We are now entering the final quarter of 2020, with most fights announced from now until the end of the year. With that in mind, let's take a look at five potential fights the UFC could make next year, and ones that promise to be an instant classic.
Bryce Mitchell vs Ryan Hall
I'm going to be selfish here (I know, imagine that, right?). I love grappling; wrestling, BJJ, no-gi, the lot! The art of the ground-game is becoming increasingly popular in the MMA world today, with more and more fans watching strictly ground/submission based fighting. Promotions like Submission Underground and the Eddie Bravo Invitational have turned an eye to the more under-appreciated martial arts, so why not give the fans what would surely be a display of grappling at the highest level?
If you've been watching MMA for long enough, you'll of realised that one thing tends to happen when high-level grapplers compete against each other. It turns into a stand-up war. Yes, we are aware this makes no sense, and we don't understand it either. However, this bout could be a 15-minute ordeal where both fighters look to secure submissions and roll on the mat for the duration. How great does that sound?
Bryce Mitchell is currently pencilled in against Andre "Touchy" Fili on Halloween. Should the 25-year-old put on yet another impressive display and leave the fight unscathed, he could realistically be ready to return at the start of next year. Thug Nasty is relentless on the ground, always looking for the finish and throwing up some obscure attacks. He also holds one of only two twister submissions in UFC history.
Ryan Hall was scheduled to fight Ricardo Lamas on UFC Vegas 8, however, he had to pull out of the bout due to injury. Hall has struggled to find opponents in any of the THREE weight classes he competes at. Can you blame the other fighters, though? If you stand up with Hall, you are at risk of being wheeled kicked in the face. If you go to the ground... well, you know how that ends.
Hall's BJJ is pretty much unrivalled in his respective weight class(es), and is currently 4-0 in the promotion. Nicknamed "The Wizard", the 35-year-old has made a name for himself amongst the more hardcore MMA fans, with many calling him the best grappler in the UFC today. Let's put it this way, Hall submitted BJ Penn (who is a World Jiu-Jitsu Championship's gold medallist) in under three minutes. Yes, it was a BJ who was on his way out, but he hadn't lost via submission in over 10 years ago.
This fight makes sense on every single level, and if the interest and demand for the two to face-off increases, we could see the pair in the Octagon by March next year.
Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic
This could well be the next fight that we see the heavyweight title. Even though UFC president Dana White has stated that Francis Ngannou is next-in-line for a crack at the belt, if you've been around the sport for long enough you will know to take everything he says with a pinch of salt.
At the present time, rankings aside, this fight definitely makes the most sense. Jones' move up to heavyweight has been speculated for some time now, and it'd be hard to deny the P4P number one an immediate title shot. I can't personally see him being placed into a "tuner" fight, as this comes with massive risk. If Jones were to lose, the potential super-fight loses a lot of traction.
In a previous article on The MMA Mindset, we explained how the heavyweight division is falling behind in regards to popularity. This move brings a fresh contender to an otherwise stagnant division and is exactly what is needed to bring the 265ers back to the top of the sport (Dana must have seen my article).
There's not much that really needs to be said about Jon Jones. Yes, he's been in some questionable decisions as of late, but this reflects more on the quality of the judges rather than Jones personally. The former light-heavyweight champion has a near-enough flawless record, that being said, he does have a propensity to be tagged in his fights... a mistake that could prove fatal in the heavyweight division.
Stipe Miocic has just completed his trilogy with, in my opinion, one of the greatest fighters of all time. If anyone in the promotion deserves what is now known as a "money fight", he is 100% the guy. Not only is he the owner of the longest heavyweight title-reign in UFC history, he also defeated Daniel Cormier twice consecutively.
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The fight makes sense from a multitude of different perspectives. With Jones already calling for the bout, and Stipe expressing his disdain at being matched up with Francis again, it looks as though this fight could be in the pipeline for 2021.
Weili Zhang vs Rose Namajunas
This fight just makes sense. In the terms of rankings and hype, the bout is 100% one that should be targeted for 2021. The pair are undoubtedly the two best fighters in the division at the present time, and there is no one else who has truly stakes a significant claim to the title shot. You could argue that Tatiana Suarez is deserving of the next opportunity, however she has not competed since June of 2019, where she defeated Nina Ansaroff by unanimous decision, which is not exactly a title eliminator.
Rose is coming off a fantastic display in her last fight against dangerous Brazilian Jessica Andrade. Having lost her title in a freak slam knock-out against Andrade in 2019, it seems only right that she gets a rematch for the belt. Thug Rose has shown top-level boxing in most of her recent fights and could match up well against the current champion.
Weili Zhang recently went to war (literally) with Joanna Jedrzejczyk in March, in a Fight of the Year contender. The strawweight queen took a considerable amount of damage in that fight, and fighters are, more so now, taking more time off between fights where they have absorbed a large amount of strikes. This is another reason the fight makes sense for both participants.
Zhang is an absolute murderer, and the thought of her vs Rose sounds like a recipe for another great, violent affair. It also sits well amongst the fans. The general UFC audience loves Namajunas, and the majority get behind the Milwaukee native. This fight is the one that I believe is most likely to come to fruition.
Leon Edwards vs Jorge Masvidal
(So, the UFC decided it'd be a great time to announce they are targeting a rematch with Nate Diaz as soon as I'd finished this article. Oh well, I still think the Edwards fight is the way to go if he is chasing glory and standing. However, it seems to me that Masvidal has become exactly what he hates, a "clout" chaser.)
The UFC loves a story. Especially when it's going to make them a s***t ton of money. Well, that's exactly what this fight would do. The promo is all there, you don't really need to add anything to it.
For those of you unfamiliar, backstage at UFC Fight Night London, Masvidal was speaking to the media after KO'ing Darren Till inside the o2 Arena. Whilst giving his post-fight thoughts, Edwards directed words towards Jorge, and the two ended up throwing punches and people had to step in to prevent the altercation going any further.
The incident in London gave us the iconic "three-piece with the soda" line and was the birth of a new-age Jorge Masvidal. Since then the Florida-native has quickly become one of the most popular figures in the sport. After losing his title-fight to Kamaru Usman in July, it's unclear what the next move is for Gamebred. People have speculated that a fight with Conor McGregor could be on the cards, however, I believe Edwards is the way to go if he wants to gain credibility and another title shot.
Leon Edwards is one of the most underrated fighters in the UFC, period. In no way shape or form does he get the respect he deserves from the majority of fans. In my opinion (and yes, I am an Edwards "fan-boy") there are not many in the welterweight division that are on the same skill level as the Englishman.
The 29-year-old is currently on an eight-fight win-streak, last losing against current champion Usman. The only fight that should, realistically, be next is a shot at the title. However, with Usman seemingly set to defend his title against Gilbert Burns next year, this fight may be the next best thing. Rocky has stated that Masvidal is running scared from him, and has called for the fight on many occasions, however, Gamebred has apparently turned down the bout.
Surely with Jorge coming off a loss, and Edwards looking for a fight, this makes sense for the two of them. I would be tuning in to see this one.
Frankie Edgar vs Dominick Cruz
How crazy is this? Eight years ago Frankie Edgar was defending his title against Benson Henderson, at LIGHTWEIGHT. How on earth are we talking about him facing Cruz at 135lbs? I'm not entirely sure, but I love it.
Edgar's decision to drop down to 135 was met with some raised eyebrows from UFC fans, but he put the doubters to bed with a hard-fought victory against contender Pedro Munhoz. Many were eager to see if The Answer's speed advantage would translate at the lower weight, and it certainly did. He looked great at the weight and didn't seem to have any problems cutting the weight.
At the top of the bantamweight division there are loads of contenders. This means that Frankie will have to knock-off a few more names if he is going to have a credible claim for a title shot. Going head-to-head with Dom would be perfect for solidifying himself in his new stomping ground.
Cruz fought Henry Cejudo at UFC 249 in May, losing via TKO late in the second round. Whilst the decision to stop the fight is a controversial topic, it looks the same on his record regardless. It feels like Cruz and Edgar are in the same position; looking for a fight that will progress then up the rankings and into the title picture once again.
Look no further, because this fight would deliver on all levels. Never in a million years did I think I'd be seeing a potential bout between Cruz and Edgar, but I will be elated if it goes ahead. Get it sorted, Shelby.
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