Matchmaking After UFC 332
by Zak Drapeau
Sportz Nation - 10/5/2026
Natalia Silva vs
Alexa Grasso
Woman's Flyweight Championship
Zak Drapeau -
With Valentina out until reportedly Q3 of 2027, Natalia Silva will likely defend her belt sometime in Summer of next year and Alexa Grasso is absolutely up next. Silva had a closer fight with Wang Cong than she would've liked especially for a #8 contender but nonetheless she earned her title this weekend and now moves to a perfect 9-0 in the UFC.
Alexa Grasso recently won what should be a title eliminator with Manon Fiorot less than a month ago and should still be the #2 contender when the rankings release tomorrow. Grasso lost to Silva 17 months ago in a 30-27 unanimous loss but with both woman clearly at the top of the division, a rematch will have to be made.
Wang Cong vs
Manon Fiorot
Matt Hylen -
This fight went just about how I predicted it would go. Wang Cong couldn’t get anything going in this fight; she was forced to fight from distance and got caught way too many times trying to close in on Natalia Silva. I did think this was a major jump for Cong to begin with, so let’s see what she can do against a fighter more to her level.
With Manon Fiorot coming off a tough loss to Alexa Grasso, she and Cong might be in very similar positions within the Women’s Flyweight rankings. This could be an absolute barn burner matchup between two powerful strikers who just missed out on the top step.
Payton Talbott vs
Cory Sandhagen
Zak Drapeau -
I spoke about how Talbott has had a great trajectory to the top but hadn't beaten anyone of note yet; well, he just knocked out one of the best Flyweight champions of all time. After this win, Talbott should move up to 8 or 9 in the rankings and be gearing up for another fight above him.
In terms of potential opponents, both Zahabi and Sandhagen make sense after their most recent losses but I'm picking Sandhagen. I really believe the UFC wants to market Talbott to it's fans as a young, future title challenger and to do that, he'll need a Main Event soon and a fight with Sandhagen absolutely can accomplish that.
Deiveson Figueiredo vs
Marcus McGhee
Matt Hylen -
I truly believe Deiveson Figueiredo, after getting dominated once again, needs to retire. He is only hurting his legacy and really isn’t fighting with any sort of purpose or intention other than the desire to just be inside on octagon. With that said, his is a matchmaking article, so why not give Figgy another up and comer who should’ve gotten a test a while ago.
Marcus McGhee has done nothing but win in the UFC with the exception of a loss to who has become the champion of the division. McGhee is of course on the same timeline having fought in the same card as Figueiredo, and really needs to show what he can do against competition that isn’t low level. Now, am I saying Figueiredo is a high level fighter anymore? Unfortunately not, but at least it’s a very notable name that McGhee can put on his resume to make a push up the rankings.
Esteban Ribovics vs
Manuel Torres
Zak Drapeau -
Ribovics consistently proves he is one of the most exciting fighters in the most exciting division and after a 2-fight win streak against top contenders, the UFC has to put him in a ranked eliminator if this recent KO of Bobby Green wasn't already.
The way the 155-division is set up currently, there just isn't room for Ribovics to get a ranked fight unless he waits months for either Moicano/Nolan's loser or Beneil Dariush to return to fighting. So a fight with Manuel Torres who should be #16 in the division makes sense for both guys and will likely lead to the winner taking #15 from Dariush anyway.
Roman Kopylov vs
Edmen Shabazyan
Matt Hylen -
Kopylov shocked the world in what was an absolute masterclass against Ateba Gautier. Gautier just wasn’t ready for the experience and technical striking that Kopylov brings. I think Kopylov now deserved a major test that could serve as a ranked eliminator next.
Edmen Shabazyan seems like the perfect candidate for Kopylov. He is coming off a war against Brendan Allen, proving that he may not be a top contender yet but could definitely hang around with one. Whoever wins this fight would absolutely warrant another true shot in the rankings, while the loser goes back to gatekeeper for the young up and comers.
Imanol Rodriguez vs
Joseph Morales
Zak Drapeau -
Rodriguez is a 26-year old, undefeated fighter who is a fierce kickboxer out of AKA gym in California and has won all three of his UFC fights by knockout. He is ready for a jump in competition.
Morales just recently lost a split decision to former champion Brandon Moreno and should be searching for a fight to get him back into ranking-talks. These guys are two opposite ends of the spectrum with Morales being a 32-year old Jiu Jitsu artist and 14-year veteran. There's a few guys Rodriguez could get next but I think this fight makes the most sense for the division's future.
Damian Pinas vs
Nursulton Ruziboev
Matt Hylen -
My goodness, how good is Damian Pinas?! He was absolutely stellar on Saturday night, proving that he is every bit the prospect people thought we was. Granted, his opponent wasn’t the highest level of fighter, but Pinas made him look like a regional scene fighter.
I think Pinas is in the same situation Ateba Gautier was before his fight with Roman Kopylov. Pinas has fought a lot of low level talent and crushed all of them, so it’s time to give him a true test to see if he is the guy we think we could be. Nursulton Ruziboev is coming off a very boring loss to Michael Venom Page, but don’t forget how dangerous he really is. Plus, Page did the same thing to Sam Patterson and Patterson put on a show in his next fight. If Pinas can beat a dangerous striker like Ruziboev, we may have a new top prospect in the UFC.
Anthony Wint vs
Thomas Petersen
Zak Drapeau -
Wint is coming for these Heavyweights man... The 31-year old former NFL player is 9-0 and now 2-0 in the UFC with 3, 1st-round finishes to his name. He hasn't beaten anyone of note but for his next fight, I don't see how the UFC doesn't give him one of the best unranked fighters or even someone in the 10-15 range.
I've picked Thomas Petersen even though there are 3 or 4 guys that could get Wint next like Nzechekwu, Tybura or even Parkin who also fought on the card. Petersen is an 8-year veteran with a 3-4 record in the UFC and a very skilled distance boxer that could give Wint troubles when he uses his patented pressure striking.
Johnny Walker vs
Waldo Cortes-Acosta
Matt Hylen -
I don’t do this very often, but I absolutely called this fight. I knew Walker was going to land some sort of knee to win this fight, but I didn’t expect Mick Parkin to go to sleep that quickly. Walker looked phenomenal at heavyweight, but most importantly he looked more comfortable inside the octagon than we’ve seen in a long time.
I think a fight against Waldo Cortes-Acosta makes a lot of sense. Walker will be looking for someone in the top-10, while Cortes-Acosta will need a fight down after suffering two straight loses to top contenders. This could be another extremely action packed fight between two very heavy hitters that could honestly go either way.
Other Fights to Make
Bobby Green vs Michael Chandler
Roberto Soldic vs Leon Edwards
Khaos Williams vs Joel Alvarez
Ateba Gautier vs Tresean Gore
Alden Coria vs Bruno Silva
Andrey Pulyaev vs Gilbert Urbina
Anthony Romero vs Muin Gafurov
Lucas Armand vs Denzel Freeman
Mick Parkin vs Jose Montanha
Jacobe Smith vs Daniel Rodriguez
Bruce Whitehead vs Josiah Harrell
Alexander Hernandez vs Fares Ziam
Ismail Naurdiev vs Kelvin Gastelum
Marvin Vettori vs Jackson McVey
Eric Nolan vs Cody Brundage
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