What’s Next for the Winners of UFC 316’s Main Card

Fans at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, were treated to not one, but two bantamweight world title bouts on Saturday night—kicking off a stacked lineup of UFC events scheduled for June.

With the dust now settling after another major pay-per-view, it’s time to take a look at what’s next for the winners from the UFC 316 main card.

Merab Dvalishvili

After dominating former champion Sean O’Malley once again in Saturday’s main event, Merab Dvalishvili (20-4 MMA, 13-2 UFC) has firmly entered the conversation as one of the greatest bantamweights in UFC history.

“Sean O’Malley came in 100 percent ready—mentally, physically, in every way you could be ready for this fight—and Merab finished him,” UFC President Dana White told reporters after the event. “He’s definitely there.”

With back-to-back wins over José Aldo, Petr Yan, Henry Cejudo, Sean O’Malley (twice), and Umar Nurmagomedov, Dvalishvili has nearly cleared out the division. At this point, Cory Sandhagen may be the only realistic contender left standing.

Kayla Harrison

This one sells itself. When Kayla Harrison (19-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) submitted Julianna Peña in Saturday’s co-main event to capture the UFC bantamweight title, it set the stage for the biggest women’s MMA fight since Amanda Nunes faced Cris Cyborg at UFC 232 in 2018.

When Nunes (11-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) stepped into the Octagon for a faceoff with her former American Top Team training partner, the matchup was all but confirmed. Nunes will need to re-enter the UFC’s drug testing pool, but fans can likely expect this long-anticipated clash to happen before the end of 2025.

Joe Pyfer

 By adding Kelvin Gastelum to the list of names he’s defeated in his short UFC career, Pennsylvania’s Joe Pyfer (14-3 MMA, 5-1 UFC) may have just punched his ticket into the middleweight top 15.

A victory over a former interim title challenger carries weight, and Pyfer could now be in line to face the division’s No. 15 contender, Abus Magomedov (28-6-1 MMA, 4-2 UFC). Another possibility is a matchup with the winner of the upcoming UFC 317 bout between No. 14-ranked Roman Kopylov (14-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) and No. 12-ranked Paulo Costa (14-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC), scheduled for later this month.

Mario Bautista

Much of the post-fight discussion following Mario Bautista’s win over Patchy Mix on Saturday has focused on Mix’s underwhelming performance. But it might be time for UFC fans to recognize that Bautista (16-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) is becoming a serious threat in the bantamweight division. His victory extended his winning streak to eight straight.

Bautista was originally scheduled to face former title challenger Marlon Vera (23-10-1 MMA, 15-9 UFC), who currently holds the No. 7 spot in the rankings—three places above him. It’s time to rebook that matchup.

Kevin Holland

A second consecutive win at 170 pounds—this time over Vicente Luque—should be enough to convince Kevin Holland (28-13 MMA, 15-10 UFC) to put an end to his back-and-forth with the middleweight division.

Saturday’s submission victory is likely to earn "Trailblazer" a spot back in the welterweight top 15 when the rankings update this week. At the post-fight press conference, Holland called for a fun, fan-friendly matchup against Colby Covington (17-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC)—a fight that could be a perfect fit for both fighters.