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With UFC 257 now behind us, there are no more UFC events in January and, indeed, on Abu Dhabi’s Fight Island, for a time at least. February takes the UFC back to its US base of Las Vegas, and with the return home, we’ve got some great fights to look forward to next month.
With a total of four UFC shows across the four weekends in February, there’s bound to be a ton of action for fans of the promotion to enjoy. However, the following five fights stand out above the rest as a must-see.
Here are five UFC fights in February that you don’t want to miss.
#1 Alistair Overeem vs. Alexander Volkov – UFC Vegas 18, February 6th
The main event of UFC Vegas 18 sees a clash of Heavyweights, as Alistair Overeem faces off with Alexander Volkov.
It’s a fascinating match because somehow, the two big men have managed to avoid each other until now, despite both being around the top of the UFC’s Heavyweight division for a long time.
Overeem is currently on a two-fight win streak after a fantastic 2020. And despite being 40 years old now, he still seems to believe he’s got one last run at the UFC Heavyweight title in him.
Meanwhile, Volkov is 6-2 in the UFC overall and most recently impressively defeated Walt Harris. A win over Overeem would almost certainly represent the biggest win in his MMA career.
The fight is almost certain to be exciting, too. Overeem and Volkov have had 27 combined UFC fights, and only seven of those have gone the distance.
Add in the fact that there’s a slight chance that this could prove to be the last fight of Overeem’s UFC and MMA career, and this one simply can’t be missed.
#2 Cory Sandhagen vs. Frankie Edgar – UFC Vegas 18, February 6th
This UFC Bantamweight clash is flying under the radar somewhat, but it’s a genuinely fantastic match that pits the flying Sandhagen against one of the most accomplished UFC fighters of all time in Edgar.
Sandhagen will almost certainly be the favorite coming into this one. The Sandman is 6-1 in the UFC, with his only loss coming at the hands of arguably the best 135lber on the planet in Aljamain Sterling.
And most recently, Sandhagen absolutely destroyed former UFC title challenger Marlon Moraes, knocking him out with a spectacular wheel kick in the second round of their fight.
Meanwhile, Edgar looked just about done at the top level after two straight losses in a disastrous 2019 campaign. However, he turned back the clock last year and impressed in a win over the tricky Pedro Munhoz.
The Answer is definitely battle-worn, but he’ll also provide Sandhagen with a massively tricky test. If The Sandman can get by him, then a title shot is almost certainly in his future. Overall then, this one should be great.
#3 Kamaru Usman vs. Gilbert Burns – UFC 258, February 13th
February’s only UFC title fight sees the Welterweight crown on the line, as champion Kamaru Usman faces off with his former teammate, top contender Gilbert Burns.
Perhaps no other UFC fighter rose through the ranks quite as impressively as Burns did in 2020. After knocking out Demian Maia in March, Durinho thoroughly dominated former UFC Welterweight champ Tyron Woodley to really signal his arrival at the elite level.
Had it not been for a pesky case of COVID-19, Burns would already have had his title shot. Thankfully though, the UFC has decided not to pass over him, so he’ll get his opportunity at UFC 258.
But can he really beat Usman? The Nigerian Nightmare absolutely dominated Jorge Masvidal in his second title defense last summer, and he may well be the UFC’s most dominant champion right now.
Thus far into his UFC career, literally nobody has had an answer for Usman’s stifling mix of wrestling, boxing, and brutal clinch work. Nobody has even come close, really.
So can Burns, with his improving striking and high-level Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, be the man with the answer? Well, it’s doubtful, but it should be fun to see him try. If nothing else, this fight should be a chance to see the greatness of Usman in action again.
#4 Curtis Blaydes vs. Derrick Lewis – UFC Vegas 19, February 20th
UFC Heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic is set to defend against Francis Ngannou in March, and the whole division has the specter of Jon Jones looming over it right now. This clash between #2 ranked Blaydes, and #4 ranked Lewis could well decide who challenges for the title next.
Realistically, Blaydes should probably have already had a title shot. The hulking wrestler is 10-2 in the UFC, has beaten the likes of Overeem, Dos Santos, Hunt, and Volkov, and has only ever lost to Ngannou.
But at 29, he’s still young for a Heavyweight, and so giving him one more fight while he waits for his shot is acceptable. Lewis, though, could prove to be a tricky test for him.
The Black Beast is arguably the division’s hardest hitter, and he’ll certainly be the heaviest striker Blaydes has faced since Ngannou. He’s also on a hot streak, winning his last three and recently KO’ing Aleksei Oleinik.
However, Lewis’ ground game remains an Achilles heel – and he’ll be up against the best wrestler in the division here.
So who will come out on top in this clash of styles? Either way, it’s a big fight that could decide a UFC title challenger for later in 2021.
#5 Dominick Reyes vs. Jiri Prochazka – UFC Vegas 20, February 27th
It seems hard to believe it, but it hasn’t even been a year yet since Dominick Reyes pushed Jon Jones as hard as anyone had ever done before in his attempt to win the UFC Light Heavyweight title. Reyes ended up losing in semi-controversial fashion, but since then, everything has changed.
Jones vacated the title, and The Devastator came up painfully short in his second attempt to win it, falling to Jan Blachowicz and suffering the first KO of his UFC and MMA career in the process. So can Reyes bounce back?
The UFC have definitely not handed him a softball here. Prochazka might be largely unknown when it comes to casual fans, but the native of the Czech Republic is clearly incredibly dangerous.
He debuted in the UFC last summer and made an immediate impact by knocking out former title challenger Volkan Oezdemir. And with a record of 27-3, he’s got far more experience than Reyes and is on a huge 11-fight win streak.
Take out Reyes, and Denisa would almost certainly be next in line for a UFC Light Heavyweight title shot after just two fights in the promotion.
So will Reyes be able to get back to the form that netted him a title shot in the first place? Or is he on a downward spiral? And exactly how good is Prochazka really? We should find out in this unmissable February fight.
