Winner: Mario Bautista
Who He Should Face Next: Cory Sandhagen rematch
Winner: Kyoji Horiguchi
Who He Should Face Next: Manel Kape or Alexandre Pantoja
Horiguchi called for a title fight after defeating Amir Albazi, but I just don’t see that happening next. That fight will either go to Pantoja — who is seeking the immediate rematch — or Kape who is ranked No. 2 in the division. That said, whoever is left out in the cold should face Horiguchi for the next title shot.
Winner: Rizvan Kuniev
Who He Should Face Next: Spivac vs. Delija winner
Kuniev was able to get his first win inside the Octagon by defeating Jailton Almeida via unanimous decision. He did call for a rematch against Curtis Blaydes, but that is way too soon. I wouldn’t mind, however, seeing him face off against the winner of the upcoming Heavyweight showdown between Serghei Spivac and Ante Delija, who are set to throw down on Feb. 21 in Houston, Texas.
Winner: Michal Oleksiejczuk
Who He Should Face Next: Jeremiah Wells
After dropping three straight fights in 2024, Oleksiejczuk has now won three in a row in 2025 and into early 2026, which includes his unanimous decision win over Marc-André Barriault. It may take a couple more wins to crack the Top 15. Up next, a fight against Wells seems appropriate. Wells is coming off a big win over Themba Gorimbo in Nov. 2025, snapping his two-fight losing streak.
Winner: Dustin Jacoby
Who He Should Face Next: Nikita Krylov
