Title paths for Gaethje, Pimblett and O'Malley after UFC 324

The first numbered event of 2026 has come and gone and another one, UFC 325 from Australia, is just six days away. Before eyes turn to Oceania, though, questions surround what will be next for the stars of UFC 324 on Saturday. Fan-favorites Justin Gaethje and Sean O’Malley narrowly escaped T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas with wins after two epic fights. In Gaethje’s case, the win came with an interim championship belt attached, but does that mean lightweight champion Ilia Topuria is his next dance partner? It’s not a given.

O’Malley and Paddy Pimblett, who lost to Gaethje in the main event, do not have easy roads back to title contention, either. Their routes to a title fight and the paths for fellow UFC 324 standouts Waldo Cortes-Acosta, Umar Nurmagomedov, Natalia Silva and Jean Silva are laid out below.

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Justin Gaethje, interim lightweight champion

Who should be next: Ilia Topuria

Could a lightweight unification bout be in store for June at the White House? Maybe the main event? Topuria is one of the hottest names in MMA, even with his layoff to start 2026. Gaethje is the perfect “All-American” type title challenger to appear at the nation’s capital. It’s a no-brainer. Gaethje will likely be a significant underdog against Topuria, but he’s 9-2 all-time in that role, so it won’t bother him. Current No. 1 contender Arman Tsarukyan is still viewed to be getting the short end of the stick here, but Gaethje has earned a title unification opportunity after his performance against Pimblett.

Wild card: Winner of Max Holloway vs. Charles Oliveira

If Topuria stays out longer than expected, believe it or not, the winner of the BMF fight at UFC 326 in March could skip over Tsarukyan and get a shot at Gaethje for the interim belt. But Gaethje has no real interest in fighting Tsarukyan. He’s never said he wouldn’t, but he has made it clear that he would love to avenge his losses to either Holloway or Oliveira. A BMF/lightweight title fight at the White House? That sounds likely, if Topuria doesn’t make it.

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Paddy Pimblett, lightweight

Who should be next: Arman Tsarukyan

Pimblett didn’t lose a single fan based on his loss to Gaethje. In fact, he likely gained some. Great fighters tend to learn and improve from their losses, and that should be the case with Pimblett. He’s going to need some time off, no question, after a brutal five-round battle. When he returns, he’ll be in line for another marquee fight, and Tsarukyan makes the most sense. It’s an incredibly tough matchup to ask him to take following this loss, but think about it: There’s nothing else that makes much sense for Tsarukyan. Pimblett’s confidence, I believe, will remain intact. He’ll accept this matchup if the circumstances are right and the rewards are sufficient for him. It’s a dangerous fight but also carries the most weight, which will be appealing to Pimblett.

Wild card: Dan Hooker

There’s suddenly a lot of heat between Hooker and Pimblett after they recently made comments about each other in the media. Hooker is ranked No. 6 in the division by the UFC, just one spot below Pimblett. Hooker is booked to face Benoît Saint Denis next weekend at UFC 325 in Sydney. Win or lose, he’s not close to title contention, but he’s a fan-favorite. This fight makes sense and would be my top choice, were it not for the fact that the UFC needs to find something for Tsarukyan, and Pimblett is one of the only options that makes sense. Still, the chances of the UFC looking in Hooker’s direction for Pimblett seem relatively high, and we’ll get an even better indication of the chances after next week.

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Sean O’Malley, men’s bantamweight

Who should be next: Umar Nurmagomedov

The UFC is going to do the Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili trilogy. It’s the right fight to make. You can’t deny Dvalishvili a shot to reclaim the belt, not after the year he had in 2025. So, what’s the fight to set up the next No. 1 contender? It is undeniably O’Malley vs. Nurmagomedov. O’Malley got the victory over Song Yadong, and Nurmagomedov took care of business against Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 324. When O’Malley was the champion, he was looking forward to going up against the Nurmagomedov juggernaut team from Dagestan. O’Malley vs. Nurmagomedov could be a numbered event headlining type of fight. If not, it’ll be a fantastic addition to a main card. Maybe it will come to fruition in April? In Miami?

Wild card: Cory Sandhagen

On paper, O’Malley vs. Sandhagen has always been one of the best matchups at 135 pounds. The UFC could have done it before now, but there’s never been a situation where it had to happen. It still doesn’t have to happen, but it’s one of those fights that could be booked at any time and always makes sense because it’s always going to be an intriguing matchup. Sandhagen wants the fight and called for it when the camera panned to him in the crowd after O’Malley’s win. I could see it being next, but the Nurmagomedov matchup is slightly better timed at the moment.

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Waldo Cortes-Acosta, heavyweight

Who should be next: Curtis Blaydes

Line it up. Not all callouts make sense, but this one Cortes-Acosta brought up after he stopped Derrick Lewis at UFC 324 does. Cortes-Acosta knows the game and knows how to maximize callouts. This is clearly the fight that makes the most sense, especially with the uncertainty surrounding the heavyweight title picture because of Tom Aspinall‘s eye injury. Cortes-Acosta is the new name in the list of contenders, and with that comes excitement and intrigue. That said, there’s not a title shot available for him right now. If he beats Blaydes though, it’s a green light to the championship. Every single fighter who has ever beaten Blaydes in the UFC went on to fight for the belt.

Wild card: Alexander Volkov

This matchup makes sense for all of the reasons a Blaydes matchup makes sense. Volkov has seemingly been around forever and has already lost to both Aspinall and Gane, but he’s been so successful otherwise. He’s still ranked No. 2 in the UFC divisional rankings. Depending on how things at the top shake out, this could make as much sense as Blaydes and would also send Cortes-Acosta into title contention.

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Natalia Silva, flyweight

Who should be next: Valentina Shevchenko

I called for the same opponent after Silva defeated Alexa Grasso and after Shevchenko beat Zhang Weili in their last fights. We have a top contender at 125 pounds, and after her victory over Rose Namajunas on Saturday, I don’t see any reason why she should be denied a title shot. She’s looked good, and her skill set is unique. She’s a specialist in a way, which is actually helpful against someone like Shevchenko, but she also showcased the full range of her game on Saturday against an all-time great. This fight should happen, sometime in the spring.

Wild card: Manon Fiorot

If Silva’s next fight isn’t against the champion, it has to be the No. 1 contender, which as of right now is Fiorot. Silva vs. Fiorot would be a fascinating matchup, and odds are it will happen at some point, one way or another. If, for some reason Shevchenko isn’t next for Silva, we’ll see Silva against Fiorot right away.

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Jean Silva, featherweight

Who should be next: Yair Rodriguez

A matchup with Rodriguez would be a big jump in the rankings for Silva, the UFC’s 10th-ranked featherweight. Rodriguez is currently sitting at No. 3. It could be argued that it’s too big a leap for Silva, who is 1-1 in his past two fights, but his UFC 324 opponent, Arnold Allen, was ranked No. 6. Rodriguez also is such a unique character. He has one win in the past three years, is coming off hand surgery and there hasn’t been a firm timeframe for his return. Obviously, he’s not going to fight for a title immediately when he comes back. A meeting with Silva starts to make more sense when you think about it. If Rodriguez can get healthy, we could see this matchup next.

Wild card: Steve Garcia

Garcia is carrying plenty of momentum. He’s a fun stylistic matchup for anyone and, frankly, the rest of the UFC top 10 either already have plans or have more obvious matchups than Silva. Garcia vs. Silva could be one bout the UFC wants to save for later, when the stakes are higher, though. Garcia and Silva are both relatively new blood for the division, compared to other names. That said, the fight would be electric.