The UFC in 2021 has arguably been the most extraordinary twelve months in the promotion’s 28-year history. Record-breaking pay-per-view buys, numerous title changes, more knockout and submission finishes than we’ve ever witnessed and a surge in rising talent where a new generation of mixed martial artists are being ushered into the spotlight.
UFC matchmakers will struggle to compete with the success of 2021, but what are some of the intriguing bouts they can formulate to maintain the hype? Let’s dive into some dream matchups and matchmaking potential for the UFC in 2022.
Khamzat Chimaev vs. Any Top-10 Welterweight
There’s no other fighter on the UFC roster who’s generating more interest than Khamzat Chimaev.
Without reaching the third round throughout his entire pro MMA career, Chimaev is on the brink of breaking into the UFC’s top-10 welterweight rankings, and he’s doing so in a dominant fashion.
The Chechnya, Russian native joined the promotion in July 2020 and quickly added two stoppage victories to his UFC record when accepting fight contracts in consecutive weeks. Two months later, he knocked out Gerald Meerschaert with a right cross and combined with his outrageous yet intimidating personality; a new star was born.
Health concerns prevented Chimaev’s rise throughout 2021, a year that could’ve undoubtedly positioned him as a top-ranked fighter with three cancelled bouts versus the number #3 ranked Leon Edwards. However, Chimaev returned at UFC 267 in October, and he quickly reminded the MMA world why they needed to pay attention.
Chimaev dominated Jingliang Li in a fashion we’d never seen before, extending his professional MMA record to 10-0, and yet again, a 10th career win also became his 10th stoppage victory.
The question is, who steps up to face Chimaev next? The online callouts from fellow welterweight contenders have arrived in abundance, but UFC President Dana White went on record and stated that nobody wants to face him.
Chimaev has mentioned the names of most welterweight inside the top ten, and yes, he also called out Brock Lesnar – but that’s the kind of crazy in which “Borz” has presented us. The Neil Magny fight makes sense, but the boost in Chimaev’s ranking position wouldn’t make much of an impact. With that said, I don’t believe the question is who? But more so, who will accept?
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Jon Jones vs. The Heavyweight Champion
Waiting for Chimaev’s health issues to pass was a gruelling wait. Still, I don’t think there’s been a more excruciating wait in mixed martial arts history than the anticipation of seeing Jon Jones fight in the heavyweight division.
Once referred to as the unquestionable greatest of all time, former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has been side-lined since relinquishing the title in 2020 with aspirations of moving up a weight class. The worst part is, he’s not injured and is fully capable of making a return whenever he pleases. On that note, mental health concerns have arisen and just as with any physical health problem, we should take Jones’s personal life choices seriously.
However, Jones’ venture on making headlines for all the wrong reasons isn’t why we’re here. The entire MMA community wants to see Jon Jones make his heavyweight debut, and everyone, including the sportsbooks, has anticipated his return throughout the entirety of 2021.
UFC odds on Jon Jones versus Francis Ngannou became available when Dana White attempted to book the fight during the summer months. Unfortunately, Jones dismissed the contract agreement, and whether it was an excuse or not, the former pound-for-pound number one highlighted that the money offered wasn’t substantial enough for him to accept.
Since then, Jones has left his long-time gym Jackson-Wink MMA and has found a new home at MMA Acoma; notably, he’ll be training with many familiar faces as head coach Nick Urso who initially trained at Jackson-Wink but later branched out to start the affiliate gym.
Ciryl Gane and Francis Ngannou have been scheduled to compete at UFC 270 in January 2022. Should Jon Jones want to make a true impact upon his return, there’s no better way to re-establish himself as the world’s most dominant whilst silencing the critics than accepting to fight the winner of this contest and walking away as the heavyweight champion.
Amanda Nunes vs. Valentina Shevchenko
Women’s mixed martial arts is currently dominated by the UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko and the two-division champion Amanda Nunes who currently owns both bantamweight and featherweight titles. Nunes stands to make her sixth bantamweight title defence this Saturday against Julia Penna at UFC 269. She goes into the fight as the favourite at -900. For betters this might be a great pick to go with the underdog, as the only weakness Amanda has ever shown is in her wrestling which is Pena strength. So make sure to look at all the UFC odds before this weekend’s big event.
Yes, I know Nunes has successfully defeated Shevchenko on two occasions, but there isn’t a competitive fight in their respective divisions that would pose a threat at dethroning the queens of MMA.
In addition, facts are facts, and the fact of the matter is that Nunes defeated Shevchenko in their most recent bout via split decision. In the eyes of some, a controversial decision could’ve gifted Shevchenko as the victor.
I don’t care if Shevchenko goes up a weight; they agree on a catchweight, title or non-title fight; there’s no viable competition for Amanda Nunes right now, besides the elite striking and grappling of Valentina Shevchenko.
Notable Mentions
- Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling – Rematch for the undisputed bantamweight title.
- Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier IIII – Let’s run back the injury let down from their previous fight.
- Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards – Give the Englishman his title opportunity.
- Max Holloway vs. Alexander Volkanovski III – “Blessed” is the only option.
- Jose Aldo vs. TJ Dillashaw – One more title run for Aldo.
- Rose Namajunas vs. Carla Esparza II – Carla deserves this, don’t put it off.