5 big UFC fights to look forward to this summer

#4. Alexander Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway 3 – UFC 276

The third fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway could be a classic

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.

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#3. Glover Teixeira vs. Jiri Prochazka – UFC 275

Can Glover Teixeira hold onto his light-heavyweight title against Jiri Prochazka?

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.