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The UFC have recently announced their second ever five-round non-title undercard fight in the history of the organization. Nick Diaz will return to the UFC octagon to take on 'Ruthless' Robbie Lawler in a rematch targeted for the main card of UFC 266.
Nick's younger brother, Nate, recently made history at UFC 263 by becoming one half of the first ever five-round non-title undercard fight in the UFC when he took on Leon Edwards.
With the Nick Diaz fight now also a five-round bout, it would appear that Edwards vs. Diaz was not a one-off. Thus it stands to reason that the UFC may begin booking more five-round fights on the undercards of their events.
In the following list we detail three upcoming fights that would arguably benefit from the same treatment. These are not bouts that will likely be extended to the full five rounds but may well be much better contests if they were. Honorable mentions go to Sean Brady vs. Kevin Lee, Curtis Blaydes vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Jessica Andrade vs. Cynthia Calvillo.
#3. Michael Chiesa vs. Vincente Luque - UFC 265
What a fight this is. The fifth and sixth-ranked welterweights clash on the main card of UFC 265. Chiesa headlined an event back on Fight Island in January of 2021, defeating Neil Magny via unanimous decision. Luque is coming off a wild single-round affair with Tyron Woodley, catching the former champ in a D'Arce choke after dropping him with strikes.
Luque has a strong chance of doing something similar to Chiesa in the first round of their fight. However, if Chiesa is able to weather the storm, he may be able to implement his high level grappling game on Luque.
Whether three rounds is long enough remains to be seen, but we may look back and rue this fight not being allowed to continue for another two rounds.
#2. Alexander Gustaffson vs. Paul Craig - UFC Fight Night London
The co-main event of UFC Fight Night London sees Scotland's Paul Craig taking on Swedish UFC legend Alexander Gustaffson. The fight itself is near impossible to predict. Paul Craig has the ability to submit anyone in the division but Gustaffson has more than a few tricks up his sleeve to make it an interesting scrap.
The fact of the matter is that Alexander Gustaffson was one half of a fight with Jon Jones that is arguably one of the greatest five-round fights in UFC history. If there is even the slightest chance we can have something similar, why not jump at the opportunity?
#1. Jose Aldo vs. Pedro Munhoz - UFC 265
There was once a time when Jose Aldo was considered one of the best fighters on the planet. He captured and defended the featherweight title, defeating some of the 145lb division's top contenders such as Chad Mendes, Frankie Edgar and Chan Sung Jung.
As a former champion, Jose Aldo has seen his fair share of five round fights. Since losing his title, Aldo has made the move down to bantamweight, where he has had mixed results. However, he is currently coming off a win over Marlon Vera and now faces eighth-ranked Pedro Munhoz.
Munhoz himself has previously headlined a five-round fight night card before, and is currently coming off a win over Jimmie Rivera. His action orientated style is a perfect match for Aldo's veteran skillset. However, in both Munhoz and Aldo's last fights, fans were left wanting more rounds as their exhilarating fire fights were limited to 15 minutes.
