After UFC 332: what comes next for Natalia Silva, Payton Talbott and Johnny Walker
After UFC 332, the winners from Salt Lake City already have opponents in sight, or contenders putting their hands up. Natalia Silva, the new flyweight champion, did not call anyone out, and 3 options stand out for her 1st defense. Payton Talbott wants Sean O’Malley. Johnny Walker has just been called out by a fellow heavyweight for UFC 335.
Key takeaways
- Natalia Silva named nobody: Valentina Shevchenko, Alexa Grasso and Erin Blanchfield are the 3 options mentioned for her 1st defense.
- Payton Talbott called out Sean O'Malley, and heavyweight Steven Asplund called out Johnny Walker for UFC 335 on December 12.
- Among the losers, Court McGee retired, Rafael dos Anjos took off his gloves without an announcement and King Green lost his path to the BMF title.
After UFC 332, 3 options for Natalia Silva
Valentina Shevchenko
The former champion did not lose her belt in the cage, she gave it up through injury. Bleacher Report argues Silva’s legitimacy will be questioned until the Shevchenko situation is resolved. Her return has no date.
Alexa Grasso
For Yahoo Sports, Grasso is the highest-ranked contender available. Silva has already beaten her, but the Mexican is coming off wins over Maycee Barber and Manon Fiorot.
Erin Blanchfield
Blanchfield is due to face Jasmine Jasudavicius. Bleacher Report sees the winner of that fight as a logical challenger. The UFC has announced nothing.
Talbott, Walker, Kopylov: the winners on the rise
Talbott wants O’Malley
After his TKO of Deiveson Figueiredo in 2:09, Payton Talbott asked for Sean O’Malley on the microphone. He now has 2 wins in a row over former UFC champions.
Walker already called out
A KO winner in his heavyweight debut, Johnny Walker was called out by Steven Asplund. The American borrowed Georges St-Pierre’s famous line and wants to meet him in December at T-Mobile Arena, at UFC 335.
Kopylov back in the mix
Roman Kopylov stopped Ateba Gautier, who was unbeaten in the UFC until then. At 16-5, the Russian is back in the middleweight race. Gautier, 24, has vowed to use the loss as motivation.
Johnny Walker, I'm not impressed by your performance.
The losers and the calendar
3 veterans at a crossroads
Court McGee, 41, ended his career. Rafael dos Anjos, 41, took off his gloves without announcing his retirement. King Green, 40, saw the BMF title shot Dana White had promised him with a win slip away.
The next dates
The UFC continues with UFC Vegas 122 this Saturday, October 10, then UFC 334 on November 14 in New York and UFC 335 on December 12 in Las Vegas, with Oliveira vs Lopes and Pereira vs Pavlovich.
Follow what comes next
The UFC 332 fighters’ profiles, their updated records and our ratings by division are in the FightHub app.
- Payton Talbott stops Deiveson Figueiredo in 2:09 at UFC 332 and calls out Sean O’Malley
- Roman Kopylov pulls off the upset: Ateba Gautier stopped in round 1 at UFC 332
- Ateba Gautier, 5-0 in the UFC, faces his biggest test against Roman Kopylov at UFC 332
- Alexa Grasso beats Manon Fiorot in Glendale and takes the title shot Fiorot had already claimed
