As soon as Julianna Peña tapped Kayla Harrison‘s back in the penultimate fight of UFC 316 to signal she had had enough of Harrison’s Kimura lock, the Newark, New Jersey, crowd cheered its approval and all eyes turned to future UFC Hall of Fame bantamweight Amanda Nunes, who was sitting cageside with her family.

“Come on up here, Amanda!” Harrison yelled in Nunes’ direction during her postfight interview. “This is the next fight.”

She’s right, of course. If all goes to plan, Nunes will come out of retirement to be Harrison’s first title challenger in what will instantly be a fight of the year candidate — in whatever year that might be.

A similar story played out in the final fight of the night, after Merab Dvalishvili frustrated and ultimately finished fan favorite Sean O’Malley with a guillotine in the third round of their men’s bantamweight title rematch.

Cory Sandhagen, just about the only current UFC bantamweight contender Dvalishvili hasn’t beaten, smiled from the audience as the champion called for him to be his next target. Sandhagen has been in the UFC since 2018, but it appears his time has come to challenge for a title.

Let’s take a deeper look at those championship scenarios and possible next steps for many of the fighters featured at UFC 316.

Merab Dvalishvili, men’s bantamweight

Who should be next: Cory Sandhagen

The UFC doesn’t always make matchups on fight night, but it’s nice when it does — especially an obvious one like this. Sandhagen has taken a long route to his first official title fight, and he gets some blame for that. He has come up short in big moments, but if you look at his body of work — not to mention his obvious talent — it’s kind of wild that it has taken this long for him to get here. Now that he is here, though, he has a sizable champion to try to take down. Sandhagen knows what he’s up against. He said Saturday that he has to get a knockout against Dvalishvili. That’s a lot easier said than done. Sandhagen is one of the biggest knockout threats in the division, but he would need to capitalize on any small moment Dvalishvili gives him.

Wild card: Petr Yan

If he beats Marcus McGhee on July 26 in Abu Dhabi, Yan will be right there for a chance to reclaim the belt he lost in 2022. His obvious problem is that he lost a non-competitive fight to Dvalishvili in 2023, but that doesn’t mean Yan can never get a second chance at the championship. He would have to look amazing against McGhee and still need the Sandhagen matchup to fall through to get a title shot, though.

Sean O’Malley, men’s bantamweight

There is no obvious next opponent for Sean O’Malley after losing back-to-back title challenges to Merab Dvalishvili. Elsa/Getty ImagesWho should be next: José Aldo

This is the tough one. There is no obvious path forward right now for O’Malley after two consecutive defeats, so a recently retired Aldo is a nonobvious answer. I respect Aldo’s choice to say he’s done, but let’s also acknowledge that a lot of us weren’t happy with the way the UFC matchmade him during his comeback. The potential of an O’Malley matchup might actually get him very excited, though. It would also get fans excited. The UFC would benefit by putting together an O’Malley fight people care about, and there’s a shortage of those. Aldo surprising everyone with another return to the Octagon would garner a ton of attention.

Wild card: Henry Cejudo

O’Malley has always wanted to fight Cejudo. They’re from the same area in Arizona. O’Malley has always found Cejudo’s way of promotion a bit … lame. O’Malley, 5-foot-11, loves fighting shorter opponents and likes to remind the 5-4 Cejudo just how much shorter he is. Cejudo has said he might be done, but you definitely get the sense he doesn’t want to finish his career on a fight-ending eye poke in a February loss to Song Yadong. If Cejudo decides to fight again, I could see both sides wanting this fight.

Kayla Harrison, women’s bantamweight

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Kayla Harrison submits Julianna Pena to become new UFC bantamweight champ

Kayla Harrison taps out Julianna Pena in Round 2 at UFC 316 to become the new women’s bantamweight champion.

Who should be next: Amanda Nunes

Easiest matchmaking of all time. We’ve basically been waiting for this since Harrison entered MMA. We always knew it would take a long time to happen, and there were moments along the way when it looked like it never would. Harrison signed with the PFL as a lightweight and said she’d never cut weight to bantamweight. Nunes lost to Peña when Harrison was looking to test free agency and join the UFC. Then Nunes retired. Still, the fight always seemed very much alive, and it doesn’t seem like it’s happening too late. It’ll be the biggest fight in women’s MMA in a very long time. By the time it happens, after all of the promotion, maybe it’ll be the biggest ever.

Kevin Holland, welterweight

Kevin Holland, blue gloves, stopped Vincent Luque, red gloves, with an anaconda choke to begin the UFC 316 main card. Vincent Carchietta/Imagn ImagesWho should be next: Carlos Prates

When Holland is focused (and competing at 170 pounds), he’s a title contender. He came within one scorecard of defeating the current champion, Jack Della Maddalena, in 2023. Holland has always said he doesn’t care about the belt and that he’s willing to bounce between welterweight and middleweight, but it seems that’s about to change. When he said he wants to stay at 170, it was music to my ears. He’s good at this weight class. When he fights at 185 pounds, I get the sense that sometimes even he doesn’t think he’s supposed to win. Prates looks like the real deal, despite a loss to Ian Machado Garry in his last bout. Holland vs. Prates would be absolutely fire.

Wild card: Stephen Thompson

They fought in 2022, and it was an instant classic. Thompson won, which means there’s incentive for Holland to get revenge. No one wants to see Thompson in a fight in which he’s constantly defending takedowns, and while Holland might jump on a choke here and there, he’s not going to spend an entire fight trying to take “Wonderboy” down. This fight would be good for both of their careers, not to mention the fans.

Mario Bautista, men’s bantamweight

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Who should be next: Marlon Vera

If Bautista feels a little slighted by fans and media after his win over Patchy Mix, it’s with good reason. It was probably inevitable that the majority of the prefight focus would surround his UFC 316 opponent, considering Mix was making a long-awaited move from Bellator MMA to the UFC. But still, Bautista was on a seven-fight win streak and coming off a victory over former UFC champion Jose Aldo. After how good he looked Saturday, I don’t expect him to be underappreciated again in the next one. He was supposed to face “Chito” Vera at UFC 316, but Vera withdrew because of an injury. Vera is a popular fighter; Bautista could benefit from adding to Vera’s name to his résumé, and I think Bautista would be favored to win.

Wild card: Song Yadong

Yadong is coming off a controversial victory over Henry Cejudo in which Cejudo was badly impacted by an accidental eye poke. Yadong is for real, though. And at this point, it’s hard to say Bautista isn’t as well. The UFC might choose to hang on to this fight, because it’s a good one that seems inevitable at some point. But if they chose to do it now, it would be a highly entertaining one.

Azamat Murzakanov, light heavyweight

Azamat Murzakanov, red gloves, is 5-0 in the UFC after finishing Brendson Riberio. Elsa/Getty ImagesWho should be next: Aleksandar Rakic

In terms of matchups, Murzakanov has been the victim of bad timing and bad luck. He’s 5-0 in the UFC, but he hasn’t faced the highest-ranked competition. At various times, he was booked to fight Volkan Oezdemir, Khalil Rountree Jr., Nikita Krylov and Johnny Walker, and every single one of those fights fell through. It’s time to get him a big jump in competition. He needs it, and this division needs it. Rakic has lost three in a row, but every loss has been to the very top of the division. He’s at a point where he needs to defend his spot, and that should be against Murzakanov.

Wild card: Jan Blachowicz

I love Blachowicz, as does the rest of the MMA world. His rise to UFC champion was unexpected at his age. That said, the 42-year-old is kind of sitting on a ranking at this point. He’s officially ranked No. 5 at light heavyweight by the UFC but hasn’t won a fight since 2022. His last win was against Rakic, who, as we just mentioned, has lost three in a row. If Blachowicz wants to maintain his spot in the rankings, this is the kind of fight he needs to accept.

On Sunday evening, On3’s Joe Tipton reported that Tyran Stokes, the #1 recruit in the class of 2026, is currently being hosted by the Kentucky Wildcats on an official visit.

This is obviously great news, as the Cats are expected to be a heavy player in his recruitment but had yet to host him for a visit after a previously scheduled trip was postponed in May.

The rising phenom also visited Louisville and Kansas in recent months. Arkansas and Kentucky are expected to be the other two schools heavily in the mix. But in the NIL era, nothing will be final until the pen hits the paper.

Whoever lands Stokes, they’ll be getting a freak athlete and one of the most exciting young players to watch, regardless of class. To make his recruitment even more intriguing for Wildcat fans, the 5-star prospect is a Louisville native. There’s no doubt that Stokes knows just how much college basketball means in the state of Kentucky,

There have always been lingering reclassification rumors surrounding the physically mature Stokes. However, he has continued to shut those rumors down, suggesting he will remain planted in the class of 2026.

At 6-foot-7, Stokes has the skill set to score the ball in a variety of ways, and his play-making ability is elite.

Mark Pope has continued to answer the bell for big moments so far in his young career as the head coach at the University of Kentucky. The recruitment of a homegrown unanimous #1 player will be yet another test for the former Wildcats.

This recruitment is just getting started and will feature the heavy hitters from college basketball, including the UK’s biggest rival and their former head coach, battling it out.

Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter for more UK news and views. Go Cats!

As soon as the dust settled on the completion of the 2025-26 Kentucky basketball roster, Mark Pope got to work on the next one. The latest news indicates that he’s off to a great start.

On3’s Joe Tipton reports that Tyran Stokes is currently on an official visit to Kentucky. Stokes is a Louisville native who is the consensus No. 1 player in the 2026 recruiting class. He currently plays high school hoops for Notre Dame in Sherman Oaks, CA.

Stokes previously took official visits to Louisville and Kansas. Mark Pope is making a big move to ensure Kentucky is a serious contender for this 6-foot-7 phenom’s services.

Join KSR Plus! With a KSR Plus membership, you get access to bonus content and KSBoard, KSR’s message board, to chat with fellow Cats fans and get exclusive scoop.

More Time with Mark Pope

The Kentucky head coach has impeccable timing. Mark Pope is hosting Stokes for an official visit in Lexington. Later this week, Pope will get to spend even more time with the nation’s top-ranked player, and he’s going to be joined by a few other Wildcats.

Mark Pope is one of four college coaches who will lead training camp for Team USA’s U19 squad. Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno will be participating in the camp alongside Stokes. The training camp in Colorado Springs begins on June 14th. They will cut the roster from 33 to 12 before the team travels to Switzerland for the 2025 FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup.

It’s unclear how much this experience can actually help Kentucky’s chances to land Stokes, but it certainly can’t hurt.

Tyran Stokes Scouting Report

On3’s Jamie Shaw explains why Tyran Stokes was a no-brainer at the top spot in the latest On3 rankings update.

“At first glance, with Tyran Stokes, you see that he has the optimal positional size, the explosive athleticism, and an ability to create advantages from multiple levels of the floor. So while he is still developing into a role as an alpha player, you see that he has the immediate framework to work with…

“The highest levels of basketball are looking for players who are able to create positional advantages. Players who can make a play, in the middle of the floor, with the ball in their hands, and consistently win matchups in their immediate area. The positional size is there for Stokes, and he has shown himself capable of making decisions and creating opportunities for his team. How he continues to develop his self-creation, shooting gravity, and motor will go a long way in dictating just how much of his top-end outcome he can reach.”

Australian filmmaker Eva Orner (Burning, Chasing Asylum, Taxi to the Dark Side), is the director / producer of new HBO documentary, Surviving Ohio State.

The documentary tells the story of the male victims of Dr. Richard Strauss, a sports medicine physician and serial sex abuser employed by the Ohio State University from 1978 to 1998.

Bravely told by the student-athletes and others who concealed their trauma for years, the film builds on the efforts of whistleblowers and journalists who exposed the scandal in 2018. It also examines the culture that allowed the abuse to continue unchecked for nearly two decades at OSU, as well as the survivors’ present-day fight to hold the school accountable.

Based on Jon Wertheim’s Sports Illustrated cover story “Why Aren’t More People Talking About the Ohio State Sex Abuse Scandal,” Surviving Ohio State features numerous male athletes, including several former All-American wrestlers, who have come forward to share their experiences of abuse during their time at The Ohio State University. The film includes revealing interviews with OSU student-athlete alumni Mark Coleman, Adam DiSabato, Michael DiSabato, Will Knight, Al Novakowski, Rockey Ratliff, Dan Ritchie, and Mike Schyck; OSU alumnus Stephen Snyder-Hill, wrestling referee Frederick Feeney, and others.

HBO Sports Documentaries presents Surviving Ohio State, a 101/Sports Illustrated Studios and Smokehouse Pictures production. Directed and produced by Eva Orner; produced by David C. Glasser, Grant Heslov, and George Clooney; executive produced by Jon Wertheim, David Hutkin, Bob Yari, Ron Burkle, Corey Salter, Colin Smeeton, and Marc Rosen. For HBO: executive producers, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, and Bentley Weiner; coordinating producer, Abtin Motia.

Wednesday 18 June on Max.

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A recent graduate of Western Hills High School was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement earlier this week.Cincy Galaxy soccer coach Bryan Williams says he was attending a routine immigration check-in with one of his players, Emerson Colindres, 19, when he was ambushed and arrested by immigration authorities.According to Williams, Colindres is a Honduran national who was brought to the U.S. by his parents in 2008 and has spent 17 years of his life in the country. He is a lifelong soccer player who had just graduated from Western Hills High School a few weeks ago.The arrest appears to stem from a deportation order that the Colindres family received in 2023 after having their previous asylum claims denied by a judge.Since then, Colindres and his parents have had routine check-ins with immigration authorities, and Williams says both he and Colindres were caught off guard when they found ICE agents waiting to arrest the teen as they arrived at the meeting. Williams says that authorities plan to ultimately fulfill the deportation order and remove him from the country.”They took him away from there. I was fortunate and unfortunate that my son was there and was able to give him a hug and tell him he loved him and tell him bye,” said Williams, his voice heavy with emotion. “But Emerson was in handcuffs at the time, so that’s where we are. He’s been in Butler County Jail since then.”Williams says that he and the rest of the Cincy Galaxy soccer team plan to protest Colindres’ arrest outside of the Butler County Jail on Sunday.This is a breaking news story and will be updated as WLWT learns more.

HBO’s latest original documentary Surviving Ohio State will stream exclusively on Max from Wednesday 18 June, spotlighting one of the biggest sex abuse scandals in American college sports.

Directed by Oscar® and Emmy® winner Eva Orner, the film gives a voice to the former Ohio State student-athletes who were abused by team doctor Richard Strauss — and explores how the university failed to stop him over two decades.

From Warner Bros. Discovery:

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HBO’s ‘Surviving Ohio State’ debuts 18 June

The HBO Original documentary Surviving Ohio State, directed and produced by Oscar^® and Emmy^®-winning filmmaker Eva Orner (HBO’s Brandy Hellville & The Cult of Fast Fashion), premieres Wednesday 18 June, only on Max.

Surviving Ohio State tells the story of the male victims of Dr. Richard Strauss, a sports medicine physician and serial sex abuser employed by The Ohio State University (OSU) from 1978 to 1998. Bravely told by the student-athletes and others who concealed their trauma for years, the film builds on the efforts of whistleblowers and journalists who exposed the scandal in 2018.

It also examines the culture that allowed the abuse to continue unchecked for nearly two decades at OSU, as well as the survivors’ present-day fight to hold the school accountable.

Based on Jon Wertheim’s Sports Illustrated cover story “Why Aren’t More People Talking About the Ohio State Sex Abuse Scandal,” Surviving Ohio State features numerous male athletes, including several former All-American wrestlers, who have come forward to share their experiences of abuse during their time at The Ohio State University.

The film includes revealing interviews with OSU student-athlete alumni Mark Coleman, Adam DiSabato, Michael DiSabato, Will Knight, Al Novakowski, Rockey Ratliff, Dan Ritchie, and Mike Schyck; OSU alumnus Stephen Snyder-Hill, wrestling referee Frederick Feeney, and others. 

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HBO Sports Documentaries presents Surviving Ohio State, a 101/Sports Illustrated Studios and Smokehouse Pictures production.

Directed and produced by Eva Orner; produced by David C. Glasser, Grant Heslov, and George Clooney; executive produced by Jon Wertheim, David Hutkin, Bob Yari, Ron Burkle, Corey Salter, Colin Smeeton, and Marc Rosen. 

For HBO: executive producers, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, and Bentley Weiner; coordinating producer, Abtin Motia.  

The HBO Original documentary Surviving Ohio State debuts Wednesday 18 June, only on Max.

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