Five Title Fights The UFC Needs To Book Right Now
With the new year upon us, it’s clear that the UFC is dealing with a serious issue regarding a lack of legitimate stars and therefore, also a lack of the legitimate pay-per-view (PPV) draws the promotion currently possesses.
This theory can be seen in the fact that there simply isn’t much interest in the UFC’s upcoming shows, which is an unusual feeling. Typically, the promotion has started off each new year with a bang, but at this point, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
For what it’s worth, UFC 209, which takes place on March 4, 2017 is shaping up to be quite a strong card, but other than that, new UFC owners WME-IMG and promotional matchmakers Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard have received some criticism for the lack of big fights taking place in the coming months.
While a lack of stars has certainly played into this matter, the UFC also seems to, for whatever reason, not be scheduling title fights that are clearly next in line. With that being said, let’s take a look at five title fights that the UFC needs to book, and quickly:
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Michael Bisping vs. Yoel Romero
After brutally knocking out former champion Chris Weidman with a flying knee at Nov. 2016’s UFC 205 from New York, surging Yoel Romero established himself as the clear-cut No. 1 middleweight contender. He and Bisping even exchanged a few words immediately after the bout, setting the stage for what should be an intriguing title fight.
The two have been rumored to be fighting this spring, but there has been no signs from the UFC that this bout is close to being signed, which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
The “Count” most recently fought last October, defending his title for the first time with a decision victory in a back-and-forth war with Dan Henderson. While Bisping’s road to the title was an unusual one, he has always been a well-known fighter and his time in the limelight has only increased since winning the strap.
While the outspoken Brit isn’t a massive PPV draw, he is a fighter of interest and it’s clear that he should be fighting Romero next. The UFC should move forward and put this bout on tap for the coming months.
Jose Aldo vs. Max Holloway
With the UFC stripping Conor McGregor of his featherweight title late last year, the 145-pound division seems to have gained new life, and an exciting title fight between champion Jose Aldo and interim titleholder Max Holloway should be next up.
Holloway extended his winning streak to an incredible 10 straight with a dominant victory over former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis last month in Toronto, although he did suffer an injury in the bout. With that being said, it’s understandable why the bout isn’t taking place at February 11’s UFC 208, which is what Aldo wanted.
“Scarface,” however, had said that the UFC was considering booking him in a fight for the interim lightweight title, which, in my opinion, would be the wrong move. It doesn’t look as if that is a possibility anymore, and the promotion should look to schedule Aldo vs. Holloway for later this year.
“Blessed” is a surging young contender and it will be extremely interesting to see him take on Aldo, a legendary champ who has only lost once since 2005.
Stipe Miocic vs. Fabricio Werdum II
UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic has quietly become one of the most exciting champions in the promotion, although he hasn’t been as active as he once was. After defending his title with an impressive first round stoppage over Alistair Overeem last September, Miocic has spent some time on the sidelines, and there are no signs of the UFC scheduling him a fight anytime soon.
To take some of the blame away from UFC matchmakers, there isn’t a clear No. 1 contender in the division. Former champions Fabricio Werdum and Cain Velasquez were set to rematch in what would’ve been a likely title eliminator at Dec. 30, 2016’s UFC 207, but Velasquez was pulled from the bout after he failed to be medically cleared. Velasquez has since undergone back surgery, and although he isn’t supposed to be out of action for long, his future is currently once again unclear.
With that being said, the promotion should go ahead and book the rematch between Werdum and Miocic. Miocic infamously knocked out “Vai Cavalo” with a brutal right hand in May 2016, but the Brazilian bounced back with a dominant decision victory over Travis Browne last September.
Both men are seemingly ready to fight and the UFC should look to keep the heavyweight division rolling in the coming months.
Daniel Cormier vs. Anthony Johnson II
With former champion Jon Jones suspended until July, there is only one man for UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier to face, and that’s No. 1 contender Anthony “Rumble” Johnson.
The two have fought once before at UFC 187 in April 2015 in a bout in which Cormier scored a third-round submission victory. They were then set to rematch at last month’s UFC 206, but “DC” was forced to withdraw from the bout with an injury.
After suffering the injury, Cormier said that he wouldn’t need a long recovery period and that he planned to rematch Johnson before Jones’ return. With that being said, the UFC should look to book Cormier against “Rumble” in what could potentially be an exciting title clash as soon as “DC” returns to full health.
Flyweight king Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson is dangerously close to breaking Anderson Silva’s title defense record, and in doing so, he has also come dangerously close to cleaning out the 125-pound division.
Johnson has already beaten six of the division’s top 10 contenders, making a trilogy bout with No. 1-ranked Joseph Benavidez the next fight to make despite the fact that “Mighty Mouse” has beaten Benavidez twice to date. Benavidez has won six straight since losing to Johnson the second time, and it’s clear he’s earned another crack.
“Mighty Mouse” will be out until the spring dealing with a minor knee injury, and while he certainly isn’t the promotion’s biggest draw, he does serve as a solid addition to any card. With a lack of title fights on tap, the UFC should look to get the pound-for-pound king back in action against one of the best 125 pounders in the world.
Overall, the UFC’s new ownership simply needs to get the ball rolling for 2017 if they want to have a chance at recouping any of the massive loan they took to buy the company.
Are you interested in seeing any of these title fights and what other fights would you like to see the UFC schedule?
