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#4. Khamzat Chimaev vs. Colby Covington
Khamzat Chimaev has become the talk of the town since defeating Li Jingliang at UFC 267. With a 10 fight unbeaten streak in his MMA career, 'Borz' has wreaked havoc in the UFC's welterweight division.
With all the buzz around the Chechen and his recent back-and-forth with 'Chaos', matching him up with top-ranked Colby Covington next year will ensure yet another moneymaker for the UFC.
Ahead of UFC 268, Colby fired shots at Khamzat and quashed the narrative of Chimaev being deserving of a title shot. He further criticized Chimaev for announcing retirement after he got infected with a severe case of COVID-19, which left him in a rather precarious situation as a fighter.
Speaking to BT Sport, Covington said:
"C*mshot' Chimaev... When he starts fighting guys that are in the Top 5, then we can start talking about him potentially fighting these top-name fights. But until then, the guy is nobody."
"He was ready to retire from the cold. Imagine what I would do to him. I'm not the cold. The cold has a 99.9% survival rate. I tell you what, you get in the UFC octagon with me, it's a lot less survival rate than that."
Watch Colby Covington talk about Khamzat Chimaev here:
Chimaev retaliated with a string of pictures of Colby all bloodied and battered in the octagon. With Chimaev rumored to fight Gilbert Burns next, the UFC could consider fixing up a Chimaev vs. Covington fight as well.
Their similar fighting styles could certainly produce another barnburner for the fans. While Colby is a two-time NCAA All-American Division I champion, Khamzat is a three-time Swedish national wrestling champion. With both being decorated wrestlers, a bout between them will be an interesting test for Chimaev, who is yet to be challenged inside the octagon.
#3. Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor 3
A Nate Diaz vs Conor McGregor fight has long been a huge money fight. Both UFC 196 and UFC 202 - where they met each other - amassed huge numbers in pay-per-view buys.
Therefore, a third fight between the two could potentially be the biggest pay-per-view event of 2022, should the UFC give it the green light.
With a win apiece, this matchup would be the ideal opportunity for Diaz and McGregor to settle the score inside the octagon. The two have a history of bad blood between them and recently engaged in a war of words on social media.
Given the intense nature of the sport, weight cuts get increasingly difficult with age. Perhaps competing at welterweight would save both fighters the trouble of cutting weight.
With one fight left on his UFC contract and age catching up, Nate Diaz too will be raring to make a statement. Considering Diaz's fan base, another win against McGregor will certainly open doors to more money fights for the younger Diaz brother.
