5 must-watch underrated fights at UFC 267

The UFC will return to the United Arab Emirates in October with the UFC 267 event set to take place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Although the numbered event is not a pay-per-view, it does not mean that the fight card is, in any way, inferior to the other UFC events of 2021.

The UFC 267 card will be headlined by a light heavyweight championship bout between champion Jan Blachowicz and UFC veteran Glover Teixeira. Blachowicz is currently on an impressive run in the UFC, winning his last five fights in the promotion. The Polish fighter also defeated current middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in his last outing.

Meanwhile, Teixeira is also having a late surge in his career. The 41-year-old's five-fight win streak in the 205-pound division has earned him another shot at UFC gold.

The co-main event of UFC 267 will feature an interim title bout between former bantamweight champion Petr Yan and Cory Sandhagen. The bout is a rare instance where both fighters competing for the title are coming off losses. However, the losses suffered by the two bantamweights are not without asterisks.

Petr Yan dominated Aljamain Sterling in their fight at UFC 259. But in the fourth round, 'No Mercy' landed an illegal knee on a downed Sterling that cost him the title. Sandhagen, meanwhile, is coming off a razor-close split decision loss against former champion TJ Dillashaw.

Apart from the two title fights, the UFC 267 card is loaded with interesting fights that have the potential to be highly entertaining. On that note, let us take a look at five must-watch underrated contests on the UFC 267 fight card:

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#5. Amanda Ribas vs. Virna Jandiroba (UFC strawweight division)

With just five appearances in the UFC octagon, Amanda Ribas has become one of the most exciting fighters in the women's strawweight division. The Brazilian fighter has won four of her five bouts in the octagon. Ribas lost her last contest against Marina Rodriguez via TKO at UFC 257, though.

Meanwhile, Virna Jandiroba is coming off a TKO victory against Kanako Murata. 'Carcara' is a submission specialist, with 13 of his 17 career wins coming via submission. So it would be interesting to see whether Ribas bounces back from the loss or Jandiroba makes her case as a legitimate strawweight contender.

#4. Damir Ismagulov vs. Magomed Mustafaev (UFC lightweight division)

The lightweight matchup between Damir Ismagulov and Magomed Mustafaev is a banger hiding in the prelims of UFC 267. Both fighters were born in Russia, and have previously competed in the fighting promotion M1-Global.

Ismagulov is undefeated in his four appearances in the UFC, and also has a win over UFC lightweight Thiago Moises. He has an overall MMA record of 20-1, with his only loss coming more than six years ago.

Mustafaev, meanwhile, has finished 14 of the 17 fights he has won. 'Sniper' also has a win over rising lightweight contender Rafael Fiziev. Mustafev finished 'Ataman' via TKO in the opening round at UFC Fight Night 149 to earn a 'Performance of the Night' bonus.

This fight has high potential to deliver fireworks in the UFC 267 prelims.

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#3. Magomed Ankalaev vs. Volkan Oezdemir (UFC light heavyweight division)

In light heavyweight action on the main card of UFC 267, Magomed Ankalaev will compete against former title challenger Volkan Oezdemir.

Despite losing on his UFC debut against Paul Craig in March 2018, Ankalaev has been one of the most intriguing fighters in the 205-pound division. After suffering the only loss of his professional MMA career to Craig, the Russian fighter went on a six-fight winning spree. The 29-year-old was also awarded the 'Performance of the Night' bonus for three of those six wins. Anakalev currently has an MMA record of 15-1.

Oezdemir, meanwhile, is coming off one of the most exciting fights of the entire year against Jan Blachowicz. The 32-year-old also has wins over high-skilled fighters like Aleksander Rakic, Ovince Saint Preux and Ilir Latifi. 'No Time' has also finished 13 of 17 fights he won.

So, there is a high probability this light heavyweight encounter may not go the full distance of three rounds.

#2. Dan Hooker vs. Islam Makhachev (UFC lightweight division)

UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker has been receiving a lot of love from the MMA community. His journey to UFC 266 included travel and visa issues, not having a proper training camp due to COVID-19 restrictions in New Zealand and making weight shortly after landing in Las Vegas.

Despite all these adversities, 'The Hangman' delivered a highly impressive performance against Nasrat Haqparast, winning via a dominant decision. Hooker will now make a quick turnaround to face Islam Makhachev at UFC 267.

Makhachev, over a short period, has become a force to be reckoned with in the lightweight division. The Dagestani fighter is currently riding an eight-fight winning streak in the 155-pound shark tank. The 30-year-old has only lost once in his professional MMA career, which happened way back in October 2015.

Both fighters have called each other out in the past. Makhachev is known for his elite grappling skills. Hooker, who mostly relies on his striking to win fights, showed in his last outing that he is also not averse to the idea of takedowns. So, it would be exciting to see how this clash of styles turns out at UFC 267.

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#1. Li Jingliang vs. Khamzat Chimaev

UFC 267 will mark the much-awaited return of Khamzat Chimaev, one of the most popular prospects currently in the UFC.

'Borz' made huge waves in the MMA world last year. Chimaev made his UFC debut in July 2020, and stacked up three back-to-back wins in just a period of 66 days, setting a new record in modern UFC history. He also won a 'Performance of the Night' bonus for each of his three fights.

The Swedish fighter then contracted COVID-19, and has remained out of action for a year due to its lingering effects. The 27-year-old will now return to face his first ranked opponent in Li Jingliang. 'The Leech' is coming off an impressive knockout win against Santiago Ponzinibbio earlier in January.

It remains to be seen if Chimaev lives up to his hype or Jingliang breaks into the top ten of the welterweight rankings.