Sandwiched between International Fight Week and the rumored return of Brock Lesnar, UFC 240 is in a weird spot. So, what main event options are available for July’s second pay-per-view?
Right in the middle of the UFC’s summer slate of PPVs, UFC 240 is unique. Following UFC 239 during International Fight Week, and a loaded UFC 238 card as well, July’s second PPV doesn’t exactly have a ton of options when it comes to it’s main event.
Holding two PPVs in the month of July is something the promotion has done in the past, both in 2016 and 2017. But last year, Dana White and co. opted for just one major event in July. We’re still waiting for more info, such as a location of the event. The locale may provide some clues as to who could be headlining the card. But, given the available options, the location of the card likely doesn’t have much bearing on the main event.
Despite the loaded cards at UFC 238 and 239, as well as the reports of high-profile main events coming for UFC 241 and 242, there are some interesting options available for the main event of UFC 240. So, who should we expect to see in headlining July’s second pay-per-view later this summer?
Who’s Out?
A sizable chunk of the roster of champions is likely busy come late-July.
Nobody is quite sure what featherweight title-holder Max Holloway is going to do next. Regardless of which division his next fight takes place at, it’s hard to imagine him competing in mid-summer. The same can be said for interim 155-pound champ Dustin Poirier. His next bout is probably coming in either September or November against lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. The Russian is currently suspended, and it remains to be seen when he will make his return to the Octagon.
The other champion to be crowned in Atlanta, interim middleweight title-holder Israel Adesanya, is looking at a shot at unifying the middleweight titles against Robert Whittaker later this fall as well. Dana White has mentioned a September bout in an Australian stadium. Regardless of when it happens, UFC 240 can be ruled out.
It’d be surprising for the winner of the UFC 237 main event between champion Rose Namajunas and challenger Jessica Andrade to be defending their title in July. Fighting multiple times within a few months isn’t the way most champions operate. Plus, the strawweight title likely wouldn’t find it’s way into the main event twice in a run of four pay-per-views.
We aren’t expecting any of the title fights from UFC 238 and 239, either. That means the winners of Valentina Shevchenko-Jessica Eye, Henry Cejudo-Marlon Moraes, Jon Jones-Thiago Santos, and Amanda Nunes-Holly Holm won’t be available by July. The timelines are just too close, and with other options, forcing any of these title-holders into a quick turnaround would be dumb and unnecessary.
