UFC 330 may be done, but the action in the Octagon is not yet over, as the world’s foremost MMA promotion still has two events on tap in August.
The first of them comes this Saturday in Sacramento. In the main event, Anthony Hernandez looks to rebound from a loss to current middleweight champion Sean Strickland when he draws Gregory Rodrigues. Meanwhile, Reiner de Ridder goes 20 pounds north against Roman Dolidze.
The following week, the UFC returns to Shanghai. Yadong Song looks to make it two wins in a row against Umar Nurmagomedov, while Xiaonan Yan returns home to protect her ranking against Denise Gomes.
That being said, which fighters are currently having it easy, and who are on the hot seat?
Having It Easy At UFC Sacramento: Shanelle Dyer
Britain has been bereft of a female UFC star since Molly McCann retired last year, but a new one could emerge after this Saturday.
Shanelle Dyer first established herself as a must-see prospect in the PFL’s European branch. In 2024, she made it to the finals of its flyweight tournament, but an injury prevented her from competing.
Thus, it came as a surprise when Dyer was announced to be fighting Carol Foro on Dana White’s Contender Series the following year. “The Nightmare” had been thought to be one of the PFL’s future faces, yet here she was, fighting for a UFC contract.
Dyer lost the fight, but she performed so well in defeat that she was signed anyway. She then made another somewhat stunning move: drop to 115, though she had stated in multiple interviews that it factored into her departure from the PFL.
Dyer made her Octagon debut in London this March, destroying Ravena Oliveira with a bonus-winning second-round TKO before a rabid local crowd. She next takes on Elise Reed, who has had a yo-yo trajectory in her UFC stint thus far. Giving the former Cage Fury strawweight champion a career-first skid will greatly boost her profile.
On The Hot Seat At UFC Sacramento: Reinier de Ridder
ONE Championship exports to the UFC have not been doing well. Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida has gone winless in three fights and was last knocked out by Ryan Spann. Jingnan Xiong, who fights in Shanghai next week, looked nothing like the dominant champion of years past in her debut against Angela Hill.
De Ridder, however, stands out as the most disappointing of the bunch. Heading into his main-event clash against Hernandez in October of last year, he was on a roll, having won his first four fights in the Octagon. Unfortunately, he faltered when it mattered, and another loss to Caio Borralho only made things worse.
Thus, de Ridder heads to 205 seeking a resurgence. Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa were successful in their divisional debuts. Can he do the same, or will he join his fellow ONE alums at the crossroads?
Having It Easy At UFC Shanghai: Ce Liu
China has been a major market for the UFC in recent years. Weili Zhang is one of the best female champions ever, while the likes of Song and Yan have also made strides towards title contention.
Mingyang Zhang was thought to be another of those fighters who would be a big deal, but consecutive losses to Johnny Walker and Alonzo Menifield have cost him his luster. Luckily, another Chinese light heavyweight seems poised for big things ahead: Ce Liu.
The former K-1 cruiserweight champion makes his Octagon debut against Junior Tafa (pictured above). It should be laughably easy, as the Kiwi has been finished in all but one of his losses – including a knockout in his last fight.
On The Hot Seat At UFC Shanghai: Xiaonan Yan
Speaking of Yan, she is at a crossroads entering her first fight since a loss to Virna Jandiroba in April 2025.
The strawweight division has evolved drastically since then. Zhang vacated the title to unsuccessfully challenge Valentina Shevchenko. Mackenzie Dern clinched the belt and has since notched a retention against Gillian Robertson. New faces like Fatima Kline and Alexia Thainara have entered the rankings.
Gomes is another of that new breed, though she has been around for longer. After going 2-1 in both 2022 and 2023, “Dee” found her stride in 2024 and 2025, winning four straight. After a somewhat long layoff, she is back and eager to join the divisional elite.
Since failing to unseat Zhang at UFC 300, Yan has been gatekeeping as she looks to win her way back to a title shot. Tabatha Ricci failed, but Jandiroba succeeded. Can Gomes break through, or will Yan remain afloat even at 37 years of age?
End Of My UFC Rant
Those fighters are far from the only ones with much to prove, however.
Among the main eventers, Umar Nurmagomedov has been on the rebound since his failed title bid against Merab Dvalishvili. He is currently on a two-win streak, but Song represents his most dangerous opponent yet, coming off a submission of Deiveson Figueiredo.
Rodrigues has also rebounded nicely since his loss to Jared Cannonier, knocking out two of his last three opponents. If he wants to go even higher in the rankings, however, he must thwart Hernandez’s takedowns and impose his powerful striking game.
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