Following a month where middleweight champ Israel Adesanya was derailed in his attempt to become a two-division champion, a few ranked 185-pound fighters will have the chance to stake their claim at getting the next title shot.

From high-profile main events on network television to former champions and rising prospects, the UFC’s middleweight division has it all in April. The matchups are interesting, while also defining the rest of the 2021 slate for the 185-pound title picture.

Generally speaking, when we get fights that are interesting and matter, we learn some things. Given the packed schedule of meaningful middleweight fights in April, we should be learning quite a bit.

Who’s next for Israel Adesanya?

Adesanya has already mentioned Darren Till, one of the few fighters in the title picture he hasn’t already defeated, as a potential next opponent. He’ll have the chance to take the pole position on April 10 when he fights the red-hot Marvin Vettori on network television.

Currently ranked #5 and #6 in the official UFC rankings respectively, Till and Vettori might not be the first fighters people think of when it comes to getting a title shot in 2021. But with a champion like Adesanya, who can call his own shots more than most in the UFC, putting on a performance that gets his attention is worth more than a higher spot in the rankings.

The fighter at the top of the rankings is former champ Robert Whittaker. He’s tallied wins over Till and Jared Cannonier since his loss to Adesanya in October of 2019. Another win, say against Kelvin Gastelum on April 17, would solidify his argument for a rematch.

Whether it’s the winner of Till-Vettori or Whittaker-Gastelum, Adesanya’s next opponent is likely coming from one of the two middleweight main events in April. We’ll give the advantage to Till, but don’t be surprised if any of the four fighters make the most of the spotlight and are fighting Adesanya later this year.

Is Marvin Vettori ready to join the title picture?

Although his #6 ranking might make it seem like Vettori is on the outside looking in when it comes to the middleweight title-picture, the 27-year-old Italian is in a better position than it looks. He’s on the best run of his nearly five-year UFC career, and a main event match-up with a high-profile opponent like Till is a great way to announce his presence in the title picture.

Vettori has won four straight since the loss to Adesanya by split-decision in April of 2018. He went 2-0 in 2020, earning a Performance of the Night bonus in a submission win over Karl Roberson in June, and a Fight of the Night bonus in a decision win over Jack Hermansson in December.

He has a well-rounded game, and seems to be putting everything together. Vettori will have to keep up his impressive form to consistently compete with the likes of Till, Whittaker, Gastelum, and more, if he has his eyes on a title-fight rematch with Adesanya. Given his recent run, we’re betting he sticks around for a while.

What does Chris Weidman have left?

It wasn’t exactly a classic performance, but Chris Weidman’s win against Omari Akhmedov was good to see. It was his first since defeating Gastelum in July of 2017, and just his second victory since losing the middleweight title to Luke Rockhold at UFC 194. The last time Weidman had back-to-back wins, he was the 185-pound title-holder.

At UFC 261, the 11th-ranked Weidman takes on ninth-ranked Uriah Hall in a rematch more than a decade in the making. Weidman previously defeated Hall, earning the Ring of Combat middleweight championship via first-round TKO in September of 2010. It was just Weidman’s third fight as a pro.

Weidman is clearly in a different phase of his MMA career, and while the win over Akhmedov was good to see, it’s hard to get excited about the former champ taking on top-10 ranked 185-pounders. A decisive win over Hall, who’s won three straight, would go a long way toward proving he has more in the tank than his recent performances would lead us to believe.

What’s left for Derek Brunson and Paulo Costa?

While several middleweight match-ups are taking place in April, a couple of contenders will be joining Adesanya in watching how things shake out.

After his disappointing showing against Adesanya in his last fight, Paulo Costa was set to return against Whittaker in April. The match-up with the former champ gave Costa a quick route to a rematch, and a high-profile main event to work with. Unfortunately for Costa, he was pulled from the fight due to an illness, and will instead be waiting to see who’s available later this year.

Someone currently available: Derek Brunson. The veteran is on a roll, winning four straight fights, and ending Kevin Holland’s impressive run in his most recent bout. Following that win over Holland, the now-fourth ranked Brunson called out the second-ranked Costa. The match-up makes as much sense as any for the weight class, but with the division going through some changes in April, we’ll likely have to wait and see how things go before Brunson or Costa are booked for their next fights.

Don’t forget about Jared Cannonier, either. Coming off of his loss to Robert Whittaker at UFC 254 in which he suffered a broken arm, Cannonier’s 2021 return should be on the radar of everyone in the middleweight title picture.

Brendan Allen Credit: Gabriel Gonzalez/Cageside Press

Are Brendan Allen or Karl Roberson ready for a run at the top-15 rankings?

Although neither Brendan Allen or Karl Roberson are currently ranked, it’s easy to see how both of them could be ready to join the group soon. When they fight at UFC 261, we’ll get to see which of them is currently more prepared to do so.

Allen, a former LFA middleweight champion, is 3-1 in the UFC after earning a contract via Dana White’s Contender Series. The wins are good ones, too, featuring the likes of Kevin Holland, Tom Breese, and Kyle Daukaus. The 25-year-old’s impressive run came to a halt last November, when he was finished by Sean Strickland in the second round in a 195-pound catchweight bout.

Roberson, 30, is coming off of a loss as well. That loss, to Vettori in June of last year, ended a two-fight winning streak for Roberson. The Dana White’s Contender Series vet is 4-3 in the UFC, and 4-2 at middleweight, adding a loss to Glover Teixeira in January of 2019 between middleweight wins.

While avoiding back-to-back losses will be top of mind for both Allen and Roberson, whoever earns the win at UFC 261 will be nearing a deserved spot in the middleweight rankings.

Regardless of what happens, April will be a defining month for the UFC’s middleweight division. With a couple of main events, some veterans, and some rising stars, there’s a lot to be interested in when it comes to the 185-pound weight class. We, along with champion Israel Adesanya, will be watching to see how things shake out, and how these match-ups shape the rest of the year for the division.

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One would think, with multiple events hosting three title fights, that the PPV main event options available to the UFC come the midway point of the year would be slimmer than normal. But, due to the predictably unpredictable circumstances of professional MMA, the promotion has more than a few suitable match-ups for UFC 264.

Taking place July 10 at a yet to be announced location and venue, UFC 264 has a couple of reported fights. As of this writing, Ryan Hall will fight Ilia Topuria, and flyweights Jessica Eye and Jennifer Maia will face off.

What about the main event? The UFC’s PPV schedule is taking shape, and UFC 264 is the next such event looking for a fight to put on its poster. One option stands out from the rest, but the promotion could go a few different directions for International Fight Week 2021.

Who’s Out?

We were to be treated to five title fights in the month of March. That was cut to four with the loss of Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega from UFC 260. While a turnaround in July for any of the defending champions isn’t out of the question, UFC light heavyweight champ Jan Blachowicz said he’d like at least six months off before defending his belt against Glover Teixeira. Whether or not that remains the case should a fight offer come remains to be seen, but the promotion has plenty of other options to utilize in the meantime.

It’d be surprising to see the victor between Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou at UFC 260 returning to fight in July (depending on how it goes, of course). Either way, it’s seemed like the Jon Jones heavyweight debut for the belt is something the promotion has put on their schedule for the latter part of the year.

Coming back to fight again in July following UFC 261 in late April wouldn’t be crazy. But we’ll put all three of the champions who emerge from the event as unlikely to fit atop UFC 264. Sorry, winners of Kamaru Usman-Jorge Masvidal 2, Zhang Weili-Rose Namajunas, and Valentina Shevchenko-Jessica Andrade.

We can more comfortably rule out the fighters competing in title fights at UFC 262 in May and UFC 263 in June. That means no International Fight Week bouts for lightweights Michael Chandler and Charles Oliveira, or flyweights Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno.

Who’s Available?

It initially sounded like the trilogy bout between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor could land at UFC 262, along with the recently vacated lightweight title. Now that the belt is spoken for, and fewer fighters are available, a landing spot later in the summer seems to be the plan. As they did earlier this year, the duo could easily main event a PPV without a belt, and International Fight Week makes as much sense as any other landing spot for Poirier-McGregor 3.

There’s also the bantamweight rematch between Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling. The controversial first contest adds some heat to an already great match-up. Whether or not the promotion sees it as a main event for UFC 264, or if both fighters are ready to return to action by then, remains to be seen. Either way, it’s an option right now.

So is Alexander Volkanovski’s featherweight title-bout with Brian Ortega, right? Initially slated for UFC 260 in March, the bout was scrapped due to COVID-19. You’d imagine that, by July, the duo would be ready to go. But trying to predict the future of both MMA and COVID at the same time has proven to be a fool’s task for anyone who’s tried. We’ll go with a hard maybe for Volkanovski-Ortega headlining UFC 264.

We shouldn’t forget about Israel Adesanya, either. He’s still the middleweight champ after all. All he needs is an opponent. Following an April with several high-profile middleweight match-ups, he’ll have one soon. If they’re ready by early-July, and the UFC wants to rebuild their superstar image of Adesanya as quickly as possible after his loss to Blachowicz, a main event during International Fight Week could do the trick.

Amanda Nunes has already fought twice on International Fight Week PPVs, doing so in 2016 and 2019. Like Adesanya, she’s waiting for a contender, with the likes of Julianna Pena, Aspen Ladd, and Valentina Shevchenko potentially in the mix. After Nunes’ slick victory at UFC 259 in March, the promotion said they wanted to have her return quickly. Is July too quick? Depends on who you ask. As of now, she’s an option.

There’s no shortage of high-profile main event options for UFC 264 this July for International Fight Week. But, when Conor McGregor is available, it’s hard to imagine Dana White and Co. going another direction. If they do, for whatever reason, having Israel Adesanya, Amanda Nunes, and more as back-up doesn’t hurt.

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The first quarter of the 2021 MMA calendar comes to a close in April. With three events, rather than the four generally scheduled throughout a month, the first weekend of April is our first weekend of the year without a UFC event since the end of January.

Even with the rare break, the promotion has another three title fight pay-per-view currently slated for the end of the month. That event will also apparently feature a full capacity crowd in Florida.

With three belts on the line and a couple of major middleweight main events, what’s left for the rest of April’s UFC slate? Depending on the shade of glasses, every fight could be considered interesting on paper. But these are non-main event match-ups that stand-out from the rest, checking all of the boxes that make us tune in each week.

UFC on ABC: Till vs. Vettori on April 10th

Making its 2021 US network television debut, the UFC will be on ABC for their first event of April. So, getting the likes of Mackenzie Dern and Nina Ansaroff on the card makes a lot of sense.

Dern is currently on a three fight winning streak, following her loss (the first, and currently only, loss of her career) to Amanda Ribas in 2019. She’ll be getting another tough test in Ansaroff, who makes her return to the Octagon following becoming a mother last year. Ansaroff last fought in 2019, when she had her four-fight winning streak snapped by Tatiana Suarez. If Dern is serious about a title run, a win over the fifth-ranked Ansaroff would go a long way toward improving her resume.

A couple of rising young fighters with impressive UFC resumes are also on the card: Arnold Allen and Sodiq Yusuff. Someone’s perfect record will get scuffed when the up-and-coming featherweights fight in the co-main event.

Tallying a 7-0 record in the promotion since signing with the UFC in 2015, Allen has earned his spot in the 145-pound rankings. Coming off of wins over Gilbert Melendez and Nik Lentz, Allen will be facing a different kind of match-up with Yusuff. The 22-year-old is on a four-fight winning streak of his own in the UFC. He’s won six consecutive fights overall, including a win on Dana White’s Contender Series in July of 2018.

Former KSW featherweight and lightweight champion Mateusz Gamrot lost his perfect record in his UFC debut last October. Now 17-1, the 30-year-old gets another bout in the Octagon in April against dangerous veteran Scott Holtzman. Although he’s coming off of a loss to Beneil Dariush, Holtzman is 5-2 in his last seven UFC fights, and has been in the promotion since 2015.

In what everyone hopes becomes a grappling clinic, veteran and fan-favorite Jim Miller takes on Joe Solecki in the featured prelim of the card. Miller has racked up 10 submission victories in the UFC, with each of his last four wins coming via submission. While Solecki, 27, hasn’t quite reached that mark, he is 2-0 in the UFC (with one win coming by submission) and on a five-fight winning streak. Of Solecki’s 10 career wins, seven have been submission finishes.

UFC 261: Usman-Masvidal 2 on April 24th

The three title-fights will at UFC 261 will deservedly garner much of the attention leading up to the event. But a few other fights caught our attention for various reasons.

We’ll find out what Chris Weidman has left in the tank on the card. The former middleweight title-holder earned his first win since July of 2017 last August, taking a gritty decision over Omari Akhmedov. It marked his return to 185-pounds, after a quick step-up to light heavyweight which resulted in getting knocked out by Dominick Reyes in less than two minutes.

The next test for Weidman comes in the form of a rematch from a title shot that took place more than a decade ago. Weidman defeated Uriah Hall via first-round TKO for the Ring of Combat middleweight title in 2010. Now, Hall gets his chance to even the score in the Octagon. Hall is on a decidedly different trajectory to Weidman, winning three straight fights. Most recently Hall defeated Anderson Silva via TKO on Halloween last year.

Although his 4-3 record in the UFC may not stand-out, Karl Roberson has some impressive wins in his time in the promotion. Despite those wins, he still needs a marquee victory to take the next step in his career. He had that opportunity last June, but lost a bout to Marvin Vettori, and also missed weight.

The road doesn’t get much easier for Roberson, as he’ll share the Octagon with former LFA middleweight champion Brendan Allen at UFC 261. Allen is 3-1 in the UFC since his win on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2019. He’s coming off of his first loss in the promotion, which came against Sean Strickland in a catchweight 195-pound bout last November.

Also keep an eye on the fight between Danaa Batgerel and Kevin Natividad. Batgerel is a Mongolian muay thai and kickboxing champion, who in his UFC Profile lists his favorite striking technique as “all the spinning kicks.” He’s currently 1-1 in the UFC, and 8-2 in his MMA career. Meanwhile, Natividad is looking for his first career UFC win. Natividad was defeated by Miles Johns last October in his promotional debut, following a 4-1 run in LFA.

Anytime three title fights are on a UFC PPV, it’s going to get some attention. Outside of those title fights, and the other main events taking place throughout April, there are several match-ups that deserve your attention. These are those fights.

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The sixth UFC pay-per-view of 2021 kicks off a summer that has a lot to live up to. The beginning of the year has already featured Poirier-McGregor 2, Adesanya-Blachowicz, Miocic-Ngannou 2, and more. After the impressive run of major fights, the promotion is looking at a reduced number of available options for UFC 262 in mid-May.

Currently without a location, UFC 262 is slated for May 15, sandwiched between two UFC Fight Night events in a busy month with four events.

While we don’t yet know which fighters will be competing in the main event, a few bouts are reportedly on the docket for UFC 262. Flyweight action from both men and women will be on the card, as Katlyn Chookagian takes on Viviane Araujo and Alex Perez fights Matt Schnell. A fight between Andrea Lee and Antonina Shevchenko has also been scheduled

Those sound fun, but given the current available options, which belt could we see fought for in the main event of May’s UFC pay-per-view?

Who’s Out?

We’re getting treated to five title fights in March, with champions of seven divisions represented. A turnaround in mid-May wouldn’t be unheard of, but it’s unlikely that any of the champions from UFC 259 or UFC 260 will be looking to defend their belt just a couple of months later.

So, that means we can rule out Jan Blachowicz, Israel Adesanya, and the winners of Amanda Nunes–Megan Anderson and Petr Yan–Aljamain Sterling. Same goes for the victors later that month between heavyweight champ Stipie Miocic and Francis Ngannou, and 145-pound title-holder Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega.

That’s a lot.

We can also count out Valentina Shevchenko’s next flyweight title-defense, which will come against Jessica Andrade at UFC 261.

The Bullet is back!

Valentina Shevchenko will defend her flyweight title against Jessica Andrade at UFC 261 on April 24, Dana White told @bokamotoESPN. pic.twitter.com/UvULhMEkXj

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 24, 2021

The highly anticipated flyweight title rematch between Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno won’t be at UFC 262 in May, either. That’s because the duo will be fighting at UFC 263 in June.

After their unforgettable fight from December, Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno are set to run it back on June 12, sources told @arielhelwani. pic.twitter.com/5SSfrSfcpC

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 25, 2021

While we’re waiting for the winner of Miocic-Ngannou 2, we’ll also be waiting for Jon Jones. His heavyweight debut will be for the division’s championship, according to UFC President Dana White. He could main event a pay-per-view in a non-title bout, but the promotion looks set on building up to a Jones heavyweight title fight later this year. He last fought in February of 2020, and vacated the light heavyweight championship several months later in August.

Turning around in a few months would’ve been a big ask, and given the reports about Kamaru Usman’s potential spot on The Ultimate Fighter 29 coming up this year, we can confidently rule him out for UFC 262 in mid-May. As of now, it’s looking like Jorge Masvidal will be opposing the welterweight champ, while the promotion targets an August date for their rematch.

Ariel Helwani says, as of the taping of his #HelwaniShow today, UFC is moving in the direction of Usman/Masvidal 2 (probably in August). They are also moving in the direction of them being the TUF 29 coaches.

— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) February 17, 2021

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Arnett revealed he would be competing at the event on his Facebook page. It’s his first fight since Januray of 2020, when he was defeated in his promotional debut by Elias Boudegzdame at UAE Warriors 10.

The 29-year-old Northwest native has lost back-to-back bouts, and was released by the UFC in July of 2019. Arnett went 1-3 in the promotion, losing to Shane Young via unanimous decision at UFC 234 in his most recent fight in the Octagon.

“I’m super pumped to be getting my career going again,” Arnett said. “I’ve been on a bit of a hiatus from fighting for a little over a year now, and I finally got the right opportunity for a great promotion to make my return. I’m excited to begin this next chapter of my career, which I feel will be the best one yet!”

This will mark Arnett’s second bout in Abu Dhabi, which joins the likes of Melbourne, Buenos Aires, and Calgary as international places he’s fought in. It’s also his second trip to Abu Dhabi in 2021, after he cornered teammate Michael Chiesa to victory against Neil Magny in January.

The main event of UAE Warriors 18 is a bantamweight title-fight between Xavier Alaoui and Vinicius de Oliveira. The card also features a couple of other UFC veterans, as featherweights Sean Soriano and Noad Lahat will face-off, according to a report from MMA Fighting.

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There’s no denying the drawing power of much of the UFC’s PPV main event slate to begin 2021. March itself is making a decent argument for shelling out $140 for two events, and five title fights.

There are couple of events between the PPVs, too. They, along with the non-title fight match-ups at UFC 259 and UFC 260, offer plenty in addition to the battles for big gold belts throughout the month.

These fights, while not main events, stand-out among the rest on the promotion’s March slate. Of course, that’s as of this writing. If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that a fight isn’t happening until (both of, see: Chas Skelly) the fighters are locked in the cage.

Depending on the shade of glasses, every fight could be considered interesting on paper. But these are non-main event match-ups that stand-out from the rest, checking all of the boxes that make us tune in each week.

UFC 259: Blachowicz-Adesanya on March 6

You’re going to be hearing a lot about UFC 259. Breaking news: It’s real, real good. Yeah, any event with three title-fights has an edge on nearly every other UFC event in the promotion’s history. But, the aspect of March’s first pay-per-view that puts it over the top is the incredible depth throughout the card.

How does a battle between striking-centric top-five ranked light heavyweights sound? In a bout that could decide who gets the winner of the main event of UFC 259 at some point, Thiago Santos is slated to fight Aleksandar Rakic. While Santos is coming off of back-to-back losses, he does hold a win over current champion Jan Blachowicz. For Rakic, it’s another test to see if he’s ready to join the title-picture. The 29-year-old is 5-1 in the UFC, going 2-1 in his last three bouts, most recently defeating Anthony Smith last August.

All of this is very disrespectful to Glover Teixeira, who is currently the #1 ranked UFC light heavyweight. He’ll be serving as the backup for Blachowicz-Adesanya, but the odds of the promotion putting the 41-year-old in a title-shot in 2021, with other solid options available, seem slim.

The pandemic didn’t slow down bantamweight Casey Kenney. The former two-division LFA champion fought four times in 2020, ending the year on a three fight winning streak. Former UFC 135-pound title holder Dominick Cruz has been much less active, to put it lightly.

Cruz, 35, has fought once in the last four-plus years. That one fight was a second-round TKO loss to fellow former champ Henry Cejudo at UFC 249. The match-up is a major step-up for Kenney, who is currently outside the bantamweight rankings. It’ll be Cruz’s first non-title fight since UFC 178 in 2014.

Bantamweight is great, but lightweight might be the promotion’s deepest division. Evidence: Drew Dober isn’t ranked, and is fighting #14 Islam Makhachev. In other divisions, their current runs would have them well within the rankings.

Makhachev has won six straight bouts, earning a 7-1 record in the UFC. He didn’t fight in 2020, after COVID disrupted a match-up with Rafael Dos Anjos. Then, Makhachev had to get over a staph infection in November. His return to action comes against Dober, who is in the best form of his career. Dober has won three straight fights, earning back-to-back Performance of the Night bonuses. He’s recorded a 6-1 record in his last seven fights, with the lone loss coming against Beneil Dariush in March of 2019.

After consecutive title-fight losses to Deiveson Figueiredo in 2020, fan-favorite Joseph Benavidez is back at UFC 259. Still holding on to the #2 spot in the flyweight rankings, Benavidez is looking for a quick return to the title-picture with a win over third-ranked Askar Askarov.

The undefeated Askarov wants into the title-picture himself, after being passed over for title-fights throughout 2020. The former ACB flyweight champ is 2-0-1 since joining the promotion, earning back-to-back victories over Tim Elliott and Alexandre Pantoja in 2020, after drawing with Brandon Moreno in his promotional debut in September of 2019.

Again: this card is good.

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Aiemann Zahabi looked to snap a two fight losing skid at UFC Vegas 19, following the only two losses of his career. The 33-year-old last fought in May of 2019, and was 7-2 ahead of his rescheduled matchup with Drako Rodriguez, amassing a 1-2 record since joining the UFC. The bout with Rodriguez was initially slated for UFC Vegas 17 in December, but was moved after Zahabi tested positive for COVID 19.

The move delayed Rodriguez’s UFC debut, following the 24-year-old’s victory on Dana White’s Contender Series last September. Rodriguez was on a three fight winning streak, losing once in his eight fight career ahead of UFC Vegas 19. He missed weight ahead of his promotional debut, coming in 4.5 pounds over the bantamweight limit. The fight was then made a catchweight bout, taking place at 140.5 pounds.

Rodriguez took control of the center of the Octagon early-on, throwing the first few heavy strikes of the bout. After eating a couple of leg kicks, Zahabi responded with a jab that momentarily stopped Rodriguez from marching forward. But it wasn’t long before Rodriguez was once again pressing Zahabi, putting the Canadian on the back foot.

Finding the range, Zahabi landed a beautiful 1-2 that knocked Rodriguez out on the spot. A couple of unnecessary ground strikes made it through, but the fight was over, and Zahabi recorded his first UFC victory since February of 2017.

"Chess match on the feet as each looks for the big shot…"@Aiemannzahabi found that BIG SHOT 😳 #UFCVegas19 pic.twitter.com/Pxc6DEul0g

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 20, 2021

Official Result: Aiemann Zahabi def. Drako Rodriguez by KO (punch), Round 1, 3:05

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Sergey Spivak’s UFC run has been inconsistent since the 26-year-old joined the promotion in 2019. Going 2-2 in his four UFC bouts, Spivak alternated wins and losses ahead of his rescheduled bout with Jared Vanderaa at UFC Vegas 19. The matchup was previously slated for UFC 256 in December, but was moved after Vanderaa tested positive for COVID-19.

Vanderaa, 28, impressed with his first round finish of Harry Hunsucker on Dana White’s Contender Series last November. The promotion hurried to give him his promotional debut before the year was out, but it instead came at UFC Vegas 19. Vanderaa was on a two-fight winning streak ahead of his debut, winning five of his last six and tallying four finishes along the way.

Spivak worked his jab early as Vanderaa pressed the Moldovan, putting Spivak on the back foot. After a few heavy kicks from Vanderaa, Spivak landed a hard right hand and getting some space, which he used to push Vanderaa back and land a takedown. After some work against the cage, Vanderaa found his way to his feet, only to be taken down again shortly thereafter.

Spivak worked hard while in Vanderaa’s guard, mixing in some ground and pound while he looked to improve his position. Vanderaa was active from his back, but was largely ineffective as Spivak finished the first round in dominant fashion, earning more than three minutes of top control.

Thankfully for Vanderaa, the second round began on the feet. Spivak landed an early jab, before taking advantage of a lazy head-kick from Vanderaa, once again getting the fight to the ground. Vanderaa was clearly running out of energy, and Spivak was relentless from half-guard. Spivak dealt a consistent wave of fists and elbows, with Vanderaa struggling to change position.

A cut came open above the left eye of Vanderaa, which Spivak made worse with every punch thrown. Spivak then unloaded several flurries of punches, with blood now pouring from Vanderaa’s face.

The fight could’ve been stopped several times, and was eventually called late in the second-round. The victory gave Spivak back-to-back UFC wins for the first time in his career, while Vanderaa learned some tough lessons in his promotional debut.

Serghei "Polar Bear" Spivac mauled him for the TKO finish 😳 #UFCVegas19 pic.twitter.com/OVq0rHPxlM

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 20, 2021

Result: Sergey Spivak def. Jared Vanderaa by TKO (ground and pound), Round 2, 4:32

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The four February UFC events include three Fight Night events, and one pay-per-view, UFC 258. This precedes a March in which the promotion will host two pay-per-views, with a combined seven titles held by fighters currently scheduled to fight on the cards.

Despite the packed March schedule, the four events in February aren’t too shabby themselves. Of course, that’s as of this writing. If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that a fight isn’t happening until the fighters are locked in the cage.

Depending on the shade of glasses, every fight could be considered interesting on paper. But these are non-main event matchups that stand-out from the rest, checking all of the boxes that make us tune in each week.

UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Volkov on February 6

Yeah, Alistair Overeem fighting Alexander Volkov is in the main event on the first card of the month. But “The People’s Main Event” is clearly Frankie Edgar versus Cory Sandhagen.

The legendary Edgar earned a split decision win over Pedro Munhoz in his bantamweight debut last year, inserting himself into the 135-pound title-picture. Meanwhile, Sandhagen, lost to future title challenger Aljamain Sterling over the summer, before a dominant victory against Marlon Moraes to close out the year.

Now, Edgar (#4) and Sandhagen (#2) find themselves in the top-five of the division, needing another victory to secure the next shot at the winner of Yan-Sterling in March. It’s easy matchmaking, but that doesn’t make it any less fun.

The same can be said for the Beneil Dariush-Carlos Deigo Ferreira bout on the same card. Both fighters are ranked in the lightweight division, and are on incredible runs.

Dariush has won five straight fights, two of which coming in 2020, with four finishes and three Performance of the Night bonuses during that span. All Ferreira has done is win six straight, one of which came in 2020, when he defeated former champion Anthony Pettis. Now, one of them will have their winning streak snapped, and set themselves up for a shot at a top-10 opponent later this year.

This event will also feature the UFC debut of former RIZIN FF bantamweight champion Manel Kape. He’ll be getting a tough test in fifth-ranked flyweight Alexandre Pantoja. Kape had multiple debut bouts canceled last year, and is finally making his Octagon debut, with a chance to enter the flyweight title-picture.

UFC 258: Usman vs. Burns on February 13

Breaking news: bantamweight is stacked. There are tough fights all over the place, and the title picture is as packed as ever. Avoiding losing streaks is a must for any fighter attempting to climb the rankings. That’s why the rematch from a 2015 split decision between #8 Pedro Munhoz and #9 Jimmie Rivera makes this list.

Munhoz is on a two-fight losing streak, following his KO victory over Garbrandt at UFC 235. His most recent loss was a close split decision to divisional debutant Edgar. Now, Munhoz faces a guy he lost to years ago in order to avoid a three losing streak. That guy, Rivera, snapped a two-fight losing skid of his own in his most recent bout.

That fight, a decision victory against Cody Stamann, was at featherweight last July. A win for Rivera gives him his first series of back-to-back victories since 2017, while a loss would make it three in four fights for the 31-year-old.

UFC 258 will also host the next chapter of Kelvin Gastelum’s confounding career. Last we saw Gastelum, he was getting heel hooked by Jack Hermansson in less than 90 seconds. That loss last July sent his losing streak to three fights.

Things don’t get much easier for the ninth-ranked Gastelum, as he gets #15 Ian Heinisch. Heinisch bounced back from a couple of losses with a first round TKO victory over Gerald Meerschaert at UFC 250 last June. He’s gone 3-2 since joining the promotion from the Contender Series in 2018, and a victory over Gastelum would get the steam going on the hype train that was slowed by Derek Brunson at UFC 241.

UFC Fight Night: Reyes vs. Prochazka on February 27

Former RFA featherweight title-holder Raoni Barcelos extended his unbeaten UFC run to 5-0 last year, and will be getting the toughest test of his career yet to begin 2021. That test: 21-fight UFC/WEC veteran Raphael Assuncao.

While Barcelos has already managed to impress throughout his UFC career, the 33-year-old Brazilian lacks a marquee victory. Although the tenth-ranked Assuncao is on a three fight losing streak, Barcelos joining the ranks of Cody Garbrandt, Sandhagen, and Marlon Moraes (the last three people to defeat Assuncao) would be a major step toward title contention in one of the toughest divisions in the sport.

Ranked bantamweights? Check. Former champions from other promotions? Check. Beneil Dariush? Check. Welp. There isn’t much else a week-to-week UFC fan could ask for. Throw in the fun slate of main event bouts, and the February events have our attention. Even with everyone looking forward to the two PPVs in March.

The post UFC: The Best Upcoming Fights for February 2021 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Following a March with two PPV events, the available options for title fight main events at UFC 261 are as slim as they have been for any UFC PPV in a while. That’s because the slate of title fights and main events the promotion is utilizing to begin 2021 includes the likes of Conor McGregor, Israel Adesanya, Stipe Miocic, and more.

Likely taking place in late-April or early-May, UFC 261, like much of the promotion’s 2021 calendar, doesn’t have a venue or location yet. There also haven’t been any announced or reported bouts for the fifth UFC PPV of the year just yet.

Despite the lack of options, the remaining title fights Dana White and Co. could lean on for UFC 261 are intriguing. It also gives them the opportunity to get creative, should they feel the need to force an interim belt or non-title fight into the main event.

Who’s out?

Before we get to who’s available for UFC 261, let’s rule out some obvious options.

First, the main event and co-main event fighters from UFC 257 turning around for another fight in April seems fairly unlikely. So, victors Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler can probably be ruled out. Plus, it’ll likely take some time for the promotion to figure out what they want to do with the lightweight title picture. After the results from UFC 257, and the current status of champion(?) Khabib Nurmagomedov, things are a bit murky. We can’t forget about Justin Gaethje and Charles Oliveira, either.

The same goes for the winner of the recently announced welterweight title fight between champion Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns at UFC 258 in February.

Several other high-profile title fights have been announced for UFC 259 and UFC 260, both of which are set to take place in March.

At UFC 259, five titles will be in the building. Headlining the card is a champion-versus-champion fight between middleweight title holder Israel Adesanya and light heavyweight champ Jan Blachowicz, for the 205-pound belt. Then, in the co-main event slot, women’s bantamweight and featherweight champion Amanda Nunes will defend her 145-pound title against Megan Anderson. But, that’s not all, as Petr Yan is slated to fight Aljamain Sterling for the bantamweight title on the same card.

Hot damn.

At UFC 260 later that same month, Francis Ngannou gets his deserved rematch with champ Stipe Miocic in the main event. While in the co-main, Alexander Volkanovski fights Brian Ortega in his first non-Max Holloway featherweight title fight.

Who’s available?

That’s a lot of gold on hold for the promotion in the first few months of the year. But, there are still some intriguing options available for the UFC if they decide to get creative, or just force an interim title on the card.

Women’s strawweight fights aren’t usually in contention for UFC PPV main events. But the promotion loves Weili Zhang, and have a fan-favorite and former champion in Rose Namajunas ready to go as her next opponent. Carla Esparza is apparently the backup plan, but we’d all rather see Zhang-Namajunas this spring. It’s a big match-up, and one that would fit well atop a UFC PPV.

Another women’s title could be fought for at UFC 261, but its chances of being in the main event are slim. While flyweight champ Valentina Shevchenko is among the greats in the sport, the division is still growing. There are a few interesting options available though, like former strawweight champ Jessica Andrade, and flyweight veterans Joanne Calderwood and Lauren Murphy.

The fight that looks most likely to main event UFC 261 is a rematch between flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno. The duo fought to a draw at UFC 256 in one of the best fights of 2020. UFC President Dana White said he expects the rematch to take place in April or May, giving UFC 261 a chance to host a potential Fight of the Year candidate.

Then, there are the interim belts. If the promotion is desperate, they could force an interim title fight from either middleweight or light heavyweight on to the card. Depending on what happens between Adesanya and Blachowicz earlier in the year, and what their future plans are, Robert Whittaker competing in a middleweight title-fight could be a thing. Although less likely, finding a way to get Glover Teixeira a light heavyweight title fight, interim or not, in 2021 would be something to behold.

Jon Jones is out there, too. But, from the sounds of it, he’s waiting for the winner of Miocic-Ngannou 2, and will debut in his new division later in the year. Could we see the surprise return of either Nick or Nate Diaz? Probably not. But UFC 261 is a couple months away, and coming to terms with that duo generally seems to take a bit longer than that. But hey, we can dream, especially after USADA’s recent changes to marijuana restrictions.

While there aren’t as many options as normal for the UFC, that doesn’t mean the fights available aren’t interesting. It sounds like Figueiredo-Moreno 2 is the early favorite, with a couple of women’s title fights, or interim belts, as other options for the promotion. Either way, the UFC is starting strong with their 2021 PPVs.

The post UFC 261: Potential Main Events for the Fifth Pay-Per-View of 2021 appeared first on Cageside Press.