Who’s Available
We will probably have to wait a bit longer for the Stipe Miocic-Daniel Cormier trilogy bout, but it’s apparently in the works. Considering the damage both fighters took, we’re expecting this bout to take place sometime later in 2020. Currently though, it’s an option for UFC 246. Cormier has said that he’d be ready to go for UFC 245 in December, and that the third fight with Miocic will be the last of his career. Ariel Helwani has reported that the promotion would like to do that as well, but Miocic is seemingly in no hurry. Whenever this fight happens, we’re in.
A couple of women’s title-fights could feature at UFC 246. Zhang Weili is the talk of the strawweight division following her demolition of Jessica Andrade in August. January seems like plenty of time for the champion to prepare, but the question would be: against who?
A rematch with Andrade is unlikely and unnecessary. A return by former champ Rose Namajunas would make sense. As would a title-shot for the undefeated Tatiana Suarez. Whoever Zhang gets matched up with next, it’s unlikely to feature in the main event of a PPV. That said, she has the promotion fully behind her, so maybe there’s a better chance of it happening than we think.
Valentina Shevchenko’s next title-fight won’t likely headline a PPV, either. The dominant flyweight title-holder also needs a new contender. One will likely be crowned at UFC 244, when #1 ranked Katlyn Chookagian and #5 ranked Jennifer Maia fight. Expecting either fighter to be ready for a matchup with Shevchenko just a couple of months later is a bit much. But, if the promotion really wants Shevchenko at UFC 246, and are not willing to wait, #3 ranked Joanne Calderwood is coming off of an impressive win over Andrea Lee at UFC 242.
The best bet for the main event, in our eyes, features a title defense for flyweight and bantamweight champion Henry Cejduo. He’s hinted at a return in early 2020 multiple times, although we don’t expect him to be facing either Zhang or Shevchenko.
Me vs. You. UFC 246 main event. Inter gender title on the line. Loser buys dinner. https://t.co/1nGd1FQouh
— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) August 20, 2019
“Triple-C” has plenty of other options available and waiting for him when he fully returns from shoulder surgery. Flyweight number-one contender Joseph Benavidez is our pick, but a few bantamweights are ready and willing as well. Aljamain Sterling, Cory Sandhagen, Petr Yan, and even former lightweight champ and featherweight contender Frankie Edgar have thrown their hats into the ring/Octagon. We’d rather those four figure it out (fight each other), while Cejudo returns to 125 pounds. But, with all of those options, there aren’t many wrong answers.
There’s also that Kamaru Usman-Colby Covington welterweight title fight. It seemed like a lock for UFC 244 at Madison Square Garden. Due to rough negotiations, that plan has been scrapped. So, now we wait. We wouldn’t be surprised to see this match-up at UFC 245 or UFC 246. It’s the fight that needs to happen, and it will. It’s just a matter of when, and the first PPV of 2020 would fit just fine.
And then, there’s Jon Jones. While he’s available, and has hinted at a return sometime in the near future, there doesn’t seem to be many match-ups available for the light heavyweight champ.
Buckle your seatbelt my friends, Big fiight announcement coming soon https://t.co/6cDNQ6XChL
— Jon Bones Jones (@JonnyBones) September 9, 2019
Cormier is focused on Miocic. Thiago Santos is still on the shelf. Jan Blachowicz is fighting new 205er Jacare Souza in November. Dominick Reyes is fighting new 205er Chris Weidman in October. Corey Anderson and Johnny Walker are set to face each other at UFC 244. And Volkan Oezdemir is matched up with Aleksandar Rakic in December. That’s eight of the top 11 contenders spoken for over the next few months. The remaining guys, Anthony Smith, Alexander Gustafsson, and Glover Teixeira, are all guys Jones has already defeated. Two of which came in the last 12 months.
There’s also heavyweight, but that might be even murkier than light heavyweight. The train to DC-Stipe 3 is in motion, and Francis Ngannou looks to be next in line. He could risk his place in the heavyweight ranks for a match-up with Jones, but would Jones be willing to move up a weight class and not fight for a title? It seems unlikely, especially given the other options available for the promotion. But, it’s an undeniably high-profile fight that both fighters are currently available for. So, why not dream?
Oh, we almost forgot our mandatory mention of Conor McGregor. Whenever he returns, he’ll main event whatever card he’s on. If that’s at UFC 246, it sounds like Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje are game. The promotion has shown some leeway when it comes to forcing titles onto PPV headline bouts, unless you count the BMF belt on the line at UFC 244. Doing the same with McGregor would make a lot of (dollars and) sense. And match-ups with either Poirier or Gaethje are easy sells for everyone involved.
Let us know who you think will be headlining UFC 246, and who you want to see in the main event of 2020’s first UFC PPV! We’d put our money on Henry Cejudo leading the way, but don’t be surprised if either Jon Jones or Kamaru Usman defend their titles in January. Comment with your thoughts below, on Facebook, or reply on Twitter!
