Outlook: Dan Hooker is always candid when it comes to his standing in the division, and he relented the fact that his submission loss to Tsarukyan makes any sort of title run a difficult prospect. However, “The Hangman” is also not one to take a back seat, so he was happy to accept a bout against the resurgent Benoît Saint Denis in Sydney. The winner of the bout almost certainly punches their ticket into a top-5 matchup, and considering the recently sparked animosity between Hooker and Pimblett, a win on January 31 would likely set something up between the two down the road. For Saint Denis, he is hoping to capitalize on an important 2025 campaign in which he scored three stoppage wins to reassert himself in the rankings. Beating Hooker likely grants him a shot at someone in the top-5, whether that is Pimblett or anyone else ranked above him.
Ever-so-slightly below them in the rankings is Rafael Fiziev and Mauricio Ruffy, who also compete at UFC 325. Fiziev returned from a knee injury suffered in 2023 to step in on short notice against Gaethje, although he ultimately lost for the second time to the now-interim champion. He secured his first win since July 2022 when he outworked Ignacio Bahamondes in Baku, and a win over Ruffy would solidify his stature in the top-10. Ruffy, on the other hand, could arguably regain all momentum lost when he fell to Saint Denis in Paris and get back into his dynamic climb up the ladder.