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For the UFC, grudge matches have proven to be a cash cow. As McGregor vs Poirier III at UFC 264 recently showed, fans love a bitter, personal feud between fighters.
Over the past eight months, we've seen all manner of grudge fights, title changes and controversial finishes. The coming months promise more of the same, much to the delight of fight fans everywhere.
From Usman vs. Covington II to the return of Nick Diaz, the fall is looking very promising. As it stands, there are several major grudge matches that Dana White and the UFC could still pencil in before January.
Here are five huge UFC grudge matches that would be great to see before the year comes to an end:
#5. UFC welterweight division: Jorge Masvidal vs Nate Diaz II
Is ‘Gamebred’ ever going to defend his BMF title?
If the Miami fan favorite does, who better than Nate Diaz as a challenger? Diaz vs. Masvidal II is an easy sell for fight fans, many of whom are enamored with both men’s larger-than-life personalities.
With Diaz now back in action and Jorge Masvidal looking for an opponent, the time may well be right for a UFC 244 rematch. Masvidal has made clear he wants a third crack at welterweight champ Kamaru Usman down the line. To do so, he needs to get himself back in the win column.
Another fight with the Stockton triathlete might be enough to convince Dana White to put money first and give Masvidal another chance. That is, of course, if he wins. For Diaz, this rematch could be a shot at redemption and claiming a curious title tailor-made for him.
Win or lose, let's hope Diaz isn't too harsh on Dwayne Johnson this time around.
#4. UFC welterweight division: Nick Diaz vs Leon Edwards
‘Diablo’ is finally coming home to the UFC.
As is par for the course when his brother Nate fights, there was blood everywhere at UFC 263. Despite staging a vicious, late-fight comeback, Nate Diaz found himself on the wrong end of a unanimous decision against Leon Edwards.
While Edwards continues to wait for his phantom welterweight title shot, there’s a potential money fight in the wings. At UFC 266 next month, Nick Diaz is returning for another war with Robbie Lawler.
Assuming ‘Diablo’ wins (or is at least in good enough health to fight again before 2022 rolls in), an Edwards grudge match could be a big money fight for the winter. Nick Diaz was present for his brother’s return against Edwards earlier this year. He enthusiastically supported Nate from the audience and was unsurprisingly displeased with the end result.
Could he look to avenge his brother’s loss by terminating Edwards’ nine-fight win streak? Claiming Edwards’ scalp would help push the long-absent Strikeforce legend closer to another UFC welterweight title bout. For Edwards, beating both Diaz brothers back-to-back would surely be enough to finally net him a title shot.
#3. UFC middleweight division: Israel Adesanya vs Robert Whittaker
This one appears to be a foregone conclusion for later this year. Israel Adesanya has been running roughshod over the UFC middleweight division for three years now. Robert Whittaker has already taken on ‘The Last Stylebender’ once. Their clash came at UFC 243, where Adesanya ended Whittaker’s title reign via second-round KO.
Since then, Adesanya has remained undefeated at middleweight. His sole loss as in the octagon came against UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259. He quickly bounced back with a unanimous decision win over Marvin Vettori at UFC 263.
As it stands, Adesanya looks ready to come full circle by facing Whittaker once more. The two have been trading insults on social media again and rumors of a fight between them are swirling.
If Adesanya can vanquish ‘The Reaper’ again, he may be out of mountains to climb as a middleweight. Could another crack at light heavyweight gold be on the cards?
For Whittaker, it will be a chance to redeem losing in front of a partisan Melbourne crowd last time. If the multi-faceted fighter can stop Adesanya, his legacy as a middleweight great will be set.
#2. UFC flyweight division: Brandon Moreno vs Deiveson Figueiredo
These two UFC warriors have already been through some serious battles together. At UFC 256, Brandon Moreno challenged Deiveson Figueiredo for the UFC flyweight championship. After five grueling rounds of brutal action, the bout was declared a draw.
Fast forward to UFC 263 and Moreno officially became the UFC’s first ever Mexican-born champion. He stopped Figueiredo in round three with a merciless rear naked choke.
The wars these two have waged thus far have been nothing short of instant classics in the UFC. Despite the loss, Figueiredo is currently sitting comfortably at the top of the UFC flyweight rankings. Neither man has fought since and Dana White will presumably want at least one more flyweight title fight before 2021 comes to an end.
The obvious booking here is a trilogy between these two gladiators. For Moreno, it will be the continuation of his journey to the top and whether or not he can stay there. For Figueiredo, it will be one last shot at finally defeating ‘The Assassin Baby’ and, in turn, reclaiming the gold.
Of all the grudge matches on the list, this may be the most likely to occur before 2022 blows in.
#1. UFC welterweight division: Jorge Masvidal vs Colby Covington
Bringing it full circle here with another huge match for ‘Gamebred’ in 2021.
There’s grudges and then there’s just outright blood feuds. What’s bizarre to think these days is that there was a time when Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington were best buds. The American Top Team standouts have had perhaps the most bitter falling out in the history of the sport.
Considering the level of hatred and vitriol between the two, it’s pretty clear there’s only one way to settle this: in the octagon. A fight between these two fierce rivals would print huge bucks for whichever UFC card was lucky enough to host it.
The dispute between the two apparently goes back to Covington’s time as interim welterweight champion. A pay dispute with ATT led to the pair falling out. In the years since, these two welterweight tough guys have frequently taken time to publicly bury one another.
If Covington manages to dethrone ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ later this year, it’ll be a feather in his cap that Masvidal never managed to attain. If he loses, this blood feud remains a hot prospect to headline a title-free card in the near future. Given Covington’s Usman rematch is in November, this one might seem like a tall order for 2021.
However, it wouldn’t be the first time a fighter’s had a brief layover between fights. Whether it’s 2021 or 2022, Masvidal vs Covington is a fight Dana White needs to get booked sooner rather than later.
