Winner: Leon Edwards

Who Should He Face Next: Kamaru Usman Trilogy Fight

Let me start by saying that NO WAY, NOW HOW should Jorge Masvidal get the first crack at Edwards – despite their bitter past – so let’s stop all this nonsense right now. Masvidal is on a three-fight losing streak (two title fights) and hasn’t won a fight since beating Nate Diaz in 2019. That being said, Dana White already confirmed that Usman will have an immediate chance to get it back, assuming that he is not out for a long time. It’s only right since Usman has been dominant for so long, but when he signs on the dotted line he will be entering hostile territory because this title fight will likely take place in London, England. And what site will it be?

Winner: Paulo Costa

Who Should Fight Next: Wait and See…

Costa snapped his two-fight losing streak to escape Salt Lake City with a victory over a very tough and durable Luke Rockhold, who gave “The Eraser” everything he had. Now that he’s back on track, the big Brazilian will likely sit back and assess what happens in the coming months because there are several 185-pound bouts on the horizon and the results of those bouts will determine his next opponent. Jack Hermansson and Derek Brunson will fight on December 3rd, Robert Whittaker will face Marvin Vettori in a few weeks and Jared Cannonier will fight Sean Strickland in October. I predict that Costa will fight one of these men because believe it or not, he has yet to face any of them, with the exception of Vettori, who defeated Costa in October 2021. Again, Costa is now free , so he may find a home elsewhere if the money is right.

Winner: Merab Dvalishvil

Who should fight next: Marlon Vera Business is really starting to pick up in the Bantamweight division and Dvalshivili has firmly put himself in the title hunt after picking up his eighth straight win following his win over Jose Aldo. Last week I suggested Marlon Vera take the winner of Sterling vs. Dillashaw based on his own streak, or maybe the winner of Yan vs. O’Malley, but now I actually predict that the UFC matchmakers will make a fight between Dvallishvili and Vera. It just makes so much sense. Vera is on a four-fight streak and is ranked No. 5 and is fresh off a knockout win over Dominick Cruz. With Dvalshvili ranked No. 6 and the rest of the Top 5 booked for the rest of the year, I see this fight happening to determine the next title contender.

Winner: Lucie Pudilova

Who should he face next: Mayra Bueno Silva Pudilova won her sixth fight in her last seven outings after defeating Wu Yanan via second-round TKO, but it was her first win under the UFC umbrella since 2018 after a horrific four-fight losing streak inside the octagon. Pudilova has a long way to go before becoming a player in the women’s bantamweight division, so a fight against Silva could be in order. Silva is on a two-fight winning streak with one of them coming over Yanan. She was last seen defeating Stephanie Egger via armbar two weeks ago.

Winner: Tyson Pedro

Who should face next: Winner of Walker vs Cutelaba

Pedro scored his first back-to-back wins in six years by knocking out Harry Hansucker just 65 seconds into the first round. As for what’s next for the hard-nosed striker, perhaps a fight against the winner of the upcoming fight between Johnny Walker and Ion Cutelaba is in order. The two are set to clash at UFC 279 next month, and either would be a great, fresh matchup for Pedro, who is starting to find his groove after a rough slump that saw him score 1- 3 before returning to orbit. For full results and coverage of UFC 278 click here.