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In 2019, the UFC had one of its best years in history. Revenue has never been higher and the level of competition has continued to step up. That's only to be expected when a sport as new as MMA grows. And as we know, it's among the fastest-growing sports in the world, with UFC attracting premier talent across the globe.
There are two cards left in UFC this year - UFC 245, which is the most stacked PPV card of the year and UFC Busan in South Korea. Both cards are expected to deliver big, with UFC 245 grabbing the headlines.
The fact that the main card features three championship bouts alone is a huge deal. It's probably to make up for UFC 244 where there were zero title fights and UFC 246, which is expected to be headlined by Conor McGregor and will also not feature any title bout. Either way, that's next year and our focus is on the current year and what lies ahead. Here are the biggest fights to look forward to in the remainder of the year.
#5. Kamaru Usman vs Colby Covington - UFC 245
UFC 245 will be headlined by Kamaru Usman defending his Welterweight Championship for the first time against long-time rival Colby Covington. The two men have feuded against each other even before Usman won the title and with Covington's interim title win last year and a win over Robbie Lawler this year, the meeting was inevitable.
People expect this fight to be disappointing due to both men's lack of finishing ability and their insistence on wrestling, but with both being pressure fighters, this is going to be a stylistic chess match. Whoever controls the pace of the fight will win, but don't rule out a possible finish by one of the men.
#4. Jose Aldo vs Marlon Moraes - UFC 245
Changing weight classes is never easy. In Jose Aldo's case, his announcement of moving down to Bantamweight came as a bigger surprise since he had dealt with weight cutting issues at 145 itself.
To add to it, he'll be getting right into the mix as he takes on the last Bantamweight title challenger Marlon Moraes. He'll be facing the fellow-Brazilian at UFC 245 on his 135-pound debut.
Aldo's training partner Eduardo Dantes stated that Aldo still has the same punching power while having more speed. Aldo at 135 could be lethal!
#3. Amanda Nunes vs Germaine de Randamie - UFC 245
Watching Amanda Nunes is truly a spectacle. She's now unanimously considered the greatest female fighter in MMA history and it's not even close. Not only has she defeated the biggest names in Ronda Rousey, Cris Cyborg, Meisha Tate, and Holly Holm, but she's finished all of them within the first round, with three by knockout and one by submission. She also holds wins over Valentina Shevchenko (twice).
She now faces another huge challenge in former featherweight champion, Germaine de Randamie. The two will be facing off for the second time in over 6 and a half years, with Nunes having beaten her once by TKO.
Both women have evolved in a big way since then and de Randamie has earned the respect of the UFC brass and fans after a controversial year in 2018. This is the highest-level match-up in Women's Bantamweight today and many believe that if de Randamie doesn't beat Nunes, then no woman on the UFC roster can.
#2. Max Holloway vs Alexander Volkanovski - UFC 245
Alexander Volkanovski has been the clear-cut challenger next in line after beating Jose Aldo. After being passed over once for Frankie Edgar, he will finally get his title shot in the co-main event of UFC 245 as he takes on Max Holloway.
He presents the most interesting challenge for Holloway yet and many believe that he will be The Blessed one's toughest test at 145 to date. Volkanovski has great power and he may have what it takes to put Holloway in serious trouble. However, the champion is on top of the mountain for a reason and has an unrelenting toughness about him.
Will it be the volume of Holloway or the power of Volkanovski that prevails?
#1. Brian Ortega vs Korean Zombie - UFC Fight Night 165
This may not have a title on the line, but the final UFC fight of 2019 doesn't need one. Brian "T-City" Ortega returns after over a year in what we consider to be the most exciting fight to conclude 2019.
He faces a gargantuan task and an extremely difficult opponent in Korean Zombie, aka Chan Sung Jung. Zombie has never been in a boring fight in his career and has never gone to a decision under the UFC banner. He last fought rising contender Renato Moicano this past June and derailed him with a first-round TKO.
He faces a big challenge in former title contender Brian Ortega. There's no way that this fight disappoints and it's going to be a technically skilled fight. Ortega excels at jiu-jitsu but that also happens to be one of Zombie's most underrated skills.
