What's Next for UFC 332's Winners? Matchmaking Silva, Talbott and More

Natalia Silva
Natalia Silva
Payton Talbott
Payton Talbott

Image credit: UFC.com

UFC 332 is in the books, and it was a violent one: 11 knockouts across 14 fights at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on October 3, a UFC record for one night. The card crowned a new women's flyweight champion and reshuffled the rankings at bantamweight and lightweight.

So who fights next? Here is the matchmaker's column: one section per winner, with the win, the case for each option, and the pick — based on rankings, streaks, and styles.

Natalia Silva (Image: UFC.com)
Natalia Silva (Image: UFC.com)

Natalia Silva — New Women's Flyweight Champion

The win: Silva (21-5-1) outpointed Wang Cong over five rounds — 48-47, 48-47, 49-46 — to claim the vacant women's flyweight title. It was her 15th straight victory and her ninth inside the Octagon.

The case: The belt was vacant because Valentina Shevchenko gave it up in September to deal with injuries. Two contenders stand out. Shevchenko, the long-reigning former champion, congratulated Silva after the fight but warned she plans to return and reclaim the belt. The other is Alexa Grasso, the former titleholder who just beat Manon Fiorot at Noche UFC 4. Silva has said she wants to be an active champion and does not intend to wait around.

The pick: Valentina Shevchenko. The champion who never lost the belt gets the first shot at it. It is the cleanest title line in the division, and Silva has made clear she wants a defense, not a waiting game. Grasso should face Wang Cong in a title eliminator while she waits.

Payton Talbott (Image: UFC.com)
Payton Talbott (Image: UFC.com)

Payton Talbott — Bantamweight's Rising Finisher

The win: Talbott (12-1) flattened former two-time flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo in 2:09 of the first round. It was his second straight win over a former UFC champion — he outpointed Henry Cejudo over three rounds at UFC 323 last December.

The ranking: The win moved Talbott to No. 11 in the UFC's bantamweight rankings. He is 27, a natural 135er with eight knockouts in 12 wins, and he now holds back-to-back wins over big-name veterans.

The case: Talbott called out Sean O'Malley after the win — and O'Malley sits at No. 3 in the division. But the better next step is the man who talked down to him. Undefeated Farid Basharat (16-0, 7-0 UFC) dismissed Talbott's last two wins as "easy layups" on social media, pointing out Cejudo was 0-3 and Figueiredo 1-4 going in. Basharat is ranked No. 9 and is coming off wins over Johan Garza and a narrow decision over Jean Matsumoto.

The pick: Farid Basharat. Adjacent in the rankings, public beef already started, and the style contrast is real: Talbott hunts finishes; Basharat has won his last five on the scorecards. O'Malley stays in the bank for the winner of that one.

Esteban Ribovics — New Lightweight Top 15

The win: Ribovics stopped 40-year-old veteran King Green by TKO at 4:08 of round one. He took Green's spot and debuted at No. 15 in the lightweight rankings.

The ranking: At No. 15, Ribovics sits just below Grant Dawson (No. 14) and Tofiq Musayev (No. 13) in the UFC's Meta rankings. Lightweight is currently ruled by champion Justin Gaethje, and the queue is long — so the next move is to climb one or two spots at a time.

The case: Dawson is a grinding grappler; Musayev is a boxer. Ribovics is a power striker with first-round knockout ability. A fight with Dawson tests the most obvious hole in Ribovics' game — takedown defense — against a fighter ranked directly above him.

The pick: Grant Dawson. Grappler vs. striker, No. 15 vs. No. 14, and the winner enters the division's middle tier where names like Renato Moicano and Benoit Saint Denis sit.

Roberto Soldic — UFC Debut Done Right

The win: Soldic beat Khaos Williams by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27) in his UFC debut. The former two-division KSW champion handled a dangerous power puncher without getting drawn into a brawl.

The case: Soldic is unranked, so the next booking is a ranked gatekeeper. Welterweight's lower tier offers two good options: Daniel Rodriguez (No. 15) and Kevin Holland (No. 14). Both are active, durable, and willing to stand and trade — which is the kind of fight that shows what Soldic really is at 170 pounds.

The pick: Kevin Holland. He is the biggest name Soldic can realistically get on a debut follow-up, and his all-action style guarantees Soldic's second UFC fight looks nothing like a feeling-out process.

Sources

Fight data compiled from public statistical sources (ufcstats.com) and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). OctagonStats is an independent database, not affiliated with UFC / TKO Group.