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Brett Okamoto
This week, the UFC announced several key fights in October, and that got us thinking about other fights we’d love to see before the end of the year.
There are already plenty of good ones. The crown jewel is next month’s middleweight title fight between Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319. There’s also Tom Aspinall (finally) in an undisputed title fight against former interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane at UFC 321. Bantamweight champ Merab Dvalishvili will make his third title defense of the year against Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320.
But we can always hope for more. Here are five matchups that could really take the UFC’s schedule to the next level.
1:10
Islam Makhachev becomes most decorated lightweight UFC fighter ever
Islam Makhachev becomes the first person in the UFC to defend the lightweight title four times in a victory over Renato Moicano.
Islam Makhachev vs. Jack Della Maddalena
The UFC hasn’t announced this welterweight title fight, but I’m expecting it to happen at UFC 322 in November in New York. This is one of the most impactful — and stylistically intriguing — matchups in years. And it comes with a major story angle: Makhachev vacating the lightweight title and moving up in weight, something his predecessor and mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, never did.
I’m hopeful the sports world will take notice of this matchup. Della Maddalena is not a household name, which can lead to a fight flying under the radar for casual fans. But if the UFC books the fight at Madison Square Garden, I believe that’s a huge win. It’s the company recognizing a need to properly promote this one, rather than host it in Abu Dhabi, where Makhachev fought every October from 2021 to 2023.
As ridiculous as newly crowned lightweight champion Ilia Topuria has been, I agree with Nurmagomedov’s recent comment that Della Maddalena is a harder challenge for Makhachev. This move up in weight is significant for Makhachev. I expect him to be undersized, and Della Maddalena is well-rounded, physical and firmly in his prime.
0:44
Khamzat Chimaev remains perfect with first-round submission win
Khamzat Chimaev defeats Robert Whittaker, keeping his perfect record alive with a submission in the first round.
Khamzat Chimaev vs. Israel Adesanya
I’m going to get flak for this one. This is a matchup we should have seen in 2023, when Adesanya was the middleweight champion. Chimaev’s title shot in August is coming well past due. The UFC could have booked him a championship bid long before this, but the timing never worked out due to various circumstances (illness, travel issues) that kept Chimaev inactive.
He has got his shot now, and if he beats Du Plessis, the UFC can’t book this matchup. It wouldn’t be justifiable as a title fight. Adesanya is on a three-fight losing streak. But this is my list, and I am allowed to hope for something wild to happen. Let’s say Chimaev wins the belt, books his first title defense for December in Las Vegas and his opponent drops out at the last minute. Can you imagine Adesanya getting a shot against the undefeated Chimaev on short notice, to bail the UFC out of a matchmaking bind?
And if Chimaev were to lose to Du Plessis, I’d still be down for this fight. I remember how badly I wanted to see it two years ago, and, yes, circumstances are very different, but it has been only two years. Plenty of history here to lean into in a December matchup.
1:11
Kayla Harrison submits Julianna Pena to become new UFC bantamweight champ
Kayla Harrison taps out Julianna Pena in Round 2 at UFC 316 to become the new women’s bantamweight champion.
Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes
The UFC hasn’t announced this one either, but it seems likely for the end of the year. And I hope it happens this year, rather than getting postponed until 2026. It’s surely the next bantamweight title matchup; we’re all just waiting for it to arrive. It would be a great way to cap the calendar.
Nunes will be an underdog, which is appropriate but hard to fathom. This matchup felt obvious from the moment Harrison, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo, transitioned to MMA in 2018. But it has been a slow, slowwwww burn to get here. Nunes finally acknowledged earlier this year that she left American Top Team in 2022 because she knew she’d eventually face Harrison. Harrison has trained there for her entire MMA career.
This will easily be one of the top five women’s MMA fights of all time, with potential to break into the top three. It could even be considered No. 1.
1:12
Why Sean O’Malley is confident he’d knock out Cody Garbrandt
Sean O’Malley tells Ariel Helwani that he’d love to fight Cody Garbrandt next and is confident he could knock him out.
Sean O’Malley vs. Cody Garbrandt
It would not make sense from a rankings perspective, but who cares? This is a good, old-fashioned grudge match. Years ago, everyone expected these two bantamweights would eventually fight. The fighters felt it, the fans felt it and I’d wager the UFC brass felt it. Two knockout artists, each of whom surged up the rankings with a lot of hype. Now, two former champions.
O’Malley is still the No. 1-ranked contender at 135 pounds, while Garbrandt has lost his past two fights, including a decision loss to the unranked Raoni Barcelos in June. O’Malley should be fighting a ranked opponent, but this matchup would draw more attention to him than any fight inside the top 10. And if it’s going to happen, it’s best to happen sooner rather than later.
O’Malley and Garbrandt got into a brief altercation at a news conference in 2021, and the UFC could (and would) run that footage constantly in the buildup to this one. There is plenty of time for more sensible matchmaking for both of these guys. Let’s book the fight people would most want to see.
Aaron Pico vs. Yair Rodriguez
This weekend was supposed to be the UFC debut of Pico, whom ESPN once touted as possibly the greatest prospect in MMA history. Pico is one of the most entertaining watches in the sport, a boxer-wrestler powerhouse with knockout power to the body and head. He was supposed to face Movsar Evloev, an undefeated grappler and potential No. 1 contender, but Evloev withdrew.
It’s a shame we’re not seeing Pico in action this weekend, but it gives the UFC time to reassess what to do with him and Evloev. I’d prefer the UFC book Evloev in a featherweight title fight against Alexander Volkanovski, who doesn’t have his first title defense booked, but it has been rumored that it’ll be a rematch against Rodriguez. But I’d prefer the fresh matchup.
Meanwhile, Rodriguez is a better fit for Pico’s UFC debut. It’s much more of an action fight.
Evloev’s style can be tedious at times, which is one reason he hasn’t fought for the belt. If he grappled Pico for three rounds, it’d be a very disappointing debut for Pico. Let’s switch things up and book Pico vs. Rodriguez.
