Five championship fights. Several other top 10 showdowns. A couple of top-class recalls. More than a dozen battles with former world champions.
The UFC has quite a fight summer ahead of it. After the promotion is free this coming weekend, it will cause a sensation on July 11 in Abu Dhabi with UFC 251 with three title fights. Three more combat cards will follow in the United Arab Emirates later this month, and then head back to the United States to start a run that will include five more events by the end of August. With a lot of struggles. Big fights.
When I was asked to write about the five most anticipated battles of the summer, my first thought was to put together a list of the best dozen and distribute it to the ESPN team for a consensus on which ones to work with the group find the most response.
“No,” I was told, “that is Your list.”
Ah yes, then well.
It actually makes sense to approach the exercise in this way, since every fan looks at the summer schedule and jumps out different fights for him. We all have our own preferences. Some might refer to these five title fights, which are on tap between now and Labor Day, and be done with their list. Title battles make up less than half of my top 5 list for me. However, I recorded three recalls while other fans could avoid this type of booking and thought, “Been there, did that.”
No matter what your taste is, there is a fight for you. Indeed, several. Here are my tips:
Stipe Miocic against Daniel Cormier 3
August 15 in Las Vegas
Let’s start with the fight on my list that is farthest in the future. Why? Because the main UFC 252 event is the struggle of summer – and I seriously doubt that I’m alone in this mood. The eager anticipation of finally seeing Miocic and Cormier finish their heavyweight championship trilogy will drive us through the sweaty dog days. What would be better? Cormier knocked out Miocic in the first round in July 2018 and became second division champion. In the rematch 13 months later, Stipe overcame a difficult start and won his title with a TKO in the fourth round. Who will fall this time?
There is even additional intrigue surrounding the third meeting. These two men started off fairly warmly, but two years later their rivalry has an advantage. This is what happens when only you and another fighter spend a long distance fighting for the throne that is on Heavyweight Mountain. There have been head games, micro-aggression that has been intensified to such an extent that these people seem to share this one feeling: I definitely cannot afford to lose The Guy. Since Cormier has committed to retire from MMA after that night, the result here will be his permanent memory as an active price warner. And for Miocic, who hasn’t seen anyone but DC in two years? He wants to get this man out of his face as soon as possible.
Conclusion: If I picked out my most anticipated summer fight, it would be. If I put together a list of three battles to watch, I could complete this trilogy along with recorded reps of Miocic-Cormier 1 and 2 continue. I can not wait any longer.
If you like to see heavyweights …: Junior dos Santos vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik (August 15), Derrick Lewis vs. Alexey Oleinik (August 8), Fabricio Werdum vs. Alexander Gustafsson (July 25).
Robert Whittaker vs. Darren Till
July 25 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
2:17
Robert Whittaker explains how he felt burned out by a training session on Christmas Day and wondered if he still wanted to fight and if he needed a break.
Sometimes a champion is thrown from a throne and appears to fall from the ground. That seems to have happened to Whittaker, who has seen the middleweight division evolve since he gave up his belt to Israel Adesanya last October. In some ways, Adesanya was already the star of the weight class, although Whittaker still ruled, both because of the incredible flair of “The Last Stylebender” and because of Whittaker’s injury injuries and button-down behavior. But here the ex-champion has the opportunity to come back on the map. Or not.
What makes this matchup particularly attractive to me is that it came from the left field. Who could have predicted nine months ago that Till would share the cage with Whittaker or one of the best 185 pounders? But then, in November, the long-time welterweight rose by one division and jumped straight into the deep end of the pool, where it competed against the high-ranking Kelvin Gastelum. Till’s split decision win made him an immediate competitor. When he hits Whittaker, the sky is the limit.
If you like to see showdowns at the intersection …: Kelvin Gastelum v Jack Hermansson (middleweight, July 18), Chris Weidman v Omari Akhmedov (middleweight, August 8).
Frankie Edgar vs. Pedro Munhoz
July 16 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
There are championship fights and high stakes fights that, by and large, mean more for the UFC and its various weight class hierarchies. But sometimes you just have to take part in what appeals she. And I like some Frankie Edgar fights. Those of us who seemingly followed the man’s career forever always had to adjust to many ups and downs – sometimes in the same fight, sometimes in the same round. Edgar has been in this sport for 15 years since this month and not a second of it was boring. However, the past few years have not been so kind to this former champion. Edgar, who is switching to bantamweight, has lost three out of four and seems to have relegated to a gatekeeper role.
That brings me to Edgar’s opponent. Munhoz suffered a momentum killing loss against Aljamain Sterling over a year ago and has not fought since then. But only a few months before this defeat, he had Kody Garbrandt KO and got going. Munhoz had established himself as an up-and-coming bantamweight contender, and a win here could restore his status.
If you like to watch emerging competitors …: Calvin Kattar vs. Dan Ige (men’s featherweight, July 15), Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Derek Brunson (middleweight, August 1).
Alexander Volkanovski against Max Holloway
July 12 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
The first time these two shared the Octagon in December, Volkanovski performed impressively to become the UFC featherweight world champion. It was his 18th consecutive win so everyone already knew the Aussie was impressive. But who was ready to see Holloway being dethroned so decisively? Max had won 14 of his last 15 fights, the only lightweight defeat against Dustin Poirier. He looked like a champion who should rule for a long time.
This is Holloway’s opportunity to reclaim the belt and the mojo that he has lost. It is Volkanovski’s opportunity to silence anyone who still doubts that he is the better fighter, not just a man who has had a great night. That’s what draws me to this UFC 251 co-main event, even more than the welterweight title fight at the top of the marquee. Kamaru Usman vs. Gilbert Burns will be electrifying junk, but the £ 145 rematch, which will take place just before the mission, is more personal, consistent, and original than a championship belt. It is a matchup of two men who have already proven themselves and still need to remind us what they are made of. It’s the fight I’m most looking forward to.
If you like to see recalls …: Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Joseph Benavidez (July 18 for the vacant flyweight title in men).
Rose Namajunas vs. Jessica Andrade
July 12 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Here’s another rematch on this loaded UFC 251 main card, this between two former straw-weight champions. And yes, I’m including this fight for two of the evening’s three title bouts – Usman vs. Burns welterweight and Petr Yan vs. Jose Aldo for the vacant bantamweight championship for men. I will see them all, of course, but this is particularly fascinating for me when I think about how the first meeting was turned around so abruptly. Namajunas put Andrade together until Andrade picked up Namajunas. The slam that ended the fight was frighteningly malicious.
Namajunas has not fought since losing the belt that night in May 2019. Since then, Andrade has only spent 42 seconds in the Octagon and lost the title to Zhang Weili less than four months later. So both women have hit rock bottom. Both have essentially disappeared. And after they finally show up, both of them have to prove something, maybe to themselves as well as to the public. This rematch was originally scheduled for April, but the booking fell apart. Here it is at last. It is worth to wait.
If you like to watch women in the ESPN ranking …: No. 6 Carla Esparza against No. 9 Marina Rodriguez (straw weight, July 15), No. 5 Irene Aldana against No. 6 Holly Holm (bantam weight August 1).
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