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TOP FIVE UPCOMING MMA FIGHTS OF 2019

UFC 235 was a mixed bag of results. There were two distinctly dominant performances, one by a champion and one by a challenger. Jon Jones defended his light heavyweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Anthony Smith at the T-Mobile Arena. Jon Jones was almost flawless in the fight, barring an illegal knee to Smith’s head in the fourth round, which saw him overcome a two-point deduction for the offense. Jones who remains unbeaten since 2009, is proving himself to be one of the best to ever compete in MMA. In the co-main event, Kamaru Usman shocked Tyron Woodley to a unanimous decision defeat and claimed the UFC welterweight belt. The event also racked up a respectable amount of buys with a figure of around 520,000 to 650,000, as fans tuned into the UFC Live Stream of the pay-per-view.

However, there are big things to expect from the UFC and MMA this year as we take a look at the top five upcoming MMA fights.

Max Holloway vs Dustin Poirier

The matchup wouldn’t seem of much importance to the irregular viewers of the UFC but the fight will result in a new (interim) lightweight division champion with Khabib Nurmagomedov serving his suspension. With Tony Ferguson refusing to take the opportunity, we are going to see Holloway vs Poirier, with both being extremely driven fighters who are on the cusp of greatness. Fans should be excited that they will get an incredibly high-level fight setting up a major title unification later in the year.

Ben Askren vs Jorge Masvidal  

Masvidal seems to have spoilt Askren’s plans of facing Darren Till, but the former Bellator and ONE Championship title-holder would love to face Masvidal. Askren has already been seen taking shots at Jorge on Twitter over his bust up with Leon Edwards.

Rose Namajunas vs Jessica Andrade

The women’s side has stuttered a bit since the departure of Ronda Rousey, but a new star has arrived on the scene in the form of Rose Namajunas. A non trash-talking, positive, talented young fighter, Rose is a breath of fresh air in the UFC. She faces Jessica Andrade at the UFC 237 in Andrade’s homeland Brazil. However, the strawweight champion has not competed since UFC 223 and could be rusty.

Conor McGregor vs Any competitor

Conor McGregor could make a return to the octagon this summer after serving his suspension. Speaking on his return, The Notorious himself was quoted saying, “We’re currently in negotiations, we’re aiming for July, we’ll see what happens.” He added “I am staying ready. This morning I was doing incline sprints on the treadmill on my program, the McGregor Fast program, in a hotel room. So we’re staying on it, getting work in as we go.”

McGregor has not fought since he lost to lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in October by submission in the second round of their UFC 229 main event bout.

Jon Jones vs Israel Adesanya

Adesanya has not spent a lot of time in the UFC, but there is no denying that he has the potential to write his name in the history books. Despite making his UFC debut just twelve months ago, he has breezed through the competition and outpointed Anderson Silva for a title shot.

It’s a big ask, but Jones vs Adesanya certainly isn’t out of the realm of possibility. If Adesanya wins his next fight and then goes on to unify the titles against Robert Whittaker, and Jones continues to clear out the light heavyweight division, the UFC would be wise to consider the matchup.

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