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Whether it's between two men or twenty, on grass or concrete, with balls or balled fists, a sport is a competition. But to compete at the highest level, where one is paid millions of dollars to draw millions of eyes entails a grueling lifestyle that is nigh incomprehensible to the common man.
Countless hours of punishing training are condensed into momentary flashes of brilliance and plays that take our breath away. Considering the high-pressure atmosphere that they're in, it's not surprising when tempers flare during contests. But once the final bell sounds, all is forgiven and it is rare that any bad blood makes its way out of the boundaries of the arena.
But there are those contests that supersede the nature of the sport. Not only are they a test of skills, wills, and character, they are much more. We've seen Batman vs Superman, King Kong vs Godzilla and Donald Trump vs Himself, and though they aren't that close to home, they do, to a certain extent, embodies the spirit of an epic clash. For, after all, they are battles for supremacy between larger-than-life beings(barring you know who).
Every MMA bout in itself is more or less an epic clash because you have two warriors battling each other until one claims dominance over the other. But every once in a while, we are treated to a fight so awe-inspiring that it takes its place in MMA mythology - Hendo vs Shogun I and Griffin vs Bonnar being the foremost. It doesn't take superstars to create an unforgettable fight, but if two huge names did throw down, the fight has the potential to become the stuff of legend.
Let's take a look at a few super fights that the fans would go crazy for if the UFC put them together this year:
#5 Anthony "Rumble" Johnson vs Francis "The Predator" Ngannou
Before you scoff, take a second to think back to when Conor McGregor vs Floyd Mayweather or Michael Bisping vs Georges St.Pierre was first mentioned. People did laugh at the idea of two retirees coming back to stick their flags in unchartered territory. Mayweather, an undefeated boxer, putting his reputation on the line against a man with no pro-boxing exprerience ? Ridiculous. GSP, arguably the greatest Welterweight of all time, getting a title shot in his Middleweight debut, not to mention, after 4 years away from the sport? Absurd!
But we all saw what happened next - history was made with two of the most successful fights, nay, PPVs in combat sports history.
In Rumble and Ngannou, you have two men who can literally let their fists do the talking. Not to detract from Ngannou, but it must be admitted that the powerhouse was rushed into a title shot because of the lull in the Heavyweight division. Those of us who've followed the sport for a while knew to shut out the hype and weren't really surprised at Miocic's authoritative win.
Rumble is quite similar to Ngannou - a mountain of a man with fearsome one-punch stopping power. When he tearfully announced his retirement last year, a lot of fans were already wondering when they'd get word of his return. A return, in his own words, he wouldn't mind making at Heavyweight. But Rumble is more well-rounded than Ngannou and lost only to champion Daniel Cormier.
If The Predator wants to fight his way into title contention, he needs to diversify his skill set and a heavyweight Rumble might also be a good place to start testing himself. With scarcity of big names in both the UFC's heaviest divisions, this fight makes a lot of sense from a business aspect. If both Rumble and Ngannou attempt to do what they do best and KO each other, this fight could make it to an "All-Time Greatest MMA Fights" list for sure.
#4 Conor McGregor vs Nate Diaz 3
No surprises here. With the scores at one apiece, both of them and millions of fights fans are itching for the decider. McGregor has already emphasized that he will face Diaz at 155, which is a natural weight class for both of them.
The title picture is a little blurry, but most would agree that Ferguson and Nurmagomedov are definitely more deserving, just by virtue of being active. If fighters had business cards, McGregor and Diaz's would have "part-time" inscribed on them. What's more, McGregor has claimed that there isn't a fighter who's worthy of facing him and in his defense,
Tony and Khabib are known to get caught while trying close the distance. The easiest argument is that McGregor has never been tested on the ground, but with his sniper-accuracy and atomic-clock timing, he doesn't see the need to sharpen his ground game and in his own mind, he has no equal. A shrewd fan would say it's obvious that the payday is more of a priority than the title to McGregor.
So assuming that the double champ's holding out for the next chunk of his retirement fund, if Conor can name his price, what about the only man in the UFC to beat him?
As far as this mouth-watering match up is concerned, the more pertinent question is when, not if.
#3 Jon Jones vs Brock Lesnar
Ask yourself this - does a man who's tested positive for banned substances twice and despite that been given an immediate title shot, deserve to be inserted into the championship picture if or when he makes his prodigal return?
Many would slam their fists down in refusal, but then, what of the considerable fighting talent that still remains in Jon Jones? His image and possibly, his legacy are muddied, but there are hordes of fight fans who would pay to see him fight.
Brock Lesnar is similar in quite a few ways - he was given a UFC title shot when he had barely any experience in MMA and was brought back at UFC 200 just for star-power despite being "retired".
Jon Jones calling out Brock Lesnar after knocking out Daniel Cormier (but not beating him) was likely him trying to kiss and make up with fans and UFC suits after all he put them through. Tarnished images aside, this is a fight we'd all love to see and tickets will sell as sure as the Beast takes his prey to Suplex City.
2 Conor McGregor vs Floyd Mayweather 2 in the octagon
From the Nate Diaz saga, we've all seen that Conor McGregor doesn't take a loss well. Soon after his loss to Floyd Mayweather, Conor McGregor started calling for a rematch to exorcise those demons. In December 2017, Dana White told ESPN's Brett Okamoto that he was in talks with Floyd Mayweather about a potential UFC deal.
The UFC kingpin was indignant when Okamoto asked him how serious he was about making the fight happen. Take a listen
Fast forward to last week, when Floyd Mayweather posted two videos teasing an MMA debut:
The "Paddy" taunt was obviously aimed at McGregor's Irish heritage. Remember, Mayweather vs McGregor, a fight that did 4.3 million PPVs, started with the UFC champ calling out the undefeated Mayweather and if it works one way, the reverse should be possible as well.
McGregor would toy with Mayweather in the octagon before finishing him and the only relevant question is, would Floyd be willing to take a certain (and first) loss for the mountain of money that the fight will surely spew forth?
#1 Jon Jones vs Cain Velasquez at Heavyweight
Both Jon Jones and Cain Velasquez marauded through their own respective divisions during the same period. Seeing that none of their own peers seemed to pose a threat, many would have wondered how a showdown between the two big men would transpire. Jones is a natural Heavyweight but being the smaller man has never stopped Velasquez from dragging his opponents into deep water and drowning them.
The future of the Heavyweight title is clear for now - Daniel Cormier will challenge Stipe Miocic for the crown later this year and then what? Jon Jones' striking coach Brandon Gibson believes that he will challenge Cormier for the 265-lbs belt this year. Let's take a moment to consider that Cormier has first to go through Miocic, a man who has already laid claim to being the greatest Heavyweight in MMA history.
But that still doesn't mean that Jones vs Velasquez can't happen. If Cormier beats Miocic and Jones does indeed return to challenge for the Heavyweight belt, the latter will indubitably go into that fight as the favorite. And if history repeats itself and Jones make it a three-peat, how many worthy challengers are there? A healthy and injury-free Cain Velasquez would top that list.
That's not the only plausible scenario. From a recent tweet and an interview shortly after with mmafighting.com, Velasquez has made it clear that he wouldn't fight his teammate Cormier, but he did reiterate that his resolve to regain the Heavyweight belt was stronger than ever.
Daniel Cormier has publicly stated that he will retire on his 40th birthday, which is next year. So if Cormier wins the Heavyweight title and vacates it in March 2019, and Jones and Velasquez are in the hunt, we certainly could see them slug it out to become the baddest man on the planet.
