UFC 316 clears the way for much-anticipated bantamweight showdowns

As soon arsenic Julianna Peña tapped Kayla Harrison's backmost in the penultimate combat of UFC 316 to awesome she had had capable of Harrison's Kimura lock, the Newark, New Jersey, assemblage cheered its support and each eyes turned to aboriginal UFC Hall of Fame bantamweight Amanda Nunes, who was sitting cageside with her family.

"Come connected up here, Amanda!" Harrison yelled successful Nunes' absorption during her postfight interview. "This is the adjacent fight."

She's right, of course. If each goes to plan, Nunes volition travel retired of status to beryllium Harrison's archetypal rubric challenger successful what volition instantly beryllium a combat of the twelvemonth campaigner -- successful immoderate twelvemonth that mightiness be.

A akin communicative played retired successful the last combat of the night, aft Merab Dvalishvili frustrated and yet finished instrumentality favourite Sean O'Malley with a guillotine successful the 3rd round of their men's bantamweight rubric rematch.

Cory Sandhagen, conscionable astir the lone existent UFC bantamweight contender Dvalishvili hasn't beaten, smiled from the assemblage arsenic the champion called for him to beryllium his adjacent target. Sandhagen has been successful the UFC since 2018, but it appears his clip has travel to situation for a title.

Let's instrumentality a deeper look astatine those title scenarios and imaginable adjacent steps for galore of the fighters featured astatine UFC 316.

Merab Dvalishvili, men's bantamweight

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Merab Dvalishvili stops Sean O'Malley successful ascendant manner to clasp belt

Merab Dvalishvili celebrates aft a monolithic triumph implicit Sean O'Malley successful a rematch of their bout to clasp the rubric astatine UFC 316.

Who should beryllium next: Cory Sandhagen

The UFC doesn't ever marque matchups connected combat night, but it's bully erstwhile it does -- particularly an evident 1 similar this. Sandhagen has taken a agelong way to his archetypal authoritative rubric fight, and helium gets immoderate blasted for that. He has travel up abbreviated successful large moments, but if you look astatine his assemblage of enactment -- not to notation his evident endowment -- it's benignant of chaotic that it has taken this agelong for him to get here. Now that helium is here, though, helium has a sizable champion to effort to instrumentality down. Sandhagen knows what he's up against. He said Saturday that helium has to get a knockout against Dvalishvili. That's a batch easier said than done. Sandhagen is 1 of the biggest knockout threats successful the division, but helium would request to capitalize connected immoderate tiny infinitesimal Dvalishvili gives him.

Wild card: Petr Yan

If helium beats Marcus McGhee connected July 26 successful Abu Dhabi, Yan volition beryllium close determination for a accidental to reclaim the loop helium mislaid successful 2022. His evident occupation is that helium mislaid a non-competitive combat to Dvalishvili successful 2023, but that doesn't mean Yan tin ne'er get a 2nd accidental astatine the championship. He would person to look astonishing against McGhee and inactive request the Sandhagen matchup to autumn done to get a rubric shot, though.

Sean O'Malley, men's bantamweight

Who should beryllium next: José Aldo

This is the pugnacious one. There is nary evident way guardant close present for O'Malley aft 2 consecutive defeats, truthful a precocious retired Aldo is simply a nonobvious answer. I respect Aldo's prime to accidental he's done, but let's besides admit that a batch of america weren't blessed with the mode the UFC matchmade him during his comeback. The imaginable of an O'Malley matchup mightiness really get him precise excited, though. It would besides get fans excited. The UFC would payment by putting unneurotic an O'Malley combat radical attraction about, and there's a shortage of those. Aldo astonishing everyone with different instrumentality to the Octagon would garner a ton of attention.

Wild card: Henry Cejudo

O'Malley has ever wanted to combat Cejudo. They're from the aforesaid country successful Arizona. O'Malley has ever recovered Cejudo's mode of promotion a spot ... lame. O'Malley, 5-foot-11, loves warring shorter opponents and likes to punctual the 5-4 Cejudo conscionable however overmuch shorter helium is. Cejudo has said helium mightiness beryllium done, but you decidedly get the consciousness helium doesn't privation to decorativeness his vocation connected a fight-ending oculus poke successful a February nonaccomplishment to Song Yadong. If Cejudo decides to combat again, I could spot some sides wanting this fight.

Kayla Harrison, women's bantamweight

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Kayla Harrison submits Julianna Pena to go caller UFC bantamweight champ

Kayla Harrison taps retired Julianna Pena successful Round 2 astatine UFC 316 to go the caller women's bantamweight champion.

Who should beryllium next: Amanda Nunes

Easiest matchmaking of each time. We've fundamentally been waiting for this since Harrison entered MMA. We ever knew it would instrumentality a agelong clip to happen, and determination were moments on the mode erstwhile it looked similar it ne'er would. Harrison signed with the PFL arsenic a lightweight and said she'd ne'er chopped value to bantamweight. Nunes mislaid to Peña erstwhile Harrison was looking to trial escaped bureau and articulation the UFC. Then Nunes retired. Still, the combat ever seemed precise overmuch alive, and it doesn't look similar it's happening excessively late. It'll beryllium the biggest combat successful women's MMA successful a precise agelong time. By the clip it happens, aft each of the promotion, possibly it'll beryllium the biggest ever.

Kevin Holland, welterweight

Who should beryllium next: Carlos Prates

When Holland is focused (and competing astatine 170 pounds), he's a rubric contender. He came wrong 1 scorecard of defeating the existent champion, Jack Della Maddalena, successful 2023. Holland has ever said helium doesn't attraction astir the loop and that he's consenting to bounce betwixt welterweight and middleweight, but it seems that's astir to change. When helium said helium wants to enactment astatine 170, it was euphony to my ears. He's good astatine this value class. When helium fights astatine 185 pounds, I get the consciousness that sometimes adjacent helium doesn't deliberation he's expected to win. Prates looks similar the existent deal, contempt a loss to Ian Machado Garry successful his past bout. Holland vs. Prates would beryllium perfectly fire.

Wild card: Stephen Thompson

They fought successful 2022, and it was an instant classic. Thompson won, which means there's inducement for Holland to get revenge. No 1 wants to spot Thompson successful a combat successful which he's perpetually defending takedowns, and portion Holland mightiness leap connected a choke present and there, he's not going to walk an full combat trying to instrumentality "Wonderboy" down. This combat would beryllium bully for some of their careers, not to notation the fans.

Mario Bautista, men's bantamweight

Who should beryllium next: Marlon Vera

If Bautista feels a small slighted by fans and media aft his triumph implicit Patchy Mix, it's with bully reason. It was astir apt inevitable that the bulk of the prefight absorption would situation his UFC 316 opponent, considering Mix was making a long-awaited determination from Bellator MMA to the UFC. But still, Bautista was connected a seven-fight triumph streak and coming disconnected a triumph implicit erstwhile UFC champion Jose Aldo. After however bully helium looked Saturday, I don't expect him to beryllium underappreciated again successful the adjacent one. He was expected to look "Chito" Vera astatine UFC 316, but Vera withdrew due to the fact that of an injury. Vera is simply a fashionable fighter; Bautista could payment from adding to Vera's sanction to his résumé, and I deliberation Bautista would beryllium favored to win.

Wild card: Song Yadong

Yadong is coming disconnected a arguable victory implicit Henry Cejudo successful which Cejudo was severely impacted by an accidental oculus poke. Yadong is for real, though. And astatine this point, it's hard to accidental Bautista isn't arsenic well. The UFC mightiness take to bent connected to this fight, due to the fact that it's a bully 1 that seems inevitable astatine immoderate point. But if they chose to bash it now, it would beryllium a highly entertaining one.

Azamat Murzakanov, airy heavyweight

Who should beryllium next: Aleksandar Rakic

In presumption of matchups, Murzakanov has been the unfortunate of atrocious timing and atrocious luck. He's 5-0 successful the UFC, but helium hasn't faced the highest-ranked competition. At assorted times, helium was booked to combat Volkan Oezdemir, Khalil Rountree Jr., Nikita Krylov and Johnny Walker, and each azygous 1 of those fights fell through. It's clip to get him a large leap successful competition. He needs it, and this part needs it. Rakic has mislaid 3 successful a row, but each nonaccomplishment has been to the precise apical of the division. He's astatine a constituent wherever helium needs to support his spot, and that should beryllium against Murzakanov.

Wild card: Jan Blachowicz

I emotion Blachowicz, arsenic does the remainder of the MMA world. His emergence to UFC champion was unexpected astatine his age. That said, the 42-year-old is benignant of sitting connected a ranking astatine this point. He's officially ranked No. 5 astatine airy heavyweight by the UFC but hasn't won a combat since 2022. His past triumph was against Rakic, who, arsenic we conscionable mentioned, has mislaid 3 successful a row. If Blachowicz wants to support his spot successful the rankings, this is the benignant of combat helium needs to accept.