5 UFC Fights To Make In 2024
The UFC booked a ton of fun fights in 2023. Let’s keep that trend rolling into the new year. Here are five fights the UFC should make for the new year.
In this post, I am avoiding the obvious. If we know a fight is happening, it will not be included. For example, we know Conor McGregor will fight Michael Chandler, and Sean O’Malley is booked to fight Marlon Vera. The goal is to think outside the box and be creative.
I will admit, the UFC did not do me many favors while I was writing this post. Long story short, the first quarter of the UFC calendar is stacked with outstanding matchups. I will not complain about that, but it does hinder my room for creativity while playing matchmaker.
Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall:
If you were forced to pick one fighter on the UFC roster to beat Jon Jones, who would you take? I’m taking Tom Aspinall and I do not think it is close. That is the exact reason this fight needs to be made.
The current heavyweight plan is to have Jones return from injury to fight Stipe Miocic. In my opinion, that bout has lost a lot of its flare. Once the bout was pulled from UFC 295, the lust around the fight dropped. It does not help that Aspinall looked outstanding while winning the interim bout.
I understand why the UFC would book Jones against Aspinall. The potential of having two all-time greats square off makes sense. With that being said, Jones needs to fight Aspinall before his time in MMA is over.
Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Colby Covington:
I am not positive that we will ever see this, but I would love to see Shavkat Rakhmonov fight Colby Covington.
Until his title bout with Leon Edwards, Covington had never fought a rising welterweight contender. I will not get into the politics of why that transpired because we do not know the honest answer. I would like to see that change, however.
This is the best time for Covington to fight a legit contender in a non-title bout. After his UFC 296 performance, Covington is not sniffing a title shot anytime soon. Dana White accurately proclaimed Covington looked “old and slow.” I would like to know if that is the new normal. The best way to find out is to throw him in the fire with a fight against Rakhmonov.
I don’t hate the idea of giving Rakhmonov another fight before he gets a title opportunity. If they do, it should be Covington; for better or worse, he knows how to get eyes on his fights.
The UFC could use Covington to build a fight against Rakhmonov. If Rakhmonov gets an impressive victory, he will be more well-known to the casual audience. That timing would be perfect as he would be lined up to fight for the title.
As previously mentioned, I doubt this will happen. Covington has already publicly denied a fight against Rakhmonov. Nonetheless, this UFC fight should happen in 2024.
Benoit Saint-Denis vs. Beneil Dariush:
One of the top rising fighters from 2023 was Benoit Saint-Denis. It is time for the up-and-coming contender to get a big opportunity in the lightweight division. The most probable opponent for that type of fight is Beneil Dariush.
Unfortunately, Dariush has not gotten great opportunities throughout his UFC career. Fair or unfair, his eight-fight UFC win streak did not garner a title shot. Now, he is in the opposite position.
With two consecutive losses, he is not in a position to get another big opportunity. In my eyes, the best way to work back to the top of the division is to fight Saint-Denis. It is a high-risk move, but that is the type of fight he needs to take if he truly wants to fight for a title in the future.
From a fight perspective, it would be interesting to see Saint-Denis in action against a highly-ranked lightweight. I would love to see how his insane pressuring style translates to the highest level of MMA. With his physical attributes, it may just work for him. Still, I want to see it before I make any assumptions.
Paddy Pimblett vs. Jalin Turner:
Who is Paddy Pimblett going to fight next? The UFC hype job just defeated MMA legend Tony Ferguson. It feels like it is time for him to fight a ranked lightweight. Jalin Turner is the fighter for the job.
I will be very honest, I am not a part of the Pimblett fan club. I am a strong believer that he is overrated. The biggest reason for that is that his striking defense is awful. Although, he does have a good chin. Let’s test that chin against one of the most powerful fighters in the lightweight division. If Pimblett can absorb big shots from Turner, we can declare his chin as elite.
Turner has some solid grappling attributes. The most impressive aspect of his grappling is his front chokes. Still, he is not a sensational grappler. In that realm, Turner can test Pimblett’s grappling without being one of the best wrestlers in the division.
A matchup between Pimblett and Turner would provide the fans with a fun fight that should be entertaining. It also provides Pimblett a serious opportunity to gain some respect. If he can beat Turner, he will deserve some credit.
Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Cody Garbrandt:
What is the UFC going to do with Cody Garbrandt? The former champion is just 32 years old and is looking to return to the bantamweight rankings. In his UFC 296 post-fight interview, he called for a fight against Deiveson Figueiredo. I am a fan of that callout.
Garbrandt is in an interesting position. Since his return to bantamweight, he is 2-0. That is great, but he fought a low level of competition. I do not see the point in having Garbrandt fight at the bottom level of the division. Garbrandt has the skills to compete with ranked bantamweight, but the problem is that he does not have a chin. If the promotion wants to keep rolling the dice on his chin, let’s roll the dice against legit competition.
As for Figueiredo, he was successful in his bantamweight debut against Rob Font. In the aftermath of that fight, the best available matchups for his next bout were Song Yadong and Petr Yan. Well, the UFC booked Yadong and Yan against one another. That left Figueiredo on the outside looking in until Garbrandt’s name was thrown into the equation.
A bout between Figueiredo and Garbrandt would be a ton of fun. That is an interesting matchup between former champions that would be one of the top UFC fights of 2024. At the same time, the winner will be in a strong position to move up the bantamweight ranks.
***
CLICK HERE for more of our UFC/MMA content
Check out the Vendetta Shop
Subscribe to Vendetta’s YouTube
