Potential fights for the main card winners after UFC 321

Tom Aspinall runs it back with Ciryl Gane

What started out as a promising fight was ended short by an aggressive eye poke by Gane. Aspinall was unable to continue, which resulted in the fight being declared a no-contest. 

UFC president Dana White said in the post-fight interview that he expects there to be a rematch and for it to happen as soon as possible. 

“There will probably be a lot more interest in a rematch after they saw that (Gane) had Tom bloodied up," White said.

In the few minutes that were seen, Gane was looking like the greatest test to date for Aspinall. Gane’s jabs were able to bloody Aspinall’s nose. It was back and forth in the striking game between the two. It makes perfect sense to run this matchup back. 

Mackenzie Dern defends her belt against Tatiana Suarez

Dern looked impressive in her title fight against No. 1-ranked contender Virna Jandiroba. Her striking game looked polished and on point. Dern has always been known for her exceptional grappling and elite jiu-jitsu skills.  

Top contender Suarez would be a great matchup for Dern’s first title defense. Both are great grapplers, and it could be a great technical matchup on the ground with plenty of chances for a submission finish.

Umar Nurmagomedov gets his second shot at the title

Nurmagomedov was able to defeat No. 10 contender Mario Bautista with a unanimous decision. Nurmagomedov got dropped in the second round after taking a kick to the head. He was quickly able to recover and get back to his wrestling, which left Bautista with no answer.

Fighting lower in the division definitely helped Nurmagomedov’s case, showing he’s not just going to wait until he can get a title shot again. He is willing to show he’s deserving.

Normally, it wouldn’t make sense, timing-wise, for a contender like Nurmagomedov to wait for a shot, but with the activity level of Merab Dvalishvili, it could work out perfectly. 

Dvalishvili has a fight in December scheduled against Petr Yan. If Dvalishvili can defend his belt against Yan, the only real test will be Nurmagomedov. 

Alexander Volkov proves himself again

Alexander Volkov won a contentious split decision over No. 5-ranked heavyweight contender Jailton Almeida. Almeida had control for most of the fight, but didn’t do much damage or threaten submissions in any meaningful way. 

With Aspinall and Gane almost certainly running their fight back for the title, Volkov will be in no-man's land. A fun matchup could be No. 4-ranked Curtis Blaydes. 

Volkov would prove he is still able to defend a vicious ground and pound threat if he can beat Blaydes. Blaydes will be far more active on the ground than Almedia.

Blaydes is expecting a 2026 return after suffering an injury in his last fight. This timeline matches up perfectly with Volkov. If Blaydes can beat Volkov, he’ll be right back in title contention as well. It seems like a great matchup for both.

Azamat Murzakanov gets a top five opponent

Murzakanov had an impressive KO win over No. 7-ranked light heavyweight Aleksandar Rakic. His stiff jab dropped Rakic early in the first round, and he was able to get the stoppage.  

Murzakanov said he wants a title contender fight when asked in his post-fight interview. It seems unlikely that it will happen since both Carlos Ulberg and Jiří Procházka are higher priorities for the next title shot. 

Khalil Rountree Jr. would be a perfect matchup for Murzakanov. They are both hard hitters with one-punch knockout power. Rountree Jr.’s loss to Prochazka at UFC 320 pretty much cemented that he’ll be fighting down in the rankings. 

Murzakanov is undefeated, but is only 5-foot-10, which is extremely short for the light heavyweight division. He has had a height disadvantage in every fight in his UFC career. Beating a top contender like Rountree Jr. could be enough to grant Murzakanov a title shot.