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There are times when seeing an MMA fight happen one time in the octagon just isn’t enough. Over the course of the past few years, UFC has given us fans some of the most jaw-dropping and breathtaking fights of all time, but, sometimes once isn’t just adequate to satisfy spirited and impassioned MMA fans like us.
2018 has already turned out to be a great start to the year for UFC President Dana White and following the success of UFC 220, which was main-evented by Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou, in January 20, 2018, White’s promotion will now be looking to capitalize on the momentum of the aftermath of UFC 220.
Thus, there is no better way to exploit on this momentum by booking five of the most intriguing rematches that UFC fans have been craving to witness and with this list, we will take a look at those five rematches that needs to happen in the octagon within 2018.
#5 Justin Gaethje vs Michael Johnson II
Former WSOF Lightweight Champion Justin Gaethje introduced himself to the UFC World in some spectacular fashion back in May of 2017, when he faced off against Michael Johnson in his debut fight at The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption Finale. Gaethje would initially defeat Johnson via TKO in a fight that went back-and-forth and eventually named as Sherdog’s best fight of 2017.
After Gaethje’s impressive debut win over Johnson, he additionally earned the Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night bonus awards. But, fans should definitely not overlook Johnson’s performance in this classic brawl that took place on July 7, 2017, at the T-Mobile Arena.
As of right now, there have been no talks of a rematch between Gaethje and Johnson but it is certainly undeniable that a rematch between both men will be another instant classic and on top of that, the UFC might look to take full advantage of this and make Gaethje and Johnson the next big rivalry of the promotion.
#4 Georges St. Pierre vs Carlos Condit II
Following his mega return at UFC 217, GSP did not waste much time in getting back to his best as he immediately captured the UFC Middleweight Championship by defeating Michael Bisping via technical submission in the third round. However, on 7th December 2017, GSP’s UFC future came to an unexpected hold as the 36-year-old had to vacate the Middleweight Title after holding the belt for a total of 31 days, due to colitis.
GSP might be currently sidelined from competing in the octagon for an indefinite period of time, however, upon his next return to UFC, the former Middleweight Champion is expected to make a return and compete in the 170 pound division once again and there is literally no other match-up that would interest fans the most, then a second collision against Carlos Condit for St. Pierre’s return to the Welterweight division.
Condit and GSP’s first bout took place six years ago at UFC 154, when both GSP and Condit were at the peak of their game, with St. Pierre holding the Welterweight Title and Condit being the Interim WW Champion at the time. The fight itself was decided via unanimous decision as GSP defeated Condit and cemented his place as the true king of the Welterweights. Condit is currently slated to face Matt Brown in April, however, there is an adequate amount of time to book the rematch between GSP and Condit in the remainder of 2018.
#3 TJ Dillashaw vs Dominick Cruz
Over the course of the past few years, the UFC Bantamweight division has turned out to be one of the most exciting divisions in the entire promotion and it is likely that heading into 2018, the 135-pound division will continue to prove its worth. New champion TJ Dillashaw, who dethroned Cody Garbrandt at UFC 217, has proved himself to be one of the pioneers of the Bantamweight division and is currently leading the division from the front, which almost replicates Dominick Cruz’s impact on the division back in the year 2016.
In January of 2016, Dominick Cruz competed in his first Bantamweight Title fight in over four years, when the “The Dominator” defeated TJ Dillashaw at UFC Fight Night 81 and regained the title with a split-decision victory. Cruz’s victory over TJ was cited as one of the best comebacks in MMA history, however, the 32-year-old has somewhat fallen down the rankings in the Bantamweight division, ever since he lost the title to Cody Garbrandt in December of 2016.
With Cody Garbrandt being currently fresh off a loss against TJ Dillashaw, the smart decision, in this case, would be to make Dillashaw defend the Bantamweight Title against Dominick Cruz in a rematch from 2016. Cruz is yet to step into the octagon since his loss to Garbrandt in 2016 and maybe this will be a Déjà vu case of sorts if “The Dominator” once again manages to regain the Bantamweight Title by defeating TJ Dillashaw in his return fight.
#2 Daniel Cormier vs Alexander Gustafsson II
Daniel Cormier might be in a weird state of mind right now, the current Lightheavyweight Champion recently dominated his latest opponent Volkan Oezdemir at UFC 220, but his next challenge will be to overcome the current UFC Heavyweight Champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 226.
However, following this Champion vs Champion fight, DC is expected to make his return to the LHW division and with Jon Jones currently serving a suspension and Anthony Johnson announcing his retirement from the sport last year, Cormier currently has no probable title challenger other than Swedish sensation Alexander Gustafsson.
DC and Gustafsson previously collided at UFC 192 in one of the most interesting fights in the history of the Lightheavyweight division, where DC came out on top in a wild brawl that ended in a split decision. At the moment there aren’t many great fights obtainable at the 205-pound division, so the logical choice from here on would be to book DC in a rematch against Gustafsson, who has defeated Jan Błachowicz and Glover Teixeira since his loss to Cormier three years ago.
#1Conor McGregor vs Nate Diaz III
Now this one isn’t technically a rematch, but this one is the obvious choice of the entire lot. Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor have provided us with two of the most unforgettable wars in UFC history and ever since their second fight in August of 2016, the entire world has been waiting to witness the third and trilogy fight between the two men in the octagon.
McGregor’s last appearance in UFC was way back at UFC 205 at the Madison Square Garden, when “The Notorious One” made history by becoming a two-division champion when he defeated Eddie Alvarez to win the UFC Lightweight Championship.
On the other hand, Nate Diaz is also currently on a hiatus from the UFC following his loss against Conor at UFC 202, but, according to his latest Instagram post the 32-year-old is currently eyeing for a possible return to the Octagon later in the year, sometime between May-June.
However, upon his return to the UFC, Diaz isn’t expected to fight McGregor in an immediate rematch from UFC 202, as “The Notorious One” is likely to defend his UFC Lightweight Title for the first time against the winner of the upcoming fight between Interim Champion Tony Ferguson and the undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov.
McGregor vs Khabib or McGregor vs Ferguson are certainly two mouthwatering clashes but there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that the third fight between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz is going to be a complete sellout and money making to a whole new level and despite, all the odds stacked against it, President Dana White and the entire UFC management must one way or the other make sure that McGregor vs Diaz III takes place sometime down the road within 2018 itself.
