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Brett Okamoto
After he knocked out Magomed Ankalaev to regain the light heavyweight championship at UFC 320 on Saturday, Alex Pereira was asked over and over what he wanted out of his next move, and his answer was consistent: “I want a fight at heavyweight,” he said through his interpreter.
UFC CEO Dana White wasn’t as sure, telling reporters at the UFC 320 news conference he was hesitant a fighter who started his UFC career as a middleweight could jump two weight classes to heavyweight. But Pereira’s mind seems made up, so allow us to explore the options for him at heavyweight, as well as the next challenges for UFC 320 stars, such as men’s bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili, Cory Sandhagen and breakout performer Youssef Zalal.
Alex Pereira, light heavyweight
Who should be next: Winner of Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane
I just don’t see any reason to get cute here. Carlos Ulberg is deserving of a title fight at light heavyweight. I would love to see Jirà Procházka fight for a title again, too, especially considering there were unique circumstances around both of his losses to Alex Pereira (in 2023 and 2024). But Pereira is such a special case right now. He is arguably the biggest star on the UFC’s roster, and there are megafights for him at heavyweight — namely, a potential matchup against England’s champion, Aspinall. If Aspinall beats Gane at UFC 321 in Dubai later this month, the table is set for a blockbuster champion vs. champion matchup, and I just don’t believe a light heavyweight title defense against Ulberg or Procházka is worth forgoing that. Pereira is 38 years old. The clock is ticking for him at this point. The UFC should maximize the time he has left, move him to heavyweight and let him try to become the first three-weight champ. He can always return to light heavyweight later.
Wild card: Jon Jones
First off, condolences to the Jones family for the tragic loss of Jon’s older brother, Arthur. Family and health are far more important than any MMA fight, but if Jones wishes to fight again, as he has said he does, a matchup against Pereira is one of the most likely scenarios. I have said, and will continue to say, I think the only fight the UFC should book for Jones is Aspinall, because that’s the fight he owes the sport, the fans, the UFC and Aspinall. On one hand, Jones has every right in the world to stay retired — but if he does come out of retirement, that is the fight that should happen. The UFC also has been pretty stern on Jones only fighting Aspinall. But things change, and Jones-Pereira is also a megafight. It would be very silly to suggest it can’t happen.
Merab Dvalishvili, men’s bantamweight
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Merab Dvalishvili defeats Cory Sandhagen to retain bantamweight title
Merab Dvalishvili wins by unanimous decision over Cory Sandhagen to retain his UFC bantamweight championship.
Who should be next: Petr Yan
It matters, but it doesn’t matter. Dvalishvili is so ridiculously active that every contender is going to get his shot. We don’t have to worry about anyone getting left out. Dvalishvili wants to fight them all — apparently with only a couple months in between. He’s already defeated Yan once back in 2023, and it was a blowout. If we’re being honest, there’s not a ton of reason to believe the rematch will be any different. That’s nothing against Yan, it’s just an acknowledgement of how special Dvalishvili is right now. But as Dvalishvili said after his win on Saturday, this is MMA, there’s always a chance at an upset, and Yan is undeniably world class. Dvalishvili wants to fight again in December, so I hope the UFC allows him the chance to become the first champion to win four title fights in a calendar year.
Wild card: Song Yadong
Yadong would probably be the first fighter the UFC would call if Yan wasn’t available, but there’s no reason right now to think he won’t be. It’ll be Yan, especially if it happens this year.
Cory Sandhagen, men’s bantamweight
Who should be next: Sean O’Malley
Sandhagen will likely need some time off after this five-round fight, and he’ll need to overcome the disappointment that comes with fighting — and losing — to Dvalishvili. He did perform well on Saturday, and the fight did end with him marching forward, defiantly waving for Dvalishvili to come back for him. I believe he’ll regroup just fine, and when he does, it’ll be O’Malley waiting for him. O’Malley might fight in the meantime, because he’s already mentioning the likelihood of a fight in early 2026. Whatever happens, if O’Malley fights someone else next and wins or he loses or he doesn’t fight, this matchup between Sandhagen and O’Malley needs to happen. It’s been a long time coming.
Wild card: Song Yadong
It’s possible O’Malley and Yadong meet in early 2026. Depending on if that happens and what the result is, Yadong might make more sense for Sandhagen next. But I kind of doubt it. It’s actually pretty wild that O’Malley and Sandhagen haven’t fought yet. Stylistically, it has the makings of a beautiful fight, with the potential of a multifight rivalry. Yadong and Sandhagen have already fought, and Sandhagen stopped him via TKO in 2022. I believe Yadong will get a chance to avenge that loss, and that is something I want to see, but pretty soon it will start to feel downright silly to keep putting off the O’Malley fight.
Youssef Zalal, featherweight
Who should be next: Arnold Allen
Zalal was primed for a top-10 breakout in his last fight — but even though he beat Calvin Kattar in the co-main event of a UFC Fight Night in February, it wasn’t the most exciting performance. He made up for it against Josh Emmett at UFC 320. This was the breakout, dominant performance Zalal was looking for. The 29-year-old has all of the potential in the world, and Allen would be a very fun, very relevant matchup for him. Allen suffered a couple setbacks against the best of the division in Max Holloway and Movsar Evloev in 2023 and 2024, respectively, but he rebounded with a win over Giga Chikadze last July. This fight could be fireworks, if it were to stay standing, but It would be world-class wherever it were to go.
Wild card: Diego Lopes
I don’t hate the callout — at all. UFC matchmaking loves to strike while the iron is hot, and Lopes is coming off a sensational knockout of Jean Silva last month. Zalal just won his eighth fight in a row in style. If the UFC announced a five-round, Fight Night main event between these two, it would be well-received. I still like Lopes vs. Yair Rodriguez next, but that’s the only reason I can find not to book this matchup between Lopes and Zalal.
Joe Pyfer, middleweight
Who should be next: Michael “Venom” Page This is kind of a wild one to me, because Page is not a middleweight. He’s a welterweight. But right now, he’s a middleweight. Does that make sense? Of course it doesn’t, but that’s where we are with Page right now. He’s most relevant at 170 pounds, but he has taken some big fights at 185 and he has done so well, he has actually ranked No. 10 in the division. I still don’t see him as a “title contender” at middleweight; he’s more of a name to use in big fights, and a fight against Pyfer would be pretty big. Pyfer has some hype and is rising in the ranks. If Page isn’t long for the middleweight rankings anyway, why not put his number on the line against fresh-faced Pyfer. By the way, I really wanted to see Page fight Carlos Prates in Brazil, but Prates ended up drawing Leon Edwards instead, so this is a nice substitute. Wild card: Kevin Holland Pretty much everything I just said about Page, apply it here. Holland is far more relevant at welterweight, but he’s more than willing to fight in both weight classes. He’d be a big name to pair with Pyfer. Holland isn’t ranked at middleweight, but that’s all right. This fight would offer Pyfer some clout and — if he were to win — set him up with a ranked opponent next.