Are the UFC on for a flawless end to 2023?
3 PPV’s, 5 title fights and a plethora of bouts that will get the majority of mixed martial arts fans excited, is it fair to say that the UFC, at least on paper, has hit the jackpot to end off 2023?
When we head to Abu Dhabi in two weeks for UFC 294, the rematch of last years lightweight title fight between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira will once again headline. Makhachev won the title here last year by submitting ‘do Bronx’ in the second round, and will look for his second title defence this year after beating featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski in Perth in February. Oliveira could become the first two-time UFC lightweight champion, but he will need to have a vastly better performance compared to last year to end up with gold strapped around his waist. Paulo Costa vs Khamzat Chimaev and Magomed Ankalaev vs Johnny Walker are also on the main card, along with some other exciting prospects who sees Abu Dhabi as home turf. The last few Abu Dhabi cards have usually been quite stacked on paper, but they also tend to live up to the hype
Just a couple of weeks after that we are heading to the most iconic arena in the world, as the yearly Madison Square Garden card will be UFC 295. Headlining the card is heavyweight champion, and one of the greatest of all time in Jon Jones, defending his belt against the heavyweight GOAT Stipe Miocic. There’s tons of legacy on the line here, and no matter the outcome there’s a serious chance that we see a double retirement following the fight. But in my opinion that’s not even the most exciting fight of the night, because in the co-main event there’s a vacant light heavyweight title fight between former champion Jiri Prochazka and former middleweight champion Alex Pereira. Two guys whose forte is striking, both with immense knockout power is bound to be a fantastic fight with a finish a near certainty. I’m also really looking forward to Matt Frevola vs Benoit Saint-Denis who could quite easily be fight of the night, but I just can’t keep my eyes away from that co-main.
Las Vegas and T-Mobile arena is the destination for the last PPV card of the year, and we’re finally seeing the welterweight champion back in action. It has seemed clear ever since Leon Edwards defended his belt against Kamaru Usman back in March that Colby Covington is next in line, but the fight wasn’t announced until just recently. I’ve been quite clear in my stance that Covington doesn’t deserve the title shot ahead of someone like Belal Muhammad, but ultimately money talks and Covington pulls in more eyes than Belal does. Flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja also defends his belt for the first time against Brandon Royval, and flyweight fights, especially title fights, have really delivered lately, so don’t be surprised if this wins fight of the night. Paddy Pimblett is back and is facing Tony Ferguson, which on first glance seems like a layup for Paddy, but Ferguson will be looking to stop the hypetrain and snap his 6 fight losing streak. On a night where the welterweight title is on the line, we also have two more incredible welterweight bouts in Shavkat Rakhmonov vs Stephen Thompson and Vicente Luque vs Ian Machado Garry, all of which will be looking to put on a statement performance on a night where their division is on show.
Some more fights will likely be added to both 295 and 296, but they already look very solid and I very much look forward to all of these cards. I will be making more in depth previews when the time comes, but it felt right to highlight them all together as we’re into the final quarter of 2023 and as long as these cards all stay together I genuinely think the UFC have set themself up for a flawless end to the year.