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Next weekend sees the UFC head to Houston, Texas for UFC 262: Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler.
Obviously, most of the focus at UFC 262 is on the UFC lightweight title fight between Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler. But in fact, this is a sneakily great card filled with good fights.
Sure, UFC 262 has lost the fight between Leon Edwards and Nate Diaz, but there are still plenty of fights worth watching here, with prospects and contenders competing in multiple divisions.
With that in mind, here are three exciting fights that are flying under the radar at UFC 262.
#1 UFC featherweight division: Shane Burgos vs. Edson Barboza
While everyone is expecting excitement from the top two fights at UFC 262 – Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler and Tony Ferguson vs. Beneil Dariush – the best fight of the night might be the main card’s opener.
The fight pits featherweights Shane Burgos and Edson Barboza against one another in what sounds like a striking fan’s dream match.
Burgos is looking to bounce back from just the second loss of his UFC career in last summer’s ‘fight of the year’ contender with Josh Emmett. The fight saw both men throw some insane strikes at one another while also absorbing an inhuman amount of punishment.
And the Hurricane is likely to need to absorb more punishment here when he takes on longtime UFC veteran Barboza.
The Brazilian appeared to be slowing down in recent years and came into late 2020 on a three-fight losing streak.
But a vintage showing against Makwan Amirkhani in October not only gave him his first win at 145lbs but also signaled that he’s still a very dangerous opponent for anyone.
And with some of the greatest knockouts in UFC history under his belt, Junior has the ability to turn the lights out on any opponent in the blink of an eye.
Burgos and Barboza are essentially hulking featherweights with a penchant for hitting their opponents very hard and not backing down under pressure.
That means this fight is almost certain to be a barnburner and ought to be getting far more attention going into UFC 262.
#2 UFC middleweight division: Jack Hermansson vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
In an alternate universe, both Jack Hermansson and Edmen Shahbazyan could be considered genuine contenders for the UFC middleweight title right now.
However, both men ended up losing key bouts in 2020, with Hermansson being out-pointed by Marvin Vettori and Shahbazyan falling to a TKO at the hands of Derek Brunson.
Despite this, it’d be foolish for UFC fans to write either fighter off. There’s no shame in losing to Vettori or Brunson - both Hermansson and Shahbazyan remain two of the UFC’s most dangerous middleweights.
This one should be an exciting clash primarily because it’s very difficult to work out exactly how it’s going to go.
Will Hermansson use his freakish 77.5” reach and underrated ground game to keep the Golden Boy at range and pick him apart?
Or will Shahbazyan take out the Joker with the same kind of violent rush that he used to dispatch Jack Marshman and Brad Tavares?
It’s easy to see either scenario happening, and regardless of who wins, it seems like this one should see fireworks ensue.
With the winner practically guaranteed to find himself in contention for the UFC middleweight title, this fight is a reason not to miss UFC 262’s preliminary card.
#3 UFC middleweight division: Jacare Souza vs. Andre Muniz
It’s always intriguing to see a former UFC title contender attempt to rebuild their career following a string of losses. And that’s exactly what Ronaldo Jacare Souza will do at UFC 262.
Jacare is on a three-fight losing streak right now and hasn’t won a fight since November 2018’s UFC 230, when he knocked out Chris Weidman.
Since then, he’s been defeated by Jack Hermansson, Jan Blachowicz and Kevin Holland. And at the age of 41, it feels like there’s every chance that Father Time has now caught up with the Brazilian legend.
So does Jacare have anything left in the tank? We might find out at UFC 262 when he takes on rising prospect Andre Muniz.
Like Jacare, Muniz is a highly skilled grappler. And while he doesn’t have the credentials of his more experienced foe, he has been winning in the UFC, most recently submitting Bartosz Fabinski with a beautiful first-round armbar.
Muniz is a decade younger than Jacare, looks to be an explosive athlete, and will be looking for the biggest scalp of his UFC career to date.
But if Jacare can prove that he’s still one of the best grapplers in the middleweight division and deal with Muniz handily, then he’ll immediately become relevant again.
Either way, there’s a lot to gain – and a lot to lose – for both men in this fight, making it one of UFC 262’s must-watch bouts.
