Curtis Blaydes kept his humor after losing to Josh Hokit at UFC 327, asking on social media whether "we saved heavyweight." The question is fair—Hokit's victory over a top-five contender earned him a fight against Derrick Lewis at the White House event in June. But his WWE promo-style persona has critics asking whether he has the substance to back up the shtick. If he keeps winning, the antics could make him a star. If not, they'll work against him.

Gable Steveson represents another wild card. The UFC signed the Olympic gold medalist wrestler last week, though he debuted in MMA less than a year ago and still looks unpolished. Former two-division champion Jon Jones mentors him and predicted Steveson will be a UFC champion within a year. That's ambitious, but the heavyweight division is wide open—things could move quickly if he starts winning highlight-reel style.

Francis Ngannou headlines Netflix's first MMA card on May 16 against Philipe Lins, telling ESPN he'd like to fight for up to five more years. He's open to a fight with Jake Paul or a rematch with Rico Verhoeven. If the Netflix card succeeds, Most Valuable Promotions will "be involved in MMA over the long term"—potentially luring UFC talent away, including Tom Aspinall, whose relationship with the promotion has strained following comments about his eye injuries.