'%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 no more UFC shows until June, the summer is about to be well and truly upon the world’s biggest MMA promotion, and thankfully, there’s plenty to look forward to.
Across the summer of 2022, we’ve got a number of huge UFC fights to look forward to, including a number of epic-sounding title bouts.
Of course, whether these fights live up to the hype inside the octagon is another thing entirely, but fans across the world will be hoping that they do.
With this in mind, here are five huge UFC fights to look forward to this summer.
#5. Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Weili Zhang 2 – UFC 275
The first pay-per-view of the summer comes in early June in the form of UFC 275, and while the event does have two title bouts scheduled, there’s a chance that a non-title main card bout may well steal the show entirely.
That fight will see Joanna Jedrzejczyk face off against Weili Zhang in a rematch of their epic encounter in 2020, a fight that saw the two strawweights throw an insane 783 strikes at one another before Zhang was awarded a razor-close decision win.
A lot has changed since then, as ‘Magnum’ dropped her title to Rose Namajunas in early 2021 and then failed to regain it in a rematch. Jedrzejczyk, meanwhile, suffered so much damage in her first fight with Zhang that she hasn’t fought since.
Will that give the Polish striker the edge in this rematch? It’s definitely possible. Prior to her losses to Namajunas, Zhang hadn’t been defeated since her MMA debut in 2013, and so it’s hard to tell how she’ll bounce back.
Jedrzejczyk, meanwhile, may be re-energized after such a long break – but there’s also a chance that she could well return with some cage rust. It’s definitely hard to say, which makes this fight even more intriguing.
Overall, even if they don’t match the original – and over three rounds rather than five, that might be tricky – there’s a chance that this could be another classic, making it a must-see clash this summer.
#4. Alexander Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway 3 – UFC 276
After it was scrapped from UFC 272 due to an injury, the long-awaited trilogy bout between Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway is set to go down in July, and we could well be in for one of the best featherweight title clashes of all time.
The strange thing about this one is that unlike most previous trilogies in the UFC, going into the third bout the score is 2-0. Volkanovski was able to edge out Holloway in five-round decisions in their first two meetings, but the clashes were so close that booking a third was easily justifiable.
More to the point, it’s painfully clear that ‘Blessed’ is, at worst, the second-best 145lber on the roster. He’s bounced back from his losses to ‘Alexander the Great’ to defeat Calvin Kattar and Yair Rodriguez, and looked in peak form in both clashes.
Does he have enough to finally take out Volkanovski, who has also defended his title against Brian Ortega and 'The Korean Zombie', though? That’s another thing entirely. ‘Alexander the Great’ is at the top of his game now, and looks like a fighter with no weaknesses.
Essentially, this one sees the best two fighters in their weight class facing off – meaning there’s a chance we could be treated to something very special indeed.
#3. Glover Teixeira vs. Jiri Prochazka – UFC 275
UFC 275’s main event sees a light-heavyweight title bout between champion Glover Teixeira and challenger Jiri Prochazka, and the chances of this one going the distance seem to be somewhere between slim and none.
Despite being 42 years old right now, it’s arguable that Teixeira is in the best form we’ve ever seen from him in his decade-long UFC career. Still absolutely deadly with both his strikes and submissions, the Brazilian is a little slower and less durable than he once was, but he also knows how to use his veteran wiles to consistently pull victories out of the bag.
However, Prochazka promises to give him a different kind of fight entirely. ‘Denisa’ has only made two appearances in the octagon thus far, but those fights saw him knock out former title challengers Volkan Oezdemir and Dominick Reyes in devastating fashion.
The Czech fighter is probably the most explosive 205lber we’ve seen in a long time, as he hits ridiculously hard and is reckless to a fault, willing to throw low-percentage strikes in his efforts to take out his opponents.
However, his style might well play into the more experienced Teixeira’s hands, as if he can weather the storm and get Prochazka to the ground, then he’ll definitely be favored. Basically, someone’s getting finished here, making this title bout a potential classic.
#2. Israel Adesanya vs. Jared Cannonier – UFC 276
There’s no disputing the idea that Israel Adesanya is the best middleweight on the planet right now, as he’s made four successful defenses of his UFC title since winning it in October 2019. However, what he hasn’t done recently is produce a classic fight.
In fact, the last time ‘The Last Stylebender’ really delivered the goods with a violent finish was in his clash with Paulo Costa back in September 2020. While he outclassed both Marvin Vettori and Robert Whittaker, both bouts went the distance, with the Whittaker fight being a close affair.
Adesanya will undoubtedly want to change that when he faces Jared Cannonier in the main event of UFC 276. Cannonier earned his shot by beating Kelvin Gastelum and Derek Brunson, with the latter being finished with some brutal elbows in February.
However, ‘The Killa Gorilla’ also uses a straight-ahead style that could play into Adesanya’s hands, and ‘The Last Stylebender’ will probably be confident of scoring a big finish if that remains the case. If he can do that, then he’ll be positioned back where he was after the Costa fight – as one of the promotion’s greatest stars.
This fight should definitely produce some fireworks either way, and so it stands to reason that it’s one of the better fights on tap for the fans this summer.
#1. Julianna Pena vs. Amanda Nunes 2 – UFC 277
2021 saw some genuinely earth-shattering fights in the UFC, from Conor McGregor’s two losses to Dustin Poirier to the rise of Charles Oliveira in the lightweight division. However, it’s arguable that the craziest moment came in December, when Julianna Pena handed Amanda Nunes her first loss since 2014, taking her bantamweight title away in the process.
With that considered, then it’s clear that the biggest fight of the summer will take place at UFC 277, as the two women do battle again, with Pena now acting as the defending champion.
‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ came into the first clash as a huge underdog, but after the way she performed in the first fight, nobody will be counting her out this time. More importantly, she’ll come in with more confidence than ever before.
For Nunes, meanwhile, everything is on the line here. If she can reclaim her title, then it’ll be like the first loss never happened – but if she fails, then given her age and prior accomplishments it’ll probably be fair to question whether she should carry on.
With a season of The Ultimate Fighter currently airing to build the intensity before their fight, it’s safe to say that this could be the most anticipated women’s bout in the UFC for years. It’s a can’t miss clash that is definitely the biggest fight in the upcoming months.
