'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
With 2018 upon us, we’ve already had two UFC events and the third through to the eleventh are all booked complete with main events. But that still leaves a massive portion of the calendar to complete, and so it should mean a plethora of massive fights on tap.
So that leads to the question – which fights do we absolutely need to see in 2018? Which ones should the UFC absolutely break their backs to book? Some of them are rematches of earlier, classic fights, while others involve hot up-and-comers and others feature the biggest stars in the sport.
Here are the ten fights that the UFC simply must sign for 2018.
#1 Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson
Naming this fight could be seen as cheating, as the UFC has technically already booked it as the main event of UFC 223 on April 7th in Brooklyn, New York. But as we’ve seen before, any fight can fall apart, and Nurmagomedov vs. Ferguson has been booked on multiple occasions before and yet it still hasn’t happened.
Hopefully, this time we’ll be luckier and two of the top three 155lbers in the world will finally step into the cage to face each other. What’s at stake? Well, right now nobody knows whether it’s the ‘undisputed’ Lightweight title currently held by Conor McGregor, or the Interim title held by Ferguson, but for true fans of MMA, it honestly doesn’t matter.
It’s still a fight that pits two of the UFC’s greatest winning streaks against each other, and it’s hard to pick a winner.
Can Khabib ground ‘El Cucuy’ and beat him down from the top position as he’s done to basically every other man he’s faced in his career? Or can Ferguson’s deadly combination of unorthodox yet precision striking and wild scrambling and dangerous chokes on the ground overcome the Dagestani? Who’s cardio will hold up over five rounds and under tremendous pressure? Hopefully, 2018 is the year we finally find out.
#2 Demetrious Johnson vs. TJ Dillashaw
Usually I’d frown upon ‘Superfights’ between current champions from different weight classes, as they tend to hold up the rest of the division and cause logjams at the top. But a potential super fight between Flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson and Bantamweight champ TJ Dillashaw is a little different.
There’s no clear-cut #1 contender in either division right now, with Johnson having already beaten basically every other possible challenger, and no Bantamweight contender – from Cruz to Assuncao, Garbrandt to Rivera – having really earned a shot at Dillashaw yet. So for once, neither division would be harmed if the UFC decides to book this one. More to the point, Johnson has been crying out for someone to test him for years, and Dillashaw – with his phenomenal blend of wrestling and kickboxing – could definitely be that man.
The elephant in the room is the weight the fight would take place at – Dillashaw claims he can make 125lbs, but it’s a ten-pound weight cut for him that he’s never made before. If it were up to me I’d be tempted to call a 130lbs catchweight and let both men keep their titles, but it looks like only Johnson’s will be up for grabs. However you look at it, this could be the biggest possible fight on the horizon for either man – the UFC simply needs to put it together.
#3 Max Holloway vs. Brian Ortega
Featherweight champion Max Holloway already has his first fight in 2018 booked – he’ll defend his title against Frankie Edgar at UFC 222 in March. But given Holloway’s current win streak and the form he’s shown in it – beating down everyone from Jose Aldo to Anthony Pettis – it’s hard to see the aging, smaller Edgar being able to wrestle away the Hawaiian’s crown. The real challenge on the horizon could come from Brian Ortega.
‘T-City’ is currently 5-0 in the UFC, with five finishes to his name to boot. That’s impressive in itself, but even more impressive is the fact that in literally all of his fights, he’s come from behind to pull off those finishes. Incredibly, four of them have come in the final round of the fight. He’s a phenomenal grappler – witness his hanging guillotine choke of Cub Swanson in December – and he has an iron chin, too.
Could he really beat Holloway, who’s proven to be deadly in all areas of the fight? You’d probably have to say no, but then how can you count out a man who’s come from behind to win so many times in the past? And more to the point, Ortega would also represent the best grappler Holloway’s fought in his six-year UFC career. It’s by far the most intriguing fight possible at 145lbs right now and it simply needs to happen in 2018.
#4 Stipe Miocic vs. Cain Velasquez
After beating top contender Francis Ngannou at UFC 220 this month, Stipe Miocic has laid his claim to being the greatest Heavyweight fighter in UFC history, largely thanks to his record of three successful title defenses – a feat unmatched previously in UFC history. But it still feels like there’s an asterisk by Miocic’s record as champion, and that’s because a lot of people would argue he would never have been champion had Cain Velasquez been more healthy.
Velasquez lost his title to Fabricio Werdum in 2015 after a year on the shelf with injuries, and he’s only fought once since – a beatdown of Travis Browne in July 2016. But on paper, he’d be a nightmare match for Miocic – a better wrestler, possibly a better striker, and the best cardio that the Heavyweight division’s ever seen. If Miocic were to beat Cain, there’d literally be no question about his status as the best Heavyweight of his era. But if he were to lose, that mantle would go back to Velasquez.
The only question is whether Cain can get himself healthy enough to actually fight in 2018. Right now he’s saying he’s almost there, and his teammate Daniel Cormier has suggested that he isn’t lying. With Miocic looking to spend some time away as his wife is due to give birth, that could be ample time to set the fight up if Cain won’t be ready until later in 2018. Simply put, it’s *the* match that the UFC needs to make at Heavyweight this year.
#5 Daniel Cormier vs. Alexander Gustafsson
Daniel Cormier and Alexander Gustafsson clashed for the Light-Heavyweight title once before, at UFC 192 in October 2015. It was one of the greatest title fights the division had ever seen – probably second only to Gustafsson’s legendary fight with Jon Jones – and in the end, Cormier came away with his title intact by the tightest of judges’ decisions. It was a fight you could’ve called either way, basically.
Since then Cormier has defended the title against Anthony Johnson, lost it to Jon Jones, had it handed back to him due to Jones’s positive drug test, and has defended it against Volkan Oezdemir. Gustafsson’s suffered some serious injuries to his back, but he’s also beaten Jan Blachowicz and looked back to his best in his 2016 win over Glover Teixeira. With no other top contender right now, a rematch has to be looming.
If they do put the fight together, the story could be different again. It’d be Gustafsson’s third attempt at winning the title after coming within a hair’s breadth of winning it twice before, and it’d be one of Cormier’s last fights given he plans to retire in March 2019. It’s the best fight the UFC could put together at 205lbs right now and given the quality of the original, there’s nothing to suggest that we shouldn’t expect a classic if it does happen.
#6 Cris Cyborg vs. Megan Anderson
Despite current rumours linking Women’s Featherweight champion Cris ‘Cyborg’ Justino with a super fight against Women’s Bantamweight champ Amanda Nunes at some point in the summer, surely we’ve had enough of the Brazilian bomber fighting opponents who are much smaller than her by now, even if they’re as dangerous and accomplished as Nunes? After all, Cyborg has spent practically her whole career snacking on smaller fighters.
That’s where current Invicta Featherweight champion Megan Anderson could come in. The Australian kickboxer is relatively inexperienced in MMA – just over four years as a pro – but she’s looked like a killer in her Invicta career thus far and more to the point, she’d actually be able to match Cyborg for strength and size, as she stands at 6’ tall and has only ever fought at 145lbs.
The UFC tried to make this fight in 2016 only for Anderson to drop out with personal issues, but with both women still sniping at one another on social media, it seems like only a matter of time before WME brass attempt to re-book it. And it makes far more sense for Cyborg than a Nunes fight, and far more sense for the UFC, too. With a unique look and charisma, Anderson would be heavily marketable if she were to pull off the upset. Hopefully, the UFC can see this too and will put together the fight this year.
#7 Amanda Nunes vs. Cat Zingano
If the UFC choose not to match Nunes in a Superfight with Cyborg, then they’re in a bit of a pickle with the Women’s Bantamweight champion as she seems to have largely cleaned out the division. Valentina Shevchenko is now at 125lbs, Holly Holm is coming off a loss, and Julianna Pena and Raquel Pennington are both on the shelf with long-term issues. There’s no clear-cut top contender right now.
The best fight for Nunes, depending on a couple of things? The last woman to beat her, former #1 contender Cat Zingano. ‘Alpha Cat’ hasn’t had the best strength of schedule recently and is coming off two losses, but if she can defeat the unbeaten Ketlen Vieira at UFC 222, she’d clearly be the most marketable and intriguing opponent for Nunes to defend her title against. If nothing else, it’d be a rematch of one of the best women’s fights in UFC history.
In that fight, Nunes hammered Zingano in the first round only for Cat to come roaring back and destroy the Brazilian en route to a third-round TKO. It’s a loss that must still smart with Nunes, and she’d probably love to avenge it. With Nunes being a villain in the eyes of the fans and Zingano being largely impossible to dislike, this one could be a real crowd-pleaser if the UFC could put it together in the summer.
#8 Colby Covington vs. Kamaru Usman
Both men have called for a title shot against current Welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, but it looks like Rafael Dos Anjos will be granted an opportunity against the champ first. Which means the next best thing for Covington and Usman would be a fight against each other to decide the true #1 contender – and if anything, that fight would be more intriguing than a Woodley/Dos Anjos title fight.
Firstly, both men are among the best wrestlers in the UFC at 170lbs – arguably the best two, in fact. And they’re both on tremendous win streaks; Usman is unbeaten in the Octagon with seven victories, while Covington is on a five-fight streak and is 8-1 overall in the UFC. Covington has had more opportunities to face elite fighters – he’s beaten Demian Maia and Dong Hyun Kim – but Usman is perhaps more feared – supposedly, the elite have refused to fight him.
Then there’s the small matter of the mutual dislike between the two. Usman has called Covington out numerous times due to his disrespectful nature and has accused ‘Chaos’ of ducking him. With a title fight on the line though, how could Covington say no? With both men largely disliked – in a good way – by fans, this could be the biggest heel vs. heel clash in the UFC since 2010’s Josh Koscheck vs. Paul Daley fight. The UFC needs to put it together soon.
#9 Robert Whittaker vs. Luke Rockhold
We were so close to seeing what sounds like the best available fight at 185lbs at UFC 221, as current Middleweight champ Robert Whittaker was booked to fight top contender Luke Rockhold, but the champ has been forced out with a bad staph infection, and he’s been replaced with Yoel Romero, with another Interim title on the line.
Romero/Rockhold is a great fight in its own right, but assuming the winner fights Whittaker, well, we already saw the Aussie defeat Romero last year at UFC 213 and a rematch doesn’t sound all that appealing. Whittaker/Rockhold though? That sounds awesome. Could Whittaker deal with the incredible ground skills of Rockhold, as well as his dangerous kicking game? And how would Rockhold – who gets hit in almost all of his fights – handle the perfect timing and knockout power of ‘The Reaper’?
Sure, Rockhold lost in an upset to Michael Bisping, but everyone loses at points and it’s pretty clear that skill-for-skill, he’s still one of the top Middleweights in the world. With Chris Weidman only just turning around a three-fight skid, and Romero and Jacare Souza in Whittaker’s rear view, a fight with Rockhold simply makes sense and sounds great on paper. Hopefully, Whittaker makes a full recovery and we’ll see it later in 2018.
#10 Conor McGregor vs. Georges St-Pierre
People have talked about McGregor fighting Khabib Nurmagomedov or Tony Ferguson, but let’s not beat around the bush; the biggest possible fight that the UFC could put on right now would be a super fight between McGregor and former two-division champion Georges St-Pierre. The fact that they’re separated by multiple weight classes simply doesn’t matter – this fight would guarantee over a million buys on pay-per-view, easily.
So what would it take to put it together? Well, firstly St-Pierre would have to get healthy again. He’s currently out of action with ulcerative colitis but hasn’t said he’s outright retiring, and as he blames his move to 185lbs for his issues, a drop in weight could be what he needs. Secondly, the UFC would need to strip McGregor of his 155lbs belt, but then Conor likely wouldn’t mind if the carrot offered was a monster fight with the Canadian legend GSP.
If the UFC could put this together, they’d probably be best to aim for November’s seemingly yearly show in Madison Square Garden. The previous shows in MSG were among the biggest in UFC history but a clash between McGregor and St-Pierre would top them all, even with no titles on the line. Hardcore fans might grumble but assuming the fight wasn’t holding up any division, everyone would be salivating over this one in the end. The UFC should do everything in their power to make it happen.
