UFC 325 may not have looked as exciting as its predecessor UFC 324, but it still managed to deliver some fun moments, culminating in an important featherweight title fight.
During the preliminaries, Jonathan Micallef, Cam Rowston and Billy Elekana scored nice finishes. While on the main card, finishes from Quillan Salkilld, Mauricio Ruffy and Benoit Saint Denis were followed by another 25-minute masterclass from the all-time great Alexander Volkanovski. Now that UFC 325 is in the books, let’s take a look at what’s next for our main card winners.
Alexander Volkanovsky
As easy as it would be to dismiss this title defense as a waste of time, there is something to be said about a 37-year-old Alexander Volkanovski still giving a young, hungry contender in his prime a second chance at him and still blanking him. I loved hearing what Volkanovski had to say about his responsibility as a champion to face the most deserving contenders. It was a respectful way to call out the UFC on their matchmaking practices. The UFC then wasted no time in announcing Movsar Evloev vs. Lerone Murphy as the headliner of the London Fight Night card in March. They both already deserve it; there is no doubt that the winner will be next to fight for the title.
Volkanovski’s next fight: Evloev/Murphy winner
Benoit Saint-Denis
He may not be a perfect fighter and who’s to say how he would fare against the top of the division, but one thing Benoit Saint Denis’ harshest critics could never accuse him of is being boring. He ends up in chaos, but he loves it and often comes out on the winning side. He is also very active, as this was his third fight in five months. I don’t think someone with the nickname “God of War” can be seen as a bad option to challenge for the BMF title.
Saint Denis’ next fight: winner of Oliveira/Holloway 2
Mauricio Ruffy
Learning about the difficult circumstances he had to overcome during this fight made this performance look even better for Mauricio Ruffy. After laying an egg in Paris last September, Ruffy was given a different kind of task, but a difficult one nonetheless.
It took him a while to get his offense going, but once he did, he figured out Rafael Fiziev. He looked like a Sean O’Malley-type sniper, consistently tapping Fiziev with long-range shots en route to a TKO in the second round. The poise with which he finished Fiziev after hurting him made him look like a killer. There are a lot of directions the promotion could go with Ruffy, and I think he deserves a big name next. The loser of the BMF title fight could make for an entertaining fight.
Ruffy’s next fight: Oliveira/Holloway loser
Tallison Teixeira
It wasn’t exactly the most redeeming performance, but at 26 years old, Tallison Teixeira got back in the win column and that’s what ultimately counts in the long run. The heavyweight division is in such dire need of new blood that this win for Teixeira could at least push one young name up the rankings. I think someone like the loser of the upcoming fight between Serghei Spivac and Ante Delija makes sense as a next step for the youngsters Xicao.
Next fight: loser snake
Quillan Salkilld
Yes, it was a showcase fight and he came in as -1200 betting favourite, but Quillan Salkilld did what he had to do. He made short work of a 12-fight UFC veteran who has been around for a long time. Sometimes young prospects are put in a showcase position and don’t deliver, but Salkilld exudes confidence and passed this test with flying colors. He just turned 26 and is in a divisional shark tank, so I see no reason to rush him. I think rebooking the fight against fellow prospect Rongzhu is the right thing to do.
Salkilld’s next fight: Rongzhu
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