Featherweight champ Max Holloway is available too. He recently dispatched the legendary Frankie Edgar, soundly defeating the former lightweight champ at UFC 240 in late July. Another fight in November would make for a busy year, but Holloway’s one of the biggest draws in the promotion. He fits atop any UFC pay-per-view, and undeniable number-one contender Alexander Volkanovski is ready to go following a health scare earlier this year. Volkanovski was calling for the bout to happen at UFC 243, but a match-up in November or December makes more sense.
Although flyweight and bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo is likely out for the rest of the year, an interim bantamweight title fight could happen. We’ve been treated to countless interim title fights over the years, and with Cejudo’s injury, and likelihood that he’ll be fighting flyweight number-one contender Joseph Benavidez upon his return, it’s a definite possibility.
Who would fight for that interim title? The easy answer seems to be Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan. But with Frankie Edgar’s recent decision to drop to bantamweight, and Cory Sandhagen’s continual rise up the rankings, the promotion has some options. There are already rumors about a Sterling-Edgar bantamweight bout at UFC 244, and while the match-up doesn’t make the most sense, it’s hard to argue it wouldn’t be a fun fight. Regardless, it’s unlikely an interim 135-pound title fight features in the main event slot at MSG.
In addition, hearing they are currently discussing Sterling v Edgar @ 135 for the same card. Preliminary stages.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) August 17, 2019
Outside of current champions, a few high profile names wouldn’t look weird main eventing UFC 244. Conor McGregor knows a thing or two about headlining at Madison Square Garden. Predicting when he’ll return to the Octagon is a fool’s task, especially given his recent news-making adventures. But, if he wants to fight this fall, the promotion wouldn’t argue. He could be matched up with the likes of Tony Ferguson, or the recently returned Nate Diaz for their long-awaited trilogy match. Either way, it’s an easy sell and a proper main event, even without a belt on the line.
Diaz also proved that, despite not fighting for a title (or at all for nearly three years), he’s one of the biggest draws in the sport. He may not have featured in the main event at UFC 241, but it was clear that he was who the people were there to see. After his win over Anthony Pettis, Diaz called out Jorge Masvidal, and the crowd erupted. We know the UFC loves to put title fights in the main event of their pay-per-veiws, but they could do a lot worse than Diaz-Masvidal headlining at MSG this fall.
Let us know who you think will be headlining UFC 244 in November, and which match-up you’d like to see most! Jon Jones defending his light heavyweight title seems like a solid bet. But, a welterweight title fight between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington, or a featherweight clash between champ Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski sound like fun, too. Comment below, on Facebook, or reply on Twitter!
