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This weekend marks the final UFC event of April. With the month of May now firmly on the horizon, there are plenty of excellent fights to look forward to.
The UFC has just three events scheduled for May, with the weekend of May 28 not set to feature one, but there are still plenty of potential classics already booked.
So with multiple title fights, as well as fights that could affect the title picture in various weight classes, there’s a lot to anticipate next month.
Here are five great UFC fights to look forward to in May.
#5. Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Michel Pereira – UFC Fight Night 206
May 21’s UFC Fight Night 206 is set to be headlined by a bantamweight clash between Holly Holm and Ketlen Vieira. Despite the lofty rankings of both women, based on their most recent bouts, it’s unlikely to be a fight filled with action.
The main card clash between welterweights Santiago Ponzinibbio and Michel Pereira, on the other hand, sounds like it could produce some genuinely crazy action. If things pan out well, the fans could be treated to a very special fight.
Once considered a genuine contender for the welterweight title, Ponzinibbio hasn’t looked at his best recently, as he’s gone 1-2 since returning from a couple of years off in early 2021. However, those three fights have all been wildly exciting, in particular his decision victory over Miguel Baeza last June.
Pereira, meanwhile, has always held a reputation as a wildman of sorts since his octagon debut back in 2019. While he’s calmed down some of his flips and tricks at this point to put together a run of four victories, his bout with Andre Fialho in January was still a fantastic one to watch.
Essentially, these two fighters are likely to exchange shots on the feet. While the bout may not end in a stoppage, it’s likely that they’ll produce enough exciting moments to not only take the event’s Fight of the Night award, but put on one of the best fights of the month, too.
#4. Jan Blachowicz vs. Aleksandar Rakic – UFC on ESPN 36
May 14’s UFC event features a light heavyweight headliner in the form of a clash between Poland’s Jan Blachowicz and Austria’s Aleksandar Rakic. Not only is this a bout between two of Europe’s best fighters, but there’s plenty on the line, too.
For former light heavyweight titleholder Blachowicz, it’s a chance to prove that his defeat at the hands of Glover Teixeira was simply a bad night for him and not an indicator of an overall downswing in his fortunes.
After all, prior to that loss, ‘The Prince of Cieszyn’ had been on the form of his life, dispatching Dominick Reyes to claim the light heavyweight crown and then becoming the first man to defeat reigning UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in MMA.
Rakic, meanwhile, has been threatening to break out as a top contender at 205 pounds for a long time now. Despite picking up big wins over Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos, two former title challengers, he hasn’t quite achieved that signature victory yet.
Essentially, then, this is a fight that both men desperately need to win, and to be frank, neither can really afford to lose. With both fighters being heavy-hitting strikers, it’s likely that we could see fireworks here, giving the fans a big-time main event to look forward to in May.
#3. Michael Chandler vs. Tony Ferguson – UFC 274
May 7 sees the only major pay-per-view of the month in the form of UFC 274. It’s safe to say that on paper at least, this event looks like one of the strongest in a long time.
The event features two title bouts at the top of the card, but it’s highly likely that the main card clash between lightweight action heroes Michael Chandler and Tony Ferguson might be the most exciting fight of the night. In fact, if these two deliver in the way they’re capable of, they could produce an outright classic.
The bout will be Ferguson’s first trip to the octagon since his loss to Beneil Dariush in May 2021. It should be interesting to see whether ‘El Cucuy’ can get back to his best form here.
At his peak, the TUF 13 winner put together a 12-fight win streak and was arguably the world’s most feared 155lber. Dince his loss to Justin Gaethje in 2020, he hasn’t looked like the same fighter. A win over Chandler, however, would shoot him right back into contention.
Chandler, meanwhile, is coming off his own loss to Gaethje in a wild brawl that was widely recognized as one of 2021’s best fights. ‘Iron’ did plenty of damage in that fight, but in the end, he simply couldn’t quite keep up with the power punching of ‘The Highlight’.
The former Bellator titleholder is still a viable title contender, but if he were to lose to Ferguson, putting him on a three-fight losing streak, his relevance would have to be questioned.
With that in mind, this is a must-win fight for both men, and given that their styles are all-action, with both men willing to throw bombs standing and push an inhuman pace, they seem highly likely to produce one of the best fights of the month.
#2. Rose Namajunas vs. Carla Esparza – UFC 274
One of UFC 274’s title bouts is a rematch of an initial fight that took place way back in 2014. To make it even more interesting, it’s also a clash of styles that pits a deadly striker against one of the slickest grapplers in the promotion.
Rose Namajunas first faced off against Carla Esparza in the UFC’s inaugural strawweight title bout at the end of TUF 20. The fight ended with the more experienced ‘Cookie Monster’ choking ‘Thug Rose’ out after dominating her on the ground.
It’s safe to say that plenty has changed since then. Namajunas has defeated the likes of Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Jessica Andrade and, most recently, Zhang Weili to establish herself as the top 115lber in the world. She’s also the only fighter to hold the title on two separate occasions.
Esparza, meanwhile, looked likely to become a footnote in UFC history like other inaugural titleholders such as Dave Menne and Jens Pulver. Instead, she’s put together an excellent record and is currently on a five-fight winning streak dating back to 2019.
Interestingly, though, in many ways they’re the same fighters they were back in 2014. Esparza’s offense still centers around her wrestling and ground skills, even if her striking has improved, while Namajunas remains deadly with strikes and submissions, but has question marks over her takedown defense.
Their first fight was memorable simply because it was the UFC’s first strawweight title bout, but this one promises to be a better fight overall. If both women fight to their potential, it could end up as one of the best fights in May.
#1. Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje – UFC 274
There’s absolutely no doubt that the biggest and potentially the best fight on tap in May is the UFC lightweight title bout between champion Charles Oliveira and top contender Justin Gaethje. Basically, this is the kind of fight that has the potential to produce an all-time classic.
Both men are not only riding high at the top of their division right now, but they’re also amongst the most exciting fighters to ever enter the octagon. Regardless of the opposition, they both come looking to take their foe out.
Oliveira, of course, is on a better run right now. ‘Do Bronx’ has not lost a fight in nearly five years, has beaten 10 opponents in a row, and only one of them, Tony Ferguson, was able to take him the distance.
Gaethje, meanwhile, earned this shot by defeating Michael Chandler in an absolute thriller last November. ‘The Highlight’ has won five of his last six bouts, with the only loss coming to the now-retired Khabib Nurmagomedov. He holds wins over the likes of Tony Ferguson and Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone.
So who will take this one? Oliveira will probably come in as the favorite, but Gaethje has the kind of power to knock anyone out. If he lands on ‘Do Bronx’ as Chandler did in their bout, we’ll probably see a new champion crowned.
More importantly, though, with a total of 25 performance bonus awards between them, there’s absolutely no chance that this fight is going to be anything but a thriller. The likelihood of it being the best fight in May is about as high as it gets.
