5 fights to make for a 'rematches only' UFC card

Fighting in the UFC is considered by many MMA fighters to be the pinnacle achievement in one's sporting career. Its rankings are populated by elite athletes only, so the UFC's viewers are often treated to some of the greatest contests in all of combat sports.

Occasionally fighters compete against each other before they have truly hit their prime, or a fight can be so close that even the judges are split. Whilst the UFC occasionally books rematches, more often than not, the rankings and unpredictable nature of MMA ensure the winner progresses whilst the loser drops down.

In this list, we will be going over five fights that could make up the main card of a 'rematches only' event. To be eligible for the event, the fighters must currently be competing for the UFC, which rules out the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Daniel Cormier or Georges St-Pierre. We will also not be considering trilogy fights or rematches that have already been booked.

Honorable mentions that could arguably be placed on the prelims of such an event go to Chan Sung Jung vs. Yair Rodriguez, Stephen Thompson vs. Jorge Masvidal and Josh Emmet vs. Shane Burgos.

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#5. Zhang Weili vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk 2 - UFC strawweight

One of the most entertaining fights to have taken place in the UFC over the past five years regardless of weight class was the strawweight title fight between Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Zhang Weili.

It is a fight now considered by many to be the greatest fight in the history of women's MMA. Both Jedrzejczyk and Weili fought their absolute hearts out, leaving nothing behind in the octagon.

Weli ultimately won via the judges' decision. However, it truly could have gone either way. Weli Zhang has since lost her strawweight belt to Rose Namajunas, whilst Jedrzejczyk has not fought since. A rematch between the two elite strawweights would be the perfect opening fight for the main card of a 'rematches only' UFC event.

#4. Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje 2 - UFC lightweight

UFC lightweights Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje are two of the most exciting fighters to watch on the entire UFC roster right now. The two high-level strikers previously competed against each other in 2018, putting on a fight of the night performance in a true blood and guts war.

Since their original fight, both Poirier and Gaethje have fought for the lightweight title, and are now ranked in the top five of the division. Poirier does look likely to get the next title shot against current champion Charles Oliveira, whilst Gaethje is set to face Michael Chandler at UFC 268.

Considering how exciting their first fight was, if the UFC were looking for main card fights for a 'rematches only' event, they would be foolish to not have 'The Diamond' and 'The Highlight' run it back.

#3. Rose Namajunas vs. Carla Esparza 2 - UFC strawweight

A card of this magnitude demands a minimum of three title fights. The first of said title fights would see the UFC's current strawweight champion, Rose Namajunas, rematch her former foe, Carla Esparza.

When Esparza and Namajunas first fought, they were both newcomers to the UFC, having reached the final of the twentieth season of The Ultimate Fighter. The season had been designed to introduce the strawweight division to the UFC, and thus the two fighters in the final were competing for the inaugural UFC Women's Strawweight Championship.

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Esparza submitted Namajunas in the third round to claim the title. However, that first fight was in 2014, and since then Namajunas has gone on to capture the title herself, knocking out Zhang Weili at UFC 261. Esparza is riding a five-fight win streak, having brutally KO'd Yan Xiaonan in May. There has never been a better time for the rematch to be booked.

#2. Jan Blachowicz vs. Israel Adesanya 2 - UFC light heavyweight

This is the fight that took place most recently out of all the rematches on this list. UFC 259's light heavyweight clash between the division's champion Jan Blachowicz and the middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.

While the fight itself will not be winning awards for fight of the year, there is certainly potential for a rematch to produce an accolade-winning performance.

There are arguments to be made that the smaller cage and lack of fan presence may have led to the somewhat low energy performance. However, it is not something we can be sure of until we see it a second time.

When competing at middleweight, Israel Adesanya has looked untouchable, defeating every adversary he has fought so far. He is a big draw in terms of pay-per-view buys and has put on some all-time great performances.

Blachowicz, meanwhile, is a veteran of the UFC, whose journey is nothing short of incredible. He also has that famed 'Polish Power' which saw him KO Dominick Reyes and Corey Anderson.

Adesanya's coach, Eugene Bareman, has stated that a rematch between the two men is a goal of the whole team at City Kickboxing. The analytical minds of Bareman and the CKB team cannot be understated, they would certainly bring something new to a potential rematch. A perfect fight for the card's co-main event.

#1. Charles Oliveira vs. Max Holloway 2 - UFC lightweight

When Charles 'do Bronx' Oliveira and Max 'Blessed' Holloway first fought in 2015, fans were beginning to pay attention to these two featherweight prospects, and speculation was building as to what they might one day achieve.

It is safe to say that they both likely exceeded those expectations. Holloway defeated Oliveira on that day and went on to amass a 13 fight win streak, claiming the UFC featherweight title along the way. Oliveira made the decision to move up to his natural weight at 155lbs, picking up eight straight wins and claiming the UFC lightweight title earlier this year.

In 2015, these fighters were still prospects, early iterations of the fighters they would one day become. Now they are fully fledged elite athletes. Holloway admittedly is currently competing at featherweight. However, he has previously fought at 155lbs, and could easily make the weight.