Who’s available?
When it comes to available title fights, until Khabib Nurmagomedov comes out of retirement or vacates his belt, Zhang Weili defending her strawweight belt against former 115-pound champ Rose Namajunas is about it for UFC 262. According to reports, the bout was initially targeted for April in Singapore.
Now, according to more reports, those talks have fallen through, and UFC 261 will instead be in Las Vegas. Zhang-Namajunas could still headline the card, but is also a viable option for May’s pay-per-view.
UFC President Dana White has revealed some of the promotion’s summer plans. Those include a potential trilogy match between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. While the situation with current champ(?) Khabib Nurmagomedov is still sorting itself out, it’s unknown if the bout would be for the lightweight title. With or without it, Poirier-McGregor 3 could easily fit atop another PPV, like it did in January.
Outside of those two options, there are some unlikely wild cards the promotion could call upon.
If the UFC wants to put the lightweight belt on the line in a different match-up, for whatever reason, the trio of Michael Chandler, Justin Gaethje, and Charles Oliveira would all fit atop a PPV card. And really, regardless of the combination of fighters chosen, there’s something easy to sell for the promotion.
Okay, it’s a very outside shot, but the Diaz brothers are available. Or, whatever version of “available” they consider themselves to be on a day-to-day basis. Nate, in particular, seems to be inching toward a UFC return. Will it come at UFC 262? Probably not. But he’s a proven PPV draw, and given the shortage of current options available, maybe the odds are better than usual.
I’m gonna get this man a fight https://t.co/n7NUHGVyrf
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) February 13, 2021
The loaded PPV title fight schedule to begin 2021 has left the UFC with relatively few options when it comes to main event title fights for UFC 262 in May. But, with the likes of Zhang Weili, Rose Namajunas, Conor McGregor, and Dustin Poirier, as potential fits, something tells us they’ll figure it out.
