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This weekend marks the final UFC show of August, and after a week without any action, the promotion will return for its September shows.
The UFC is set to produce three events during the month of September, and it’s safe to say that there are plenty of exciting fights on tap for the fans to look forward to.
From top contenders’ bouts to major clashes between some of the promotion’s biggest stars, September appears to have something for everyone.
Here are five awesome UFC fights to look forward to in September.
#5. Giga Chikadze vs. Sodiq Yusuff – UFC Fight 210
UFC Fight Night 210 goes down on September 17th at the Las Vegas APEX, and the event is largely being buoyed by two fantastic bouts in the bantamweight division.
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One of those two fights is set to headline the event, and the other – a clash between striking sensations Giga Chikadze and Sodiq Yusuff – appears to be all set for the co-main event.
On paper at least, this one should be a truly fantastic fight and a big test for both men. Chikadze was looking like a surefire future title challenger at the start of the year, but a loss to Calvin Kattar in January derailed him somewhat, and he hasn’t fought since.
At his best, though, ‘The Ninja’ is remarkably fast, chains his combinations together brilliantly, and possesses a truly wicked kick to the body in particular – the strike he used to finish Cub Swanson in 2021.
Yusuff, like Chikadze, has always been recognised as a dangerous and explosive striker ever since he arrived in the octagon with a brutal knockout of Suman Mokhtarian in 2018.
Right now, ‘Super Sodiq’ is ranked at #12 in the division, with his only loss coming at the hands of the highly rated Arnold Allen in April 2021.
Essentially, both of these men have the ability to finish the other with their strikes, and the clash between the power shots of Yusuff and the combination work of Chikadze should be fascinating to watch. It’s unlikely that this one will go the distance, and with the winner likely to climb into title contention, it’s a fight that nobody should want to miss.
#4. Cory Sandhagen vs. Song Yadong – UFC Fight Night 210
September 17th’s Fight Night event is set to be headlined by a bantamweight clash between Cory Sandhagen and Song Yadong, and with both men ranked in the top ten right now, the winner will almost certainly find themselves in title contention.
Interestingly, Sandhagen, who is ranked the higher of the two at No.4, is actually on the worse run. He hasn’t won a bout since knocking Frankie Edgar out in February 2021, as he’s been defeated by TJ Dillashaw and Petr Yan in his two most recent fights.
However, there’s obviously no shame in losing to either, and ‘The Sandman’ remains one of the most dangerous fighters in the division in all areas.
This fight promises to be very tricky for him, though. Yadong is currently riding a three-fight win streak, having knocked Marlon Moraes out and into retirement in March.
‘The Kung Fu Monkey’ has suffered just one loss in his UFC career, falling to Kyler Phillips in 2021, and holds a win over Marlon Vera, who is arguably the hottest fighter in the division right now.
What should be interesting in this bout is seeing how Yadong deals with the range, speed, and power of Sandhagen, as ‘The Sandman’ will enjoy a clear height and reach advantage over his Chinese opponent.
If Yadong can find a way to win, then a top five opponent beckons for him – while if Sandhagen can pull it off, he’ll be right back into title contention. Overall, this is definitely one of the best fights on tap in September, and it should produce fireworks.
#3. Robert Whittaker vs. Marvin Vettori – UFC Fight Night 209
The first UFC show in September sees the promotion traveling to Paris, France for the first time, and unsurprisingly, there’s a very European feel to the show, with a number of the continent’s top fighters in action.
One of those fighters is Italian middleweight Marvin Vettori, who will be hoping to pick up the biggest win of his octagon career when he faces former titleholder Robert Whittaker.
Whittaker is in a very awkward spot right now, as he’s no longer in true title contention after his second loss to current champion Israel Adesanya earlier this year, but he’s also proven to be better than the other contenders at 185lbs, including Jared Cannonier, Darren Till and Kelvin Gastelum.
So can ‘The Italian Dream’ become the first man outside of Adesanya to defeat ‘The Reaper’ in the octagon? It’ll be a tricky task for him, but he has shown excellent striking and grappling throughout his tenure in the promotion, and most recently defeated Paulo Costa in a tough bout.
Whittaker will undoubtedly come into this one as the favourite, but whether his motivation is now lacking after his second loss to Adesanya remains to be seen, which adds another layer of intrigue.
Overall, it’s unlikely that the winner of this one will receive a direct title shot, but it should be an excellent, high-level contest nonetheless.
#2. Ciryl Gane vs. Tai Tuivasa – UFC Fight Night 209
When the UFC announced its first event in Paris, France, it always felt like a given that Ciryl Gane, their biggest French star, would be in the headline bout. The only question was his opponent – and the promotion have picked an excellent one in the form of Tai Tuivasa.
The Australian brawler is on the best run of his career thus far, as he’s won his last five fights in a row and most recently knocked out former title challenger Derrick Lewis with a thudding elbow. He’s also won a $50k performance bonus in his last three visits to the octagon.
Given that ‘Bam Bam’ is ranked at #3 right now, it’s not inconceivable that he could actually find himself in line for a shot at current heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou if he can pull off an upset in Paris, but to be frank, that doesn’t seem likely.
Gane is arguably the best technical striker in the division – even Ngannou had to resort to takedowns to beat him – and it’s highly likely that he’ll be able to pick Tuivasa apart if he can keep the Australian at a distance.
The only problem for ‘Bon Gamin’ is that Tuivasa has fight-changing power – meaning that even if he seems out of the fight, he’s probably not going to be unless he’s unconscious. Therefore, it’s still a very dangerous bout for Gane.
It’s likely that the crowd will be red-hot for this one, and with so much jeopardy and the feeling that anything could happen, it’s one of September’s can’t miss fights.
#1. Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nate Diaz – UFC 279
The biggest and best fight on tap in September is definitely the welterweight clash between Khamzat Chimaev and Nate Diaz, which is booked to headline UFC 279.
Sure, on paper at least, this fight feels almost painfully one-sided in favor of Chimaev to the point that some fans have questioned the validity of even booking it. However, there are so many layers involved that it’s still a must-see clash.
There’s the fact that Chimaev, for all his hype and brilliance thus far, did get tired against Gilbert Burns in their three-round war – so could he gas out completely over the course of five rounds against Diaz?
After all, the Stockton-based veteran has always had a phenomenal gas tank, and he’s also pulled off huge upsets before, returning from a year away to stun Michael Johnson before defeating Conor McGregor in an all-time shocker.
More interestingly, the bout with Chimaev is the final one on Diaz’s current contract with the UFC, meaning he’ll no doubt want to go out with a bang.
However, given that Leon Edwards, and not Kamaru Usman is now the welterweight champion, there’s every chance that if he can win here, Chimaev could find himself in line for a shot at gold. That feels like an opportunity that he’s not going to let go of – meaning we should see him at his best.
Overall, even if this turns into a squash match, it still feels like one of the biggest fights put together in recent memory, and it’s definitely one that all fans need to keep an eye on in September.
