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2021 promises to be another massive year for the world of combat sports in general - and not just the UFC. Promotions worldwide are expected to line-up some of the most exciting fights a fan could hope to see.
This list takes an in-depth look at 21 fights to watch out for in 2021.
21. Calvin Kattar vs. Max Holloway - UFC Fight Night, 16th January
The first UFC main event of 2021 is a guaranteed slobber knocker. Former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway will be returning to action against the equally impressive Calvin Kattar. The two men will meet at UFC Fight Island, and this featherweight showdown is one that the fans wouldn't want to miss.
This fight also kicks off the UFC's year of battles in 2021. A superb way to start, for sure. Holloway, who is on the back of a loss to reigning featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, will aim to get back on the win column. In contrast, Kattar is coming off a main event win over Dan Ige. A victory over The Blessed One will surely be the biggest of his career.
20. Kamaru Usman vs. Gilbert Burns - UFC 258, 14th February
Kamaru Usman was already scheduled to defend his UFC welterweight title against Gilbert Burns in 2020. However, the fight which pencilled in for UFC 256, eventually fell apart.
Now, Usman will finally defend his 170-lbs title against Durinho at UFC 258. On the back of a win over former champ Tyron Woodley, Burns will look cause an upset when he faces his former teammate. However, the reigning UFC champion has registered two big wins over Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal, in his last two octagon outings.
19. Valentina Shevchenko vs. Jessica Andrade - Likely for March/April
Valentina Shevchenko has run roughshod through the entire UFC women's flyweight division so far. However, former UFC women's strawweight champion Jessica Andrade will be Shevchenko's most formidable challenge in the division to date. The fight is yet to be confirmed, but Andrade expects the showdown to take place sometime around March or April.
At UFC 255, Bullet was expected to dominate Jennifer Maia but looked vulnerable at times, in what many regarded as an unconvincing win for Shevchenko. Meanwhile, Andrade will be heading into the fight on the back of the eye-catching first-round win over Katlyn Chookagian.
18. TJ Dillashaw vs Jose Aldo - To Be Announced
TJ Dillashaw will finally make his return to the UFC after serving his suspension. The former UFC bantamweight champion will be joining an already stacked bantamweight division and the options for his return fight are endless. One man who wants a shot at the former champ is Jose Aldo, the King of Rio put Dillashaw on notice after his last win and expressed his desire to welcome TJ back into the UFC.
It certainly has been a while since fight fans have seen TJ Dillashaw compete, but one definitely shouldn't make the mistake of leaving the former champ out of the title conversation. A fight (and a potential win over Jose Aldo) could instantly put TJ Dillashaw back into the bantamweight title conversation.
17. Yair Rodriguez vs. Zabit Magomedsharipov - To Be Announced
Yair Rodriguez and Zabit Magomedsharipov are regarded as two of the finest featherweights in the world right now. The two incredibly talented fighters were scheduled to meet in 2020 in a main event fight. Unfortunately, Yair's injury eventually forced him out of the bout, and the chances are that the fight will get rescheduled for 2021.
Yair Rodriguez has shared the octagon with some of the most notable fighters in the game. El Pantera has faced Jeremy Stephens, The Korean Zombie, and BJ Penn, and has wins over all three of them. Zabit also has an impressive UFC resumé having beaten Brandon Davis, Jeremy Stephens, and even Calvin Kattar.
16. Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling - To Be Announced
Petr Yan was initially scheduled to defend his UFC bantamweight championship against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 256. However, the fight never occurred, and Sterling was asked to wait a little longer before finally getting his shot at the title. Nevertheless, the UFC will likely re-book the fight within the next few months.
For months now, both Sterling and Yan have been going back-and-forth. And while Aljo rightfully established his place as a title contender, Dana White did seem hesitant of giving him a shot at the title. But, as things stand, The Funkmaster will be next in line for a shot at the dominant bantamweight champion that is Petr Yan.
15. Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega - Likely for February
Brian Ortega marked his comeback last year with a big win over The Korean Zombie. With the win, Ortega pretty much guaranteed himself as the next contender for the UFC featherweight title. And president Dana White has also claimed that his promotion will aim to have champion Alexander Volkanovski defend his title around February.
The reigning featherweight champion is fresh off a win over Max Holloway, but given Brian Ortega's last performance, Volkanovski can take nothing for granted. While Volk seems confident about putting Ortega away, this rumored featherweight title fight should be a banger.
14. Darren Till vs. Paulo Costa - To Be Announced
Darren Till was initially set for his UFC return last December until an injury forced him out of his fight against Jack Hermansson. With Israel Adesanya set to move up to the light heavyweight division, the middleweight division remains wide open at this point.
Paulo Costa himself will be aiming to mark his comeback after his loss to The Last Stylebender, and stylistically, a fight against The Gorilla would make a lot of sense for both parties from here onwards. Costa's loss to Adesanya at UFC 253 caught the MMA community a bit by surprise, given how the reigning middleweight champion dominated the majority of the fight. But given the Brazilian's impressive resume so far, expect Paulo Costa to bring the fireworks upon his return.
13. Deiveson Figueiredo vs Brandon Moreno II - To Be Announced
The UFC 256 main event between Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno was arguably the most incredible fight in UFC's flyweight history. On the verge of being closed out, the reigning flyweight champion and the contender once again proved to the world why the flyweights are some of the world's most exciting fighters.
Both Figueiredo and Moreno, who fought each other to a majority draw, are likely to run it back once again. While there has been no indication of the fight being re-booked anytime soon, all parties involved have pretty much agreed to a potential rematch.
12. Khamzat Chimaev vs. Leon Edwards - To Be Announced
Khamzat Chimaev and Leon Edwards were supposed to trade blows in the final UFC main event of 2020. However, a COVID-19 positive test forced Edwards out of the fight, and it was eventually rescheduled for January.
However, another twist was down the road when Chimaev tested positive for the coronavirus, and the highly-awaited welterweight showdown took another postponement. With the UFC removing Edwards altogether from the January card, the promotion has made it clear that they want to book the fight again for 2021.
Despite asking to compete on the upcoming Fight Island card, Edwards was eventually removed with Neil Magny vs Michael Chiesa promoted as the new main event. This decision shows that the UFC will ultimately re-book the Edwards vs Chimaev fight, which could even occur in a PPV in Las Vegas.
11. Kayla Harrison vs. Claressa Shields - To Be Announced
Kayla Harrison made a lot of noise with her featherweight debut at Invicta FC 43 in November of 2020. Having beaten Courtney King via a brutal second-round TKO, Harrison marked her 145-lbs debut dominantly.
Within a few weeks, women's boxing legend Claressa Shields announced her new deal with PFL. Currently training with former UFC champion Jon Jones and company at Jackson Wink MMA, Shields is expected to make her debut soon, making a dream collision with Harrison could turn into a reality by the end of the year.
10. Yoel Romero vs. Anthony Johnson - To Be Announced
After his shocking departure from the UFC in 2020, Yoel Romero made his way over to Bellator MMA. A promotion that already is home to former UFC light heavyweight, Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson. Immediately, fight fans lost their mind over a potential clash between the two hard-hitters.
Bellator President Scott Coker himself has indicated that he would love a showdown between the two 205-ers. And given how stacked Bellator MMA's current light heavyweight division is, fans could be in for a potential Grand Prix Tournament featuring some of the hardest-hitting 205-ers on earth.
Nevertheless, a fight between Yoel Romero and Anthony Johnson is bound to happen down the road.
9. Dan Hooker vs. Michael Chandler - UFC 257, 23rd January
Michael Chandler is finally making his UFC debut and serving as the co-main event of the first UFC pay-per-view of 2021. Chandler will be facing Dan Hooker in his first fight for the UFC, and the showdown promises to be another exciting lightweight fight.
Having waited as the backup for Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Justin Gaethje, the former Bellator lightweight champion will be welcomed to the octagon by an absolute killer in Dan Hooker. The Hangman is coming off the back of a classic against Dustin Poirier, a fight that Hooker ended up losing. He would undoubtedly love to get back on winning terms on Fight Island.
Along with the Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier fight, this showdown could have huge implications on the lightweight division.
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.
4. Colby Covington vs. Jorge Masvidal - To Be Announced
One of the most talked-about UFC fights at the moment, it is only a matter of time before Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal face off. UFC President Dana White recently claimed that the welterweight showdown between the two men is a fight that even the promotion wants to book from here onwards.
Another talked about ideas of having Covington and Masvidal coach the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter. It remains to be seen what plans the UFC eventually decides upon regarding the best friends turned rivals.
While Masvidal is on the back of a fight against reigning champion Kamaru Usman, Gamebred has made it clear that he wants to get a win or two under his belt before challenging the champ once again. A fight against Covington could be the perfect No. 1 contender fight. Chaos himself is on the back of a win over Tyron Woodley and would love to beat Masvidal to earn another shot at Usman's title.
3. Logan Paul vs. Floyd Mayweather - 20th February
On paper, the Logan Paul vs Floyd Mayweather fight is one-sided. Even Logan Paul himself doesn't believe that he will beat the undefeated Floyd Mayweather. However, one thing guaranteed is that this fight is going to catch a lot of mainstream attention.
Arguably one of the biggest fights of 2021, Logan Paul vs Floyd Mayweather could do some serious numbers. Logan has a massive fanbase and has boxed KSI in the past; whereas, Floyd is a certified superstar of the sport.
While the fight is probably the biggest mismatch in combat sports history, Logan Paul will bring a lot of attention to the sport. The year 2021 could be a big year for the Paul Brothers, nonetheless.
2. Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua - To Be Announced
Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua have been going back-and-forth for a while now. Arguably two of the best heavyweight boxers on planet earth, Fury and Joshua are expected to face off in one of the most highly-anticipated showdowns of all time.
Neither the date nor location of a potential fight has been announced. However, 2021 could finally be the year when fight fans get to witness Anthony Joshua step into the ring with Tyson Fury.
On the back of a win over Deontay Wilder, Fury would love to get his hand raised against Anthony Joshua. The two men have already gone back and forth quite a bit, and promoter Eddie Heam has claimed that both fighters have agreed to a two-fight deal.
1. Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier - UFC 257, 23rd January
Much like 2020, the first UFC pay-per-view of 2021 will feature the return of Conor McGregor. The former two-division UFC world champion will return to the octagon for the first time since his win over Donald Cerrone. On this occasion, The Notorious One will face Dustin Poirier in a rematch.
The fight is already confirmed to occur on the UFC Fight Island and should be another exciting PPV that fans would love to watch enthrallingly. The rematch between McGregor and Poirier could turn out to be a completely different fight from the one we saw a few years ago. Both fighters have evolved as fighters over the past few years and this lightweight fight will have considerable implications in the crowning of a new 155-lbs champion.
