lined up or just recently fought. I originally wanted to match Garry with Gabriel Bonfim but just realized he's fighting Sean Brady in November. Nonetheless, if Rakhmonov is indeed nearing his return, this fight would make perfect sense for both as a title eliminator for Rakhmonov and a way to avenge a loss and saty in the Top-3 for Garry.

Mackenzie Dern vs

Zhang Weli

Matt Hylen -

Similar to the situation at Welterweight, there's only one woman who the champion of the Women's Strawweight division should fight next, and it's Zhang Weili.

Though nothing has been announced regarding whether or not Weili will stay at Flyweight, I am banking on Weili realizing that moving up is a mistake and her home is at Strawweight. If Dern really wants to prove she is a worthy champion, she has to fight the previous queen of the division who never lost the belt in Weili. This not only would be a homecoming party for Weili, but a proving ground for Dern to solidify herself as one of the greats in the history of the division.

Gillian Robertson vs

Fatima Kline

Zak Drapeau -

Gillian Robertson was riding a 5-fight win streak, including 2 TKO's, before her shot at the title in what I would call a résumé that wasn't good enough to deserve that shot, but she got lucky with the state of the division. Then she gets her shot and outperforms what I expected of her in a very good fight. Robertson is tough and has a very well-rounded game, and she'll be back in the title picture.

For now, though, let's give her a prove-it fight. Since she's ranked #5 currently, a fight with #6 would kind of still be a top-5 fight, and Fatima Kline is a perfect opponent. Not only should both of them be ready around December to January, but they are both two fights away from a shot. After the elite tier of fighters at 115, Robertson and Kline start somewhat of a "Tier 2" in the division along with Xiaonan and incoming Alexia Thainara. This fight not only should happen, but I fully believe it will in the not-so-distant future.

Jalin Turner vs

Manuel Torres

Matt Hylen -

Jalin Turner turned back the clocks on Saturday night, proving he has a lot left in the tank to give. After that nasty KO win, I think Turner's name value as well as his winning streak can absolutely warrant a fight inside the rankings.

Manuel Torres and Jalin Turner came to the UFC around the same time, but have never faced off in the octagon. Both are lanky strikers who are big for the division, while holding KO power on the feet. This would be an absolutely insane fight, especially considering how good Turner has looked since coming out of retirement.

Esteban Ribovics vs

Chris Duncan

Zak Drapeau -

If we get right down to the brass tacks of this sport, the UFC is a spectator sport, which means that people want excitement, knockouts, and memorable fights, and I don't know too many fighters that embody that spirit more than Esteban Ribovics. In his last 5 fights, he's earned 4 Performance Bonuses and was one split decision loss against a Top-20 guy from being 4-1.

With his reputation for violence, Ribovics' next fight needs to be both against a Top-15 gatekeeper and someone who will stand and bang with him. Both Jalin Turner and Drew Dober would've made a lot of sense, but I think Chris Duncan would meet the criteria just as well while also filling a need for the promotion in getting Duncan back in the cage in a fight where both guys will be fighting for a ranked fight next.

Chidi Njokuani vs

Geoff Neal

Matt Hylen -

Considering Chidi Njokuani looked mediocre at best in his fight against Joel Álvarez, why not rebook the fight that was supposed to be on this card in the first place?

I think Geoff Neal will be a great challenge for Njokuani. Neal's chin is absolutely gone at this point in his career, so there really is not any excuse for Njokuani not to try and knock Neal out. That being said, Neal has faced some stiff competition in his recent losses, so a fight down might actually bring out the better version of him that we are used to seeing. Overall, I think this is a fun striking matchup that still makes sense even with Njokuani beating Álvarez on Saturday.

Charles Johnson vs

Steve Erceg

Zak Drapeau -

Johnson pocketed a cool $100,000 bonus by pulling off a Scottish Twister submission this weekend and even though it was against an opponent on short notice, he made his mark and proved he needs to be back in the ranked fighters hunt.

Sitting right about at #16 in the flyweight division, Steve Erceg is the perfect next opponent for him. Erceg has proved time and time again that he loses to good fighters and exposes the bad ones, so what better way for us to figure out if Johnson still has what it takes.

Donte Johnson vs

Michael Oleksiejczuk

Matt Hylen -

Donte Johnson may never be a true contender or even be a ranked fighter, but man is he entertaining. He throws caution to the wind every single fight, bringing his heavyweight-level power to the octagon against middleweights.

I think Johnson does deserve a step up in competition, but nothing too crazy. Michael Oleksiejczuk is a powerful striker who also likes to throw caution to the wind, making the prospect of this matchup too good to pass up. I could absolutely see this being a main card fight at the APEX, with the winner perhaps getting a guy right outside the rankings. As I said, Donte Johnson may never be ranked, but opponents like these could prove me wrong if he were to dominate like he did in his most recent fight.

Tresean Gore vs

Jacob Malkoun

Zak Drapeau -

Tresean Gore went out there and put it on Vicente Luque and I mean... it was fine, I guess? Gore doesn't really do it for me as far as middleweights trying to find their way to a number, but he does have two pretty decent wins in a row now, so let's move him slightly up the ladder.

Malkoun may not make a whole lot of sense for Gore, but to me, it not only gives Malkoun a fight which he needs to stay among the "this guy could be something" tier he's currently on, but a winnable fight against a guy that is better than his last two fights. Gore needs a top-30 guy to prove whether he's on a flukey streak or not, and Malkoun should either get one more mid-level fight or be thrown into the deep end with a guy like Ferreira or Shabazyan towards the top of the unranked.

Other Fights to Make

Kaue Fernandes vs Manoel Sousa

Dustin Stoltzfus vs Vicenthe Luque

Mansur Abdul-Malik vs Robert Valentin

Joel Alvarez vs Jeremiah Wells

Eduardo Chapolin vs Jafel Filho

Lucas Fernando vs Brendson Ribeiro

Rafael Tobias vs Marcin Prachnio

Neil Magny vs 15Daniel Rodriguez

Ramiz Brahimaj vs Thad Jean

Myktybek Orolbai vs Jonathan Micallef