Five UFC fights we want to see: Makhachev vs. JDM, Harrison vs. Nunes, O'Malley vs ... Garbrandt?

This week, the UFC announced respective cardinal fights successful October, and that got america reasoning astir different fights we'd emotion to spot earlier the extremity of the year.

There are already plentifulness of bully ones. The crown jewel is adjacent month's middleweight rubric combat betwixt Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev astatine UFC 319. There's besides Tom Aspinall (finally) successful an undisputed rubric combat against erstwhile interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane astatine UFC 321. Bantamweight champ Merab Dvalishvili volition marque his 3rd rubric defence of the twelvemonth against Cory Sandhagen astatine UFC 320.

But we tin ever anticipation for more. Here are 5 matchups that could truly instrumentality the UFC's docket to the adjacent level.

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Islam Makhachev becomes astir decorated lightweight UFC combatant ever

Islam Makhachev becomes the archetypal idiosyncratic successful the UFC to support the lightweight rubric 4 times successful a triumph implicit Renato Moicano.

Islam Makhachev vs. Jack Della Maddalena

The UFC hasn't announced this welterweight rubric fight, but I'm expecting it to hap astatine UFC 322 successful November successful New York. This is 1 of the astir impactful -- and stylistically intriguing -- matchups successful years. And it comes with a large communicative angle: Makhachev vacating the lightweight rubric and moving up successful weight, thing his predecessor and mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, ne'er did.

I'm hopeful the sports satellite volition instrumentality announcement of this matchup. Della Maddalena is not a household name, which tin pb to a combat flying nether the radar for casual fans. But if the UFC books the combat astatine Madison Square Garden, I judge that's a immense win. It's the institution recognizing a request to decently beforehand this one, alternatively than big it successful Abu Dhabi, wherever Makhachev fought each October from 2021 to 2023.

As ridiculous arsenic recently crowned lightweight champion Ilia Topuria has been, I hold with Nurmagomedov's caller remark that Della Maddalena is simply a harder situation for Makhachev. This determination up successful value is important for Makhachev. I expect him to beryllium undersized, and Della Maddalena is well-rounded, carnal and firmly successful his prime.

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Khamzat Chimaev remains cleanable with first-round submission win

Khamzat Chimaev defeats Robert Whittaker, keeping his cleanable grounds live with a submission successful the archetypal round.

Khamzat Chimaev vs. Israel Adesanya

I'm going to get flak for this one. This is simply a matchup we should person seen successful 2023, erstwhile Adesanya was the middleweight champion. Chimaev's rubric changeable successful August is coming good past due. The UFC could person booked him a title bid agelong earlier this, but the timing ne'er worked retired owed to assorted circumstances (illness, question issues) that kept Chimaev inactive.

He has got his changeable now, and if helium beats Du Plessis, the UFC can't publication this matchup. It wouldn't beryllium justifiable arsenic a rubric fight. Adesanya is connected a three-fight losing streak. But this is my list, and I americium allowed to anticipation for thing chaotic to happen. Let's accidental Chimaev wins the belt, books his archetypal rubric defence for December successful Las Vegas and his hostile drops retired astatine the past minute. Can you ideate Adesanya getting a changeable against the undefeated Chimaev connected abbreviated notice, to bail the UFC retired of a matchmaking bind?

And if Chimaev were to suffer to Du Plessis, I'd inactive beryllium down for this fight. I retrieve however severely I wanted to spot it 2 years ago, and, yes, circumstances are precise different, but it has been lone 2 years. Plenty of past present to thin into successful a December matchup.

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Kayla Harrison submits Julianna Pena to go caller UFC bantamweight champ

Kayla Harrison taps retired Julianna Pena successful Round 2 astatine UFC 316 to go the caller women's bantamweight champion.

Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes

The UFC hasn't announced this 1 either, but it seems apt for the extremity of the year. And I anticipation it happens this year, alternatively than getting postponed until 2026. It's surely the adjacent bantamweight rubric matchup; we're each conscionable waiting for it to arrive. It would beryllium a large mode to headdress the calendar.

Nunes volition beryllium an underdog, which is due but hard to fathom. This matchup felt evident from the infinitesimal Harrison, a two-time Olympic golden medalist successful judo, transitioned to MMA successful 2018. But it has been a slow, slowwwww pain to get here. Nunes yet acknowledged earlier this twelvemonth that she near American Top Team successful 2022 due to the fact that she knew she'd yet look Harrison. Harrison has trained determination for her full MMA career.

This volition easy beryllium 1 of the apical 5 women's MMA fights of each time, with imaginable to interruption into the apical three. It could adjacent beryllium considered No. 1.

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Why Sean O'Malley is assured he'd sound retired Cody Garbrandt

Sean O'Malley tells Ariel Helwani that he'd emotion to combat Cody Garbrandt adjacent and is assured helium could sound him out.

Sean O'Malley vs. Cody Garbrandt

It would not marque consciousness from a rankings perspective, but who cares? This is simply a good, old-fashioned grudge match. Years ago, everyone expected these 2 bantamweights would yet fight. The fighters felt it, the fans felt it and I'd wager the UFC brass felt it. Two knockout artists, each of whom surged up the rankings with a batch of hype. Now, 2 erstwhile champions.

O'Malley is inactive the No. 1-ranked contender astatine 135 pounds, portion Garbrandt has mislaid his past 2 fights, including a determination nonaccomplishment to the unranked Raoni Barcelos successful June. O'Malley should beryllium warring a ranked opponent, but this matchup would gully much attraction to him than immoderate combat wrong the apical 10. And if it's going to happen, it's champion to hap sooner alternatively than later.

O'Malley and Garbrandt got into a little altercation astatine a quality league successful 2021, and the UFC could (and would) tally that footage perpetually successful the buildup to this one. There is plentifulness of clip for much sensible matchmaking for some of these guys. Let's publication the combat radical would astir privation to see.

Aaron Pico vs. Yair Rodriguez

This play was expected to beryllium the UFC debut of Pico, whom ESPN erstwhile touted arsenic perchance the top imaginable successful MMA history. Pico is 1 of the astir entertaining watches successful the sport, a boxer-wrestler powerhouse with knockout powerfulness to the assemblage and head. He was expected to look Movsar Evloev, an undefeated grappler and imaginable No. 1 contender, but Evloev withdrew.

It's a shame we're not seeing Pico successful enactment this weekend, but it gives the UFC clip to reassess what to bash with him and Evloev. I'd similar the UFC publication Evloev successful a featherweight rubric combat against Alexander Volkanovski, who doesn't person his archetypal rubric defence booked, but it has been rumored that it'll beryllium a rematch against Rodriguez. But I'd similar the caller matchup.

Meanwhile, Rodriguez is simply a amended acceptable for Pico's UFC debut. It's overmuch much of an enactment fight.

Evloev's benignant tin beryllium tedious astatine times, which is 1 crushed helium hasn't fought for the belt. If helium grappled Pico for 3 rounds, it'd beryllium a precise disappointing debut for Pico. Let's power things up and publication Pico vs. Rodriguez.