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It seems hard to believe, but there are now only seven weeks left in 2021 and just five UFC events to come before the year ends.
There might be only five more UFC events left in 2021, but thankfully, there are still plenty of amazing matchups to come.
From big-time UFC title fights to clashes featuring some of the promotion’s most exciting fighters, it’s even within the realm of possibility that we have yet to see 2021’s best fight.
With that considered, here are five incredible UFC fights to look forward to before the end of the year.
#5. Max Holloway vs. Yair Rodriguez - UFC featherweight
This weekend’s UFC Fight Night event isn’t that heavy in terms of name value, but it could well produce one of the best fights of 2021 in the main event. That headliner sees former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway taking on No.3-ranked Yair Rodriguez.
There are big stakes coming into this one. While there are no guarantees the winner will fight for the UFC featherweight title next, it’s definitely likely, particularly if it’s an impressive victory.
More importantly though, the clash of styles between the two standouts could make this one an instant classic. Both men prefer to strike than grapple, but that’s essentially where the similarities end. Holloway is probably the UFC’s premier volume striker, preferring to chain together combinations to break his opponents down, usually using his boxing skills
‘El Pantera’, on the other hand, is much wilder, preferring to throw low-percentage shots like tornado kicks and spinning elbows. While these shots don’t always land, when they do, they can produce some truly breathtaking moments.
Holloway is undoubtedly the favorite here. Rodriguez hasn’t fought since late 2019, while ‘Blessed’ beat Calvin Kattar down as recently as January. However, Rodriguez is so unpredictable that he simply can’t be counted out of any fight.
Basically, fireworks should ensue when these two aggressive and talented fighters meet in the octagon, making this one of the UFC’s must-see fights of 2021.
Check out: Complete UFC Schedule here
#4. Jose Aldo vs. Rob Font - UFC bantamweight
December 4's UFC Fight Night event is set to be headlined by a crucial fight in the bantamweight division, featuring a UFC legend in the form of Jose Aldo taking on one of the more underrated fighters in the promotion, Rob Font.
Many observers would try to claim that Aldo is on the downswing of his career, but that may not be true at all based on the evidence we’ve seen recently. Sure, the former UFC featherweight kingpin suffered three straight losses between 2019 and 2020. One, however, against Marlon Moraes featured some bogus judging, while there was no shame in losing to Alexander Volkanovski and Petr Yan.
Aldo is currently on a two-fight winning streak, impressing greatly in his wins over Marlon Vera and Pedro Munhoz. Those triumphs suggested he could still prove to be a force at 135 pounds.
Font, meanwhile, is coming off the biggest win of his UFC career over a former champion in Cody Garbrandt. He’s now won his last four fights, including a TKO of Moraes in December 2020.
Like the fight between Holloway and Rodriguez, this one should be a striking fans’ dream match, but the dynamics here are very different. The big question is exactly how Aldo will deal with the rangy style of Font, who is taller and will enjoy a reach advantage.
Either way, this fight should either see a legend continue his climb back up the ladder, or one of the better prospects in the UFC will continue his own rise to the top. It’s definitely a fight not to be missed.
#3. Derrick Lewis vs. Chris Daukaus - UFC heavyweight
The UFC’s final show of 2021 takes place on December 18, a week before Christmas. While this show, at the time of writing, isn’t stacked with big names, the planned headline bout at least sounds intriguing.
The fight takes place in the heavyweight division and features former UFC title challenger Derrick Lewis taking on one of the weight class’s fastest-rising stars Chris Daukaus.
Since making his UFC debut last summer, Daukaus has already reeled off four wins inside the octagon. More importantly, none of them have gone the distance. The native of Philadelphia hasn’t been beating up on nobodies, either, with two of his victories coming over Aleksei Oleinik and Shamil Abdurakhimov.
However, Lewis is a different animal entirely. ‘The Black Beast’ was admittedly outclassed by Ciryl Gane in their interim title fight at UFC 265, but prior to that he was on a four-fight winning streak. Lewis also holds the record for the most knockouts in UFC history with 12, making him a uniquely dangerous opponent.
Essentially, with the records of both of these fighters considered, it seems highly likely that we’ll see someone rendered unconscious in this fight. If it’s Lewis, then we’ll have a brand new contender for the UFC heavyweight title in the form of Daukaus.
#2. Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Pena - UFC women's bantamweight title
On the face of it, UFC 269’s bantamweight title bout between Amanda Nunes and Julianna Pena might be one of the least intriguing UFC title fights in recent memory.
Pena is a great fighter in her own right and she clearly deserves plenty of respect. She won TUF 18 back in 2013, holds an octagon record of 6-2 and has only ever lost to a pair of UFC champions in the form of Valentina Shevchenko and Germaine de Randamie.
‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ also looked excellent on her most recent trip to the octagon, defeating Sara McMann via rear-naked choke in the third round at UFC 257.
Is she really likely to dethrone Amanda Nunes, the greatest female fighter in MMA history, though? To be frank, it’s doubtful.
The 'Lioness’ has no weaknesses, hits harder than any other female fighter in UFC history and is very dangerous on the ground too. Incredibly, she’s defeated no fewer than six former or current UFC champions during her time in the promotion.
However, this fight remains a must-see for a couple of reasons. Firstly, any fight involving Nunes is a chance for fans to watch an all-time great in action. Nobody can really be sure how much longer she’ll be fighting, so fans should enjoy the Brazilian while they still can.
Secondly, of course, there’s always the chance of a shocking upset, even in a fight like this. In a world where Matt Serra can beat Georges St-Pierre and Glover Teixeira can win UFC gold at the age of 42, anything is possible, even a Pena win.
Overall then, this remains one of the best fights yet to come in 2021.
#1. Charles Oliveira vs. Dustin Poirier - UFC lightweight
Comfortably the biggest and most intriguing fight remaining in 2021 is the UFC lightweight title clash between Charles Oliveira and Dustin Poirier at UFC 269. Any UFC title fight is always worth watching, but this one feels genuinely special.
Both Oliveira and Poirier can probably count 2021 as the best years of their UFC careers thus far. With that in mind, a win in this bout would undoubtedly cement that idea.
Oliveira has only fought once thus far, but that single fight was a blockbuster one against Michael Chandler for the UFC lightweight title vacated by Khabib Nurmagomedov. Early on it didn’t look like it would end well for him, as he was knocked down in the opening round.
However, after surviving some serious punishment, he turned the tables and knocked out ‘Iron' to claim the belt. The win put ‘Do Bronx’ on a run of nine straight wins, cementing his spot at the top of the division.
Poirier, meanwhile, famously defeated Conor McGregor on two occasions, stopping him at both UFC 257 and UFC 264 in largely one-sided fashion.
However, how well ‘The Diamond’ can deal with Oliveira’s submission-based attacks, particularly now the Brazilian seems to have dangerous striking too, remains a major question mark.
Not only should this fight be an amazing one, but with fighters like Justin Gaethje and Islam Makhachev waiting in the wings, it could well set the tone for the UFC in 2022 too, making it a can’t miss for fans.
