The UFC’s first event on Paramount+ was a massive success and tallied 5.93 million concurrent views at its peak. With increased fighter pay and massive payouts for the top stars, the non-pay-per-view model has seemed to work well after just one event. What fans ultimately want to see, though it the fights themselves, and with many ranked fights on the card and obviously the lightweight championship dawning a new owner, what is next for the UFC 324 stars?

Jean Silva

One of the most entertaining members of the Fighting Nerds, Jean Silva, got a unanimous decision win over Arnold Allen in an entertaining matchup. Silva is becoming one of the more marketable fighters in the UFC with his crazy personality and antics paired well with his entertaining fight style. After his KO loss against Diego Lopez in his last fight, he took time to recoup and flesh out what went wrong before.

In this fight, he wasn’t as wild or erratic and fought with more tactics, but still allowed for his wild side to shine through. Arnold Allen hung in there, and the fight was close for the majority of the contest. Nonetheless, Silva came away with the win. He is not in championship contention just yet, so he will be looking for a top 5-ranked fight the next time he steps into the octagon. Most likely opponents will be #5-ranked Aljamain Sterling or #3-ranked Yair Rodriguez.

Natalia Silva

The number two-ranked women’s flyweight contender, Natalia Silva, made a statement in her fight against Rose Namajunas, where she controlled the bout on the feet and showcased her impressive striking skills. She has already proven herself to be one of the best women’s fighters in the UFC, and another convincing victory pushes her into the obvious next spot for a championship fight.

With the win, she is now the number one contender, and there is no doubt that Valentina Shevchenko will be her next opponent. This will be no easy feat as Shevchenko is one of the greatest fighters to ever grace the UFC, but Silva is making a name for herself and has the skills to go toe to toe with the champion.

Waldo Cortes Acosta

Waldo Cortes Acosta got yet another KO win under his belt after his TKO over Derrick Lewis and marked his sixth fight since March of last year. There have not been as many active fighters as Acosta has been in the UFC. Not only is he fighting often, but he is winning just as much. He is 5-1 in his last six fights, with four of those wins being by knockout. Acosta has speed-ran his way to being a top-five heavyweight and rightfully so.

He will probably want to fight again in the next couple of months, but with the inactivity of some of the top heavyweights, fans will have to wait and see when the next time he steps back into the octagon will be. His next opponents will likely be either Curtis Blaydes or Alexander Volkov, with a win against either could land him a title shot against heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall in due time.

Sean O’Malley 

The “Suga Show” is back after his win against Song Yadong and remains a top-three bantamweight as of right now. His fight was close with Yadong, and some people even had the fight going against O’Malley, but the judges made their decision, and it did look like O’Malley did enough to get the victory. With Sean being one of the biggest stars in MMA and the history he has with current champion Petr Yan, it makes for a compelling story if he were to get another championship opportunity.

He likely still has to prove himself, as his last two fights have been for gold, and he has lost both. The UFC could very well have O’Malley hold out for the winner of a Merab Dvalishvili and Petr Yan rematch, or he could fight Umar Nurmagomedov for a number-one-contender fight. The likelihood of Sean fighting anyone outside of the top three rankings, though, is very slim.

Paddy Pimblet

Although Paddy Pimblet lost in the title fight to Justin Gaethje, he showed that he is one of the most savage and tough fighters in the UFC at the moment. Paddy went through an absolute war with Gaethje in what could be one of the best fights any MMA has seen in a long time. The scouser was knocked down multiple times and refused to give up, even landing some critical blows on Gaethje. In the end, he didn’t get the job done, but he proved that he does belong as a top lightweight in the world, and many believe that he will be back fighting for that championship belt soon enough.

His next opponents depend on the outcomes of a lot of other fights. Everyone that Paddy could fight that makes sense already has a fight booked, so Pimblet will be sidelined for a while, especially as he has to recover from what he went through against Justin Gaethje. Dan Hooker, the winner of Charles Oliveira and Max Holloway, or Rafael Fiziev, seems like the logical potential opponents for Pimblet in his next fight. 

Justin Gaethje

“The Highlight” is now the current interim lightweight champion for the second time in his career. After his unanimous decision win over Paddy Pimblet, he now has the gold around his waist yet again. There is no question as to who his next opponent will be; it will be Ilia Topuria. Topuria still holds the undisputed title, but he stepped away from fighting for personal reasons in late 2025. His departure led to the contest between Gaethje and Pimblet for the interim belt.

Now that Topuria has said we wants to return around April-June, this is the only fight to make. It is simple: the interim champion fights the undisputed champion. This fight will be fireworks as two of the hardest-hitting fighters in lightweight history will face off for the gold. This will be one of the most highly anticipated fights of the year, and for good reason.