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8. Zhang Weili vs. Rose Namajunas - Like for the first quarter of 2021
Zhang Weili vs Rose Namajunas for the UFC's strawweight championship is the fight to make in 2021. Namajunas is on the back of an impressive win over Jessica Andrade, avenging her initial loss to the former strawweight champion, and will aim to dethrone Zhang Weili.
The reigning champion arguably put up the best fight of the year with former champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk and will look to replicate the same heights against Namajunas. While there has been some confusion if this fight will take place or not, recent reports have suggested that the battle could happen in the first quarter of 2021.
In another recent interview, manager Brian Butler claimed that Zhang Weili would be defending her title soon enough, while also noting that Namajunas is a worthy contender.
7. Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou II - Likely for March
The UFC has struggled to find a fight for Francis Ngannou in 2020. Other than his dominant win over Jairzinho Rozenstruik, The Predator has sat on the sidelines while clearly expressing his frustration on social media.
Meanwhile, Stipe Miocic has defended his UFC heavyweight title over Daniel Cormier, and the reigning champ is likely to put his belt on the line against Ngannou once again. The two men previously met in 2018, when Miocic dominated Ngannou but fans expect a different version of the latter this time around.
The winner of this fight could go on to defend the title against heavyweight newcomer Jon Jones. There is no doubt that the former UFC light heavyweight champion will be a top dog in the heavyweight division and come summer of 2021, Jones could either face Miocic or Ngannou.
6. Conor McGregor vs. Manny Pacquiao - Likely after McGregor vs. Poirier II
It is suspected that Conor McGregor will be fighting Manny Pacquiao after his showdown with Dustin Poirier. McGregor's manager has claimed that the fight will occur soon, whereas, Pacquiao himself also remains interested in the bout.
The only thing that remains to be seen is when the boxing duel between the two goes down. Reports circulate that the desire is to book the fight in the Middle East. However, nothing is known as of now. The bout would mark McGregor's first bout in a boxing ring since his collision against Floyd Mayweather.
5. Jan Blachowicz vs. Israel Adesanya - UFC 259, 6th March
2021 sees Israel Adesanya make his move up to the light heavyweight division. The reigning UFC middleweight champion will face Jan Blachowicz for the UFC light heavyweight title and the showdown between the two promises to be another exciting Champion vs Champion showdown.
The fight will take place at the UFC 259 pay-per-view, but an official announcement is yet to be made by the UFC. On the back of his impressive win over Paulo Costa, Izzy could turn out to be the favorite to win the light heavyweight title. However, Blachowicz's win over Dominick Reyes was a statement to anyone who dares to challenge the Polish superstar for his title.
