UFC Potential Fights: The Best We May See This Year
The Betting Lines are Open
Potential UFC Fights that Could Happen
The best thing about the UFC, next to the actual fighting, is the speculating of all the great matchups we can have. The good news is, they don’t have to stay a fantasy. Plenty of UFC potential fights could happen by the end of 2022 and the betting lines are open. So with the plethora of possible matchups, we picked a handful that are feasible to make and guaranteed to thrill.
Charles Oliveira vs Islam Makhachev
Charles Oliveira versus Islam Makhachev pits the two best fighters in the lightweight division for the vacant lightweight belt (which should still be Oliveira’s due to a tampered weighing scale). The pair have combined for double-digit winning streaks and have looked unstoppable. Can you resist the idea of pitting the best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu player against the best wrestler? The early odds favor Makhachev but Oliveira has come through as an underdog many times.
Kamaru Usman vs Khamzat Chimaev
It is never too soon to give a heavily hyped fighter like Khamzat Chimaev a title shot. The prospect-turned-contender is coming off a “Fight of the Year” candidate against Gilbert Burns. While he showed vulnerabilities in that fight, every UFC fan and their grandma will fork over cash to see him go against the undisputed king – Kamaru Usman. Chimaev is listed as an underdog per the UFC Fight Night odds, making this even more intriguing.
Stipe Miocic vs Jon Jones
It’s been over two years since Jon Jones last fought, and yet, the MMA news cycle is not complete without mentioning his move up to the heavyweight division. Undoubtedly, if he does fight, it will be against either the champion Francis Ngannou or the former champ, Stipe Miocic. With Ngannou in Dana White’s doghouse, it’s unlikely we see Ngannou fight any time soon. But a Miocic-Jones bout is already in the works and could be just as good if not better. Jones leads Miocic on the betting odds.
Dustin Poirier vs Nate Diaz
Another one of the most popular but also frustrating future UFC fight card rumors is a scrap between Dustin Poirier and Nate Diaz. The two are fan favorites and are rarely in a boring fight, however, as with most Diaz fights, fans may need to exercise patience while waiting for this to happen. Diaz is difficult to deal with and is in the last fight of his contract. If this fight does go off, it should be an instant blockbuster even if Poirier is a sizable favorite.
Deiveson Figueiredo vs Brandon Moreno 4
In what could be the first quadrilogy in UFC history, Brandon Moreno will need to beat Kai-Kara France again, to book a fourth crack at the Deiveson Figueiredo, the UFC Flyweight Champion. Moreno already beat France so he should be favored to do so again. The early odds have it dead-even between Figueiredo and Moreno as they both have won one fight with the first being a draw. This fourth fight would be the “rubber match” though we’re not ruling out a fifth fight as the two always bring it.
Julianna Pena vs Amanda Nunes 2
While not officially booked yet, the much-anticipated rematch between Julianna Pena and Amanda Nunes will happen sometime later this year. Pena submitted Nunes late last year to become the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion in what was one of the biggest upsets. The pair just finished filming The Ultimate Fighter 30 – so their second go-round, which still favors Nunes, should be around the corner.
Conor McGregor vs Anyone
We saved the best for last as Conor McGregor will return near the fall and when he does, he will be booked in a high-profile fight. So far, the leading contenders to fight McGregor are Oliveira, Diaz, and Michael Chandler. The odds are all over the place as McGregor is favored to beat Oliveira but is an underdog against Chandler.
Odds are yet to open for his trilogy bout with Diaz, we expect it to be close to a pick’em as the two hold a win over the other. Not to be counted out are welterweight fights in Usman and Chimaev. McGregor is a huge underdog against the champion and will likely be equally large against Chimaev when they open.
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