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The UFC is and has always been the biggest and the best promotion in the sport of MMA ever since its inception. Ever since the UFC acquired Pride FC of Japan and merged with the WEC in 2007, the UFC has been home to the top talent in the sport and also hosted the biggest fights in MMA.
But there are and have always been some top fighters which are under contract to other promotions and as a result we as fans do not get to witness these athletes against our top UFC fighters and champions. There are some all-time greats such as Fedor Emelianenko and Ben Askren who have never fought in the UFC but have had dominant careers elsewhere, as a result, it makes us wonder as to what would happen if these people fought in the UFC.
So imagining a time without promotions and contract regulations, here are five dream cross-promotion MMA fights to make today.
#5 Nate Diaz vs Michael Chandler
Michael 'Iron' Chandler vs Nate Diaz is every fight fan's dream match-up and is guaranteed to be an epic contest between two veterans of the game. If this fight is made, you can bet top dollar that it will be a contender for Fight of the Year. Both Chandler and Diaz are legit top lightweights in the world and both love to throw caution out of the wind and simply throw down. There has never been a boring Diaz fight or an uneventful Michael Chandler showing.
For those who don't know, Michael Chandler is one of the most successful lightweights in the world and a former two time Bellator Lightweight Champion. Chandler has delivered one of the best fights in the history of the sport when he defeated Eddie Alvarez to win the belt for the first time in their first fight out of a total three wars they both fought. Michael Chandler is a dominant American wrestler and a pressure fighter with explosive takedowns and real knockout power. At 32 years of age with a pro record of 18-4, Chandler has established himself as a top lightweight not only in Bellator but in the entire world.
Nate Diaz is one of the biggest superstars in the game and any fight he fights is bound to make headlines. Nate also matches up very well with Chandler with his elite boxing and crafty BJJ to go up against the relentless pressure and wrestling of Chandler. The result is anyone's guess, but what's guaranteed is that this fight will blow off the roof of any arena in the world.
#4 Tyron Woodley vs Rory McDonald-2
Tyron Woodley vs Rory MacDonald-2 if made would be a re-run of their UFC 174 fight held in June 2014 and is bound to deliver a fight for the ages.
Both fighters have risen to two of the very best welterweight talents in the world following their first fight. Tyron Woodley has established himself as the undisputed welterweight champion of the world winning the belt in dominant fashion and then subsequently defending it 4 times against top-class opposition in Wonderboy Thompson, Demian Maia and latest against Darren Till. On the other hand, Rory 'The Red King' MacDonald has had a much more of a roller coaster ride since their first clash.
Rory went on to rise through the UFC rankings and fight Robbie Lawler in what is the best UFC title fight in history in my opinion at UFC 189. Rory lost the fight and subsequently lost to Wonderboy as well to finally make the jump over to Bellator where he has looked phenomenal ever since. Rory captured the Bellator welterweight belt to later lose to Gegard Mousasi in Bellator's first-ever champion vs champion fight.
Woodley vs MacDonald-2 is bound to be a great and close fight. Both fighters are reigning champions in their promotions and possibly the two best welterweights in the world. Many fans have forgotten that Rory MacDonald was the last person to defeat Woodley and looked fantastic in that fight as well. Although Woodley has grown a lot as a fighter since that loss, still MacDonald is bound to give him a tougher time than any other challenger has done till now.
Stylistically too this fight is very interesting. Both men are well accomplished grapplers with dominant top control. Rory is the more technical striker but Woodley possesses real one punch KO power which we have seen time and again in his performances. A real champ vs champ super fight to determine who is the best welterweight in the world is our #4 ranked fight on the list.
#3 Robert Whittaker vs Gegard Mousasi
The fight that was never made in the UFC, Robert Whittaker vs Gegard Mousasi, like the previous fight on our list, would be the fight for the title of the one true Middleweight Champion of the world. Whittaker and Mousasi are at the pinnacle of the heavily stacked Middleweight divisions of the sport and will deliver a stunning fight if the two were to face off.
There is hardly anyone more experienced or with more wins over top competition than Gegard 'The Dreamcatcher' Mousasi. With a legendary record of 45-6, Mousasi has fought and beaten the who's who of MMA in 2 weight classes-Middleweight and Light-Heavyweight. Mousasi's notable wins include wins over Chris Weidman, Rory MacDonald, Mark Hunt, Jacare Souza, Uriah Hall, Vitor Belfort, Dan Henderson, Mark Munoz, Sokodjou, Denis Kang, Hector Lombard and so on.
Gegard Mousasi was on a tear over the UFC's Middleweight division before he jumped ship over to Bellator over contract issues with the UFC. Since then, Mousasi has gone to win the Bellator Middleweight title and then subsequently defend it beating the Bellator Welterweight Champion, Rory MacDonald in dominant fashion.
Robert Whittaker has established himself as the King of the UFC's 185lb division with beating top competition himself. His wins over Jacare Souza and his two fights with Yoel Romero have proved to the world that Whittaker is the real deal.
This fight has the potential to be one of the biggest and the best fights in the history of the sport. It will feature two champions in their prime, on top of the sport fighting each other for the ultimate glory. Both champions are extremely well rounded and their games literally have no holes. Both Whittaker and Mousasi have a no-quit attitude in them and will definitely deliver a war if this fight is ever made.
#2 Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Ben Askren
There can be few fights bigger than two undefeated Champions facing each other under the bright lights and Khabib vs Ben Askren is exactly that fight. It will be a spectacle when the two master grapplers collide and we will finally get a lot of questions answered. Both Khabib and Askren are undefeated with Khabib being 27-0 and Ben Askren having announced retirement at a pro record of 18-0.
Ben Askren made his name on the MMA circuit with fighting and dominating the welterweight division in Bellator and later in ONE FC and racking up an impressive undefeated record. Much like Khabib, Askren is also widely regarded as one of the best grapplers to ever compete in MMA. The only reason Ben Askren never competed in the UFC is that of his dispute with Dana white which he talked about with Joe Rogan on the JRE MMA show.
This matchup will pit the most decorated Russian grappler to ever compete in MMA with the most dominant American wrestler/grappler to grace the MMA cage. The hype behind this contest will be real and as Conor McGregor said "Someone's 0 has got to go!"
#1 Brock Lesnar vs Fedor Emelianenko
Just thinking about this fight gives me goosebumps. Brock Lesnar is without a doubt by far the biggest star USA has ever produced in the sport of MMA. A former Heavyweight Champion, Lesnar brings unparalleled charisma combined with high-level wrestling and power in the octagon and is a real test for any Heavyweight in the world.
On the other hand, widely regarded as the greatest Heavyweight ever, Fedor Emelianenko is without a doubt the most decorated Heavyweight Champion of all time. Having won multiple titles in every promotion he ever competed, Fedor's stardom is in no way inferior to Lesnar with Fedor being the biggest Russian MMA star of all time. All due respect to Khabib, the lightweight phenom's popularity is a mere shadow of his Heavyweight counterpart.
A classic wrestler vs striker matchup, Lesnar vs Fedor will pit the entire nation of USA and Russia at odds when their biggest stars battle for ultimate glory. The fight can go either way. Fedor can knock anyone out with his elite striking and Lesnar is more than capable of dominating anyone on the mat. This heavyweight showdown will sell out any arena or stadium in the world and will without a doubt be the biggest super-fight of all times.
To those of you who're thinking why I haven't mentioned Daniel Cormier vs Ryan Bader in this list, it is because though both of them are Champions currently, I don't think that fight will be competitive. I am of the opinion that Bader has nothing to offer in a fight against DC and he doesn't bring anything to the table that DC has not faced before. DC is far better than Bader in every aspect of the game and this fight will not excite a lot of fans purely because DC is miles ahead of Bader skill wise and it will not be a competitive contest.
