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Next weekend sees UFC 260 go down from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, and there is gold on the line in the form of the UFC Heavyweight and Featherweight titles.
UFC 260 isn’t quite as stacked as UFC 259 or UFC 261, but this is still a major show that simply cannot be missed.
With two title fights, as well as a ton of well-known contenders, prospects, and veterans, there’s something for everyone at UFC 260.
Here are five reasons why you need to watch UFC 260: Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou II.
#1 The main event is a UFC Heavyweight title fight, and they always deliver
Historically speaking, UFC Heavyweight title fights rarely fail to deliver in terms of drama and action. Clashes like Couture vs. Sylvia, Lesnar vs. Carwin, and Werdum vs. Velasquez are amongst the very best UFC title fights.
And the first fight between Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou – at UFC 220 in January 2018 – was definitely a barnburner in its own right.
Miocic was able to come away with his title. But he took an absolutely horrendous amount of punishment in doing so, and somehow managed to tire Ngannou out down the stretch.
The damage he took in the fight was even blamed for his KO loss to Daniel Cormier a few months later.
Since then, Miocic has lost and regained his title, and defended it against Cormier in a third bout. Ngannou, meanwhile, has reeled off a series of brutal knockouts over the likes of Cain Velasquez and Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
So can Ngannou finally capture the UFC Heavyweight title by knocking out Miocic? Or will the champion once again prove that power alone can’t get you to the top of the UFC mountain?
Whichever way this fight goes, it’s absolutely unmissable for any UFC fan.
#2 Volkanovski vs. Ortega could produce an instant classic
The UFC Featherweight title clash between champ Alexander Volkanovski and challenger Brian Ortega is set to be the first 145lbs title fight since 2016 to not involve Max Holloway.
However, it could still wind up being an instant classic if we go by what Volkanovski and Ortega have recently produced.
Alexander the Great stunned everyone by taking the title from the seemingly invincible Holloway in 2019. And while the result was debatable, he proved he was no one-hit-wonder by again edging out the Hawaiian last year at UFC 251.
But he’s facing a different kind of animal entirely in the form of T-City.
Ortega rose to the top of the UFC after debuting in 2014 off the back of an incredible submission game. He won seven fights – all of them ending with a tapout or knockout – en route to a title shot against Holloway back in 2018.
And while T-City came up short in that fight, he showed an incredible amount of toughness and heart to hang in there under immense fire.
After taking more than a year off, Ortega returned last October and looked better than ever, showing off some new striking wrinkles to completely dominate The Korean Zombie.
So will the addition of this striking game to go with his grappling skills be enough to net him the title this time? Or can Volkanovski once again turn back a more vaunted opponent?
As with the main event, it doesn’t really matter who wins – the style clash here should produce a great fight, and if we’re really lucky, an instant classic.
#3 Vicente Luque has another chance to step up
In terms of sheer excitement, few fighters in the UFC are better to watch than Vicente Luque.
The Silent Assassin has been with the UFC since 2015, and in that time, he’s put together a solid 12-3 record. But more to the point, of those 15 fights, just four of them have gone the distance.
In fact, Luque has somehow been able to finish off 11 of his 12 victims. That makes him uniquely dangerous even in one of the UFC’s most stacked divisions.
UFC 260 sees Luque facing off with a former UFC Welterweight champion in Tyron Woodley.
It’s undoubtedly the toughest test Luque has faced since his 2019 loss to Stephen Thompson, but it also looks like an inherently winnable fight.
That’s because Woodley appeared to fossilize somewhat in 2020, losing two straight fights and looking nothing like the man who’d once ruled the UFC’s 170lbs division.
If Woodley genuinely has nothing left in the tank, then facing an opponent as ruthless as Luque is a major risk for him.
And if this one goes the way of The Silent Assassin, it’s likely to end in violent and entertaining fashion.
#4 Sean O’Malley remains one of the UFC’s best prospects
Sean O’Malley hardly endeared himself to UFC fans in 2020.
Sure, he picked up one of the best KO’s of the year when he sparked out Eddie Wineland at UFC 250. But he didn’t handle his first career loss to Marlon Vera well at all. O’Malley basically produced a myriad of excuses and massively disrespected his opponent.
The Sugar Show returns this weekend against Thomas Almeida. And based on O’Malley’s outspoken personality and fighting skills, this one should be a fight to keep an eye on.
Part of the reason for that is because of the question marks around him following his defeat to Vera.
O’Malley recently tweeted, claiming that he’s “putting his undefeated record on the line” at UFC 260, which could mean that the loss is still on his mind.
And if that’s the case, he may well be in trouble, as Almeida is more than capable of knocking an opponent out. He was a vaunted prospect back in 2015 for a reason, don’t forget.
However, the truth is that The Sugar Show is a fantastically talented fighter. And Thominhas simply isn’t as durable as he once was – meaning that this could be a nice way for O’Malley to rebound from his first defeat.
And if he does so, then it’ll likely be violent, and we’ll almost definitely have to hear about it for a while.
#5 Khama Worthy is a genuine knockout artist
Opening the main card of UFC 260 is a Lightweight clash between Khama Worthy and Jamie Mullarkey.
And judging by Worthy’s UFC career thus far, this one could definitely provide the fans with fireworks. Death Star is 2-1 in the UFC thus far, and none of his fights have gone the distance.
After knocking out Devonte Smith in brutal fashion in his debut, he surprised everyone by submitting the talented Luis Pena – before suffering a bad KO in 2020 at the hands of Ottman Azaitar.
Essentially, Worthy is a classic example of the kill-or-be-killed fighter. Of his 23 career fights, just four have gone the distance.
Mullarkey has yet to pick up a UFC win – the Aussie is 0-2 in the UFC. However, he’s equally adept at finishing foes like Worthy. And of his 12 career victories, he’s claimed just one via decision.
The odds on this fight lasting all three rounds seem pretty low, meaning this one should be another fight at UFC 260 that fans shouldn’t take their eyes off.
