Mick Maynard’s Shoes: What’s next for champs Alex Pereira, Zhang Weili after UFC 281 wins?

(ALSO SEE: Mick Maynard’s Shoes: What’s next for Israel Adesanya, Carla Esparza after UFC 281 losses?)

UFC 281 on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York marked a changing of the guard in two weight classes. Alex Pereira and Zhang Weili both exited the event as new champions.

In the headliner, Pereira (7-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) once again got the better of Israel Adesanya (23-2 MMA, 12-2 UFC) when he claimed the middleweight title with a fifth-round TKO in a memorable battle. The co-headliner saw Weili (23-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) reclaim the strawweight strap with a second-round submission of Carla Esparza (19-7 MMA, 10-5 UFC).

Whom should the new champions fight next? Watch the video above for thoughts analysis on their respective futures after UFC 281.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 281.

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Twitter reacts to Alex Pereira's stunning title-winning TKO of Israel Adesanya at UFC 281

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Twitter reacts to Zhang Weili's title-winning submission of Carla Esparza at UFC 281

Story originally appeared on MMA Junkie