On paper, UFC 321 had a lot going for it. A very consistent division fight at 205 pounds to start the main card, followed by two number one contenders fights at 265 and 135 pounds. Then a vacant strawweight title fight, topped off by a highly anticipated undisputed heavyweight title fight. While the card was great leading up to the main event, the last taste left in people’s mouths will always be the one the card is remembered for. In the same way that some boring maps have been saved by great main events in the past, this was a good map that was ruined by a very anti-climactic outcome at the end. While the No Contest was bad to watch due to Ciryl Gane’s eye poke, there are still four winners to match for, so let’s take a look at what’s next for our main card winners.
Tom Aspinall is of course expected to face Gane in a rematch at a later date.
Mackenzie Dern
It often looked like this wasn’t going to happen and while she may have taken the scenic route to get there, Mackenzie Dern is unfortunately a UFC champion. She has been one of the most frustrating fighters to watch for years due to her lack of skill development. For a few years in the middle of her tenure, Dern seemed to make very little improvement in her striking offense and defense, while never applying any ground-and-pound to her otherworldly wrestling skills.
It’s not like she’s been on a crazy win streak (this was her third win in a row after losing back-to-back fights not too long ago), but there’s no doubt that this was her best performance to date. She was up against a Virna Jandiroba who basically dominated everyone she faced, but Dern knocked her to the feet, completely neutralizing her struggle and outmatching her in Merab Dvalishvili-like fashion. At 32 years old, Dern finally seems to have it all together. Time will tell if the UFC thinks Tatiana Suarez’s latest win is enough to earn her another shot at the title, but with Zhang Weili at flyweight, she appears to be the only current viable contender.
Dern’s next fight: Tatiana Suarez
Omar Nurmagomedov
Coming from Khabib’s camp and family, Umar has had the future champion on his face for years. However, “The Machine” canceled out the upset in January, handing Umar his first ever loss in a mixed martial arts match. Still seen as perhaps the only bantamweight with a realistic chance of beating Dvalishvili, Umar was tasked with beating Mario Bautista, a notoriously tough opponent to face coming into an eight-fight heat. He had to survive a nasty-looking toehold in the first round and a flat knee to the face in the second, but Nurmagomedov still showed his wrestling skills and left with a unanimous 30-27 decision victory.
As for his next fight, Song Yadong, Deiveson Figueiredo and Aiemann Zahabi are all names you could legitimately throw at Umar. And while these types of fights don’t normally guarantee someone a rematch against their champion, I think Nurmagomedov’s name will play a big role in the promotion as I want to put him back there against Merab.
Nurmagomedov’s next fight: title shot
Alexander Volkov
It wasn’t easy, but I think Alexander Volkov finally punched his ticket to a title shot. He was on the cusp of a title shot when he first came into the promotion, but a right hand from Derrick Lewis with eleven seconds left completely ruined that. He then hovered around the title picture for years, but losses to Curtis Blaydes, Ciryl Gane and Tom Aspinall kept him from standing up for himself. After defeating four ranked opponents consecutively, three of them via finish, Volkov found himself in another number one fight last December, but to the surprise of most fans, he was not awarded the decision against Gane. I don’t care that it was a split decision, nor that it wasn’t the most exciting affair, this win against Jailton Almeida should cement what this man has been working for since joining the UFC.
Volkov’s next fight: title shot
Azamat Murzakanov
With the recent victories of Alex Pereira, Jiri Prochazka and Carlos Ulberg, the light heavyweight division appears to be rejuvenated. So Azamat Murzakanov chose a good moment to achieve the biggest victory of his career in this way on the podium. Yes, Aleksandar Rakic came into this match on a three-fight losing streak, but all three losses were to former champions, one of which was an injury stoppage. It took Murzakanov just over three minutes to beat Rakic, who has been a fixture in the division’s top 10 for some time. Options won’t be lacking for Murzakanov, who should hope to maintain his recent level of activity after fighting just once in 2023 and 2024. While Magomed Ankalaev and the winner of the upcoming Blachowicz/Guskov fight would be fine opponents to throw at Murzakanov, I went with Jamahal Hill.
Murzakanov’s next fight: Jamahal Hill
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