UFC 222 will be the bookend of a stretch featuring eight events in eight weeks, beginning on January 14th. That means resources for MMA’s premier promotion could be thin for their third PPV of the year.

As is usually the case, the promotion prefers to have a title fight in the main event slot of their biggest events. The event in Vegas follows UFC 220 in Boston in January, and UFC 221 in Perth in February. Between those two cards, a few belts are already spoken for.

The heavyweight title will be on-the-line in the main event of UFC 220, as we all find out whether or not Stipe Miocic can stop the train known as Francis Ngannou. Fans in Boston are being treated to a second title-fight as well. Daniel Cormier will be defending his 205-pound belt against Volkan Oezdemir in the co-main event. That means two of the highest-profile belts are off-the-table for UFC 222.

Following Georges St. Pierre vacating his role as middleweight champion, former interim 185-pound champ Robert Whittaker will get his first shot at defending the belt at UFC 221. That defense will come against former middleweight titleholder Luke Rockhold in Whittaker’s home region of Australia.

So, what about UFC 222? Currently, only one fight has been made official for the card, a middleweight bout between C.B. Dollaway and Hector Lombard. That won’t be the main event (we hope), so here are the options the promotion could be considering.

WHO’S OUT

A couple of champions that are unlikely to be ready come March are women’s flyweight champion Nicco Montaño, and the winner of UFC 219’s main event for the 145-pound title between Cris Cyborg and Holly Holm.

Fresh off of competing on the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter, Montaño deserves a rest. Winning her belt in December, a return sometime later in the spring or early in the summer makes more sense. The same can be said for either Cyborg or Holm, both of which will want more than eight weeks before their next bout.

Things aren’t looking great when it comes to the lightweight champions, either. Conor McGregor has made it clear he intends on returning to MMA. When that will take place is anybody’s guess. But March seems a bit too soon. The Irishman has been in some hot water lately, and is lacking his most obvious opponent: Tony Ferguson.

The interim 155-pound champ, Tony Ferguson, is currently on the shelf. Ferguson underwent elbow surgery in early-December, and no there’s no public timetable for his return. He’ll want to be 100% for what would be the biggest fight of his career, so rushing back for a bout in early-March wouldn’t be the best strategy. Crazier things have happened, but we don’t want to get our hopes up.

Another promotional champion has opted for surgery as well. Welterweight king Tyron Woodley (finally) chose to go under the knife for his nagging shoulder issues. He had been holding out for potential main event opportunities at UFC 219 and 220. With nothing coming to fruition, and the return of Georges St. Pierre to 170-pounds becoming more likely, Woodley’s decision makes sense. Even if it means he doesn’t fight until mid-2018.

We also mentioned the group of champions who already have plans throughout the first months of 2018. Stipe Miocic, Daniel Cormier, and Robert Whittaker will all be defending their belts at PPV events in the weeks ahead of UFC 222.

WHO’S AVAILABLE

After her surprise first-round TKO of Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Rose Namajunas’ first title defense would make sense for Vegas. Whether the promotion believes the matchup could carry the card as the main event, or is dead-set on Jedrzejczyk getting an immediate rematch, is another discussion. But, with their last bout coming in November, early-March is plenty of time for both fighters to regroup.

There’s that bantamweight title bout between Amanda Nunes and Raquel Pennington, too. Initially slated for UFC 219 in December, an ATV accident sidelined Pennington for the foreseeable future. Whether or not March is too soon for Pennington to return remains to be seen. As is the UFC’s confidence in a Nunes-led PPV.

Another bout that was already scheduled, then shelved, is Max Holloway’s featherweight title-defense against Frankie Edgar. The initial main event of UFC 218, Holloway-Edgar is one of the best matchups the promotion can make. Edgar was recently on an episode of The MMA Hour, and said he’s hoping to return in March or April for his date with Holloway.

Oh yeah, there’s also that superfight between Demetrious Johnson and TJ Dillashaw. That’s definitely possible for UFC 222 in Las Vegas.

The promotion was pushing for the bout in late-2017, and got brushed back by the flyweight title-holder. Now, things have changed a bit. Johnson secured his UFC-record 11th title defense at UFC 216. Meanwhile, TJ Dillashaw reclaimed his bantamweight belt at UFC 217. Along with the title: his ticket to jump the line of contenders at 125-pounds.

Whether it takes place at 125-pounds, 135-pounds, or somewhere in between, Johnson-Dillashaw will main event a UFC PPV next year. Neither division currently has a clear contender for either champion, giving the superfight all of the necessary ingredients to be made. Considering all of the available options, a champion vs. champion clash at UFC 222 sounds like a great way to headline a Las Vegas PPV.

The Verdict

Always giving their home-base of Las Vegas some special treatment, we’re betting on the superfight between TJ Dillashaw and Demetrious Johnson to main event UFC 222. After that, rescheduled bouts between Max Holloway and Frankie Edgar, or Amanda Nunes and Raquel Pennington make sense. But, if the promotion gets desperate, a strawweight title-fight rematch might be the answer.

The UFC has a surprising amount of options for this time of year, but one bout fits better than the rest. C’mon Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard. Do the right thing. Give us Johnson-Dillashaw at UFC 222.

The post UFC 222: Potential Main Events for Las Vegas’ PPV in March appeared first on Cageside Press.

The UFC usually puts together a top-notch card for the turn of the year. The best way to have a great card is with a great main event, something they have planned for the final few pay-per-views of 2017. Stacked cards for UFC 217 in November and UFC 218 early-December have taken more than a few of the promotion’s options, but we expect a premier title-fight for the UFC’s last PPV of the year.

They had a similar schedule last year, loading up their final PPV events of 2016. The result was some fun cards, and a slow-start to 2017 thanks to a lack of appealing main event options. It looks like that will be difficult to avoid once again in 2018, but we can worry about that then, if the world still even exists. For now, we have several stacked cards to enjoy, and UFC 219 fits the bill.

Even without a main event, the UFC’s final PPV of 2017 is another piece of evidence for the “Reasons we love Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby” file that we’ve been keeping. Their matchmaking has hit a hot-streak, and we can’t wait to reap the rewards.

Currently, a couple of former champions make long-awaited returns at UFC 219. Former bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz will be fighting Jimmie Rivera in what likely amounts to a number-one contender bout for a shot at the champion come 2018. The “Natural Born Killer” Carlos Condit will also be returning at UFC 219, taking on Neil Magny after more than a year away from the Octagon.

There are other great bouts as well, featuring exciting names like Cynthia Calvillo and Gokhan Saki, but every great card needs a great main event. Generally speaking, great main events include having a title on the line, something the promotion has forced onto main event fights in recent years.

Whether or not this card has a title-fight in the main event, it needs to draw viewers. The buyrates throughout 2017 have lagged, especially compared to last year. With negotiations for the promotion’s televisions rights beginning shortly, showcasing a product with the ability to get people interested is a must. Luckily for the UFC, they have some pretty impressive fighters in their stable. But, which will they call upon for UFC 219?

WHO’S OUT

Let’s rule out a few, or more than a few, title-options for the main event of UFC 219. From UFC 215 to UFC 218, the promotion has seven title-fights scheduled. That’s a lot. The numbers are a little skewed thanks to the three major bouts at MSG for UFC 217, but the effects will be felt throughout the end of 2017 and beginning of 2018.

We can rule out the four belts on-the-line at both UFC 217 and 218, meaning we won’t be seeing Michael Bisping, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Cody Garbrandt, Max Holloway and their currently slated opponents in Las Vegas to end the year. Barring an injury or late change, similar to Demetrious Johnson’s switch from UFC 215 to 216, we can rule those three out. While we’re at it, Mighty Mouse has said he’s done in 2017 after breaking Anderson Silva’s UFC title-defense record earlier this month.

It’s also unlikely women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes will once again headline the year-end PPV for the promotion. Despite holding on to her belt this year, she’s doesn’t draw viewers without a high-profile opponent, and her performance against Valentina Shevchenko in September left plenty to be desired. The UFC needs a big buyrate from UFC 219, and Nunes probably isn’t the fighter they’re looking for. Plus, her likely next opponent Racquel Pennington, is still working toward getting back to 100% health.

Light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier also seems unlikely to return to the Octagon by the end of the year, saying he expects to defend his belt against contender Volkan Oezdemir “the beginning of next year, sometime”. It’s understandable for Cormier, who’s had an up-and-down-and-up roller coaster ride this year.

Welterweight champion Tyron Woodley seems just as unlikely as Cormier, but for slightly different reasons. Fighting in four title-fights from late-July of 2016 to late-July of 2017, Woodley desrves a rest. Also, he’s apparently banged up and recovering from a labrum issue. Either way, the champ has time for the loaded 170-pound division to shake-out.

Oh, and interim middleweight champion Robert “will always be referred to as Bobby Knuckles no matter what” Whittaker is still out injured until sometime in 2018.

WHO’S AVAILABLE

Okay, hear us out: UFC President Dana White might be telling the truth.

Since Tony Ferguson won the UFC interim lightweight title in impressive fashion earlier this month against Kevin Lee, White has been on the title-unification bandwagon. The reason? That wagon steers clear of a bigger cost-bill should current UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor want to fight the other, seemingly more likely opponent in Nate Diaz.

The trilogy fight we’ve been waiting for since the rematch ended will come, one day. But right now, the stars look like they’re aligning for McGregor to attempt to defend a title for the first time in his MMA career.

Apart from the promotion preferring a cheaper dance-partner for their premier superstar, they really need a solid buyrate out of their final PPV of the year. We mentioned previously about the importance of ending 2017 strong, and utilizing their ace in the hole would make sense.

Whether or not it’s all just public negotiation with the Diaz camp remains to be seen. For now, McGregor is interested, and we’re well aware of how Ferguson feels. Whoever the Irishman ends up choosing, the fight will be a big ocassion, and UFC 219 needs exactly that. The UFC will obviously have to pay-up in order to secure McGregor’s work for his first and only MMA bout of 2017, but having to pay Ferguson, rather than Diaz, on the B-side makes things a little bit easier.

Khabib Nurmagomedov also threw his hat into the ring, calling-out Tony Ferguson on The MMA Hour. He’d provide an even more affordable option to either McGregor or Diaz, and finally getting to see Ferguson-Nurmagomedov for the interim belt, nearly a year after yet another cancellation for the duo, might just be enough for a solid PPV buyrate. Certainly not that of McGregor-Diaz III, but potentially one of the better UFC buyrates of 2017.

The next biggest draw the promotion could try calling is women’s featherweight champ Cris Cyborg. Her next opponent seems already decided in Holly Holm, meaning all we would need is a date. With the impressive card already built for UFC 219, adding a bout featuring a current and former UFC champion doesn’t sound like the worst idea.

But, things seem to have hit a snag, as they tend to do when it comes to Cyborg. According to the Brazilian, the UFC offered her less for a bout with Holm than for her title-winning bout against Tony Evinger in July. The UFC needs a main event bout for their final PPV of the year, and if things with McGregor don’t work out, they could decide to go the cheaper route and utilize their next best option.

That leaves one champion with availability for UFC 219: heavyweight badass Stipe Miocic. Unfortunately, he’s lacking an opponent. The guy we’d all like to see return to the Octagon, Cain Velasquez, seems like more than a long-shot at this point. Even though we’re nearly a year removed from being denied Velasquez’s return, we’re still bummed.

Anything can happen in the heavyweight division, but Miocic needs a legitimate challenge. And again, the promotion needs a draw. As of now, the two most deserving alternatives to Velasquez are Francis Ngannou and Alistair Overeem, who will be fighting each other at UFC 218 in early-December. A turn-around that quick against a guy like Miocic spells disaster, and is filed safely under “unlikely”.

There’s the outside chance Fabricio Werdum could jump the line for a rematch with Miocic, should he defeat Marcin Tybura at UFC Sydney in mid-November. If we get to that point with the UFC 219 main event, things would have gone very poorly for MMA’s premier promotion over the final months of the year.

There aren’t a lot of top tier options for the UFC to call upon for the main event of UFC 219. Regardless of who headlines the last PPV event of the year, it’s shaping up to be one of the best cards of 2017. The promotion could use a big event, and a big buyrate, and one main event makes more sense than the rest since that’s the case. Welcome back, Conor.

The post UFC 219: Potential Main Events for the Final PPV of 2017 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Similar to last December, and last July, MMA’s premier promotion is doubling-up their major events in a singular month. Last year, it was with UFC 206 and UFC 207 in the winter, while UFC 213 and UFC 214 took place this summer. In each instance, one PPV got a little more love from the matchmakers than the other, and it looks as though UFC 218 is in the less enviable position.

Following UFC 217, held at Madison Square Garden in November, several major main event options will be tied-up. You can add a couple more to that list, if past scheduling of year-end PPV events are any indicator of what the promotion has planned for UFC 219 on December 30 in Las Vegas.

With those packed events on the schedule, and UFC 218 sandwiched in between, what’s left for Detroit’s PPV?

As of this writing, there are two reported fights for UFC 218. Both bouts are from the strawweight division, and feature some names MMA fans will recognize. Felice Herrig will fight Cortney Casey, and Angela Magana is taking on Amanda Cooper.

The original plan seemed obvious: Kevin “The Motown Phenom” Lee versus whoever makes sense at the top of the lightweight division. The puzzle pieces even fell into place, with Lee earning a shot at the interim lightweight title against Tony Ferguson. Except that awesome matchup will take place at UFC 216 in Las Vegas in early-October. Without that simple solution, the promotion has a few other options for the main event of UFC 218.

While we wait for the official announcement of the main event for Detroit’s PPV, here are the options available for matchmakers.

Who’s Out

We already mentioned Kevin Lee and Tony Ferguson’s interim lightweight title bout taken by UFC 216. A two-month turnaround for the victor, depending on the style of victory, isn’t crazy. But, it’s very unlikely.

The turnaround from this weekend’s pay-per-view, for the winners of title bouts in the flyweight division between Demetrious Johnson and Ray Borg, and the women’s bantamweight bout featuring Amanda Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko, would be doable. With other options in other weight classes, rushing either of these champions back is probably unnecessary.

It’s safe to rule out the title bouts from UFC 217 at MSG, as well. That means Detroit won’t be treated to either the middleweight title bout between Georges St. Pierre and Michael Bisping, or Cody Garbrandt’s first bantamweight title defense attempt against TJ Dillashaw.

A return to the Octagon from either of the top-two light heavyweights in the world, Jon Jones or Daniel Cormier, is also not the direction the promotion is going. That mess is going to take time to sort out, and attempting to force whoever holds the belt into a bout in December is as unlikely as it is unwise. Cormier also mentioned on a recent appearance on The MMA Hour that some time away from the Octagon was in his future, as he’d like to spend time with his family, and has desk duties for FOX’s Octagon coverage on the schedule.

Who’s Available

There are reports of Joanna Jedrzejczyk fighting Rose Namajunas for the strawweight title at MSG in 2017, but the bout has yet to be made official, leaving it up for grabs for UFC 218. There has been talk of three title fights on UFC 217 in November, like they did last year. It would seem as though they are debating on giving that final slot to either JJ-Rose, or the featherweight title fight we can’t wait for between Max Holloway and New Jersey-native Frankie Edgar.

Both Edgar and Jedrzejczyk featured at MSG in 2016, and deciding which fight belongs in New York this year is a tough call. Whether they go with three or four title-fights, whichever bout is potentially left off of the card could be a top candidate for UFC 218 in Detroit.

A couple of title-winners from UFC 214 should be available as well. Newly crowned women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg and welterweight champ Tyron Woodley could be chocies the promotion considers.

Woodley has been very busy recenly, fighting four times from July of 2016 to July of 2017. Considering her issues, Cyborg has been relatively active in the Octagon, fighting twice in that same timespan. Of the two, Cyborg is more likely for UFC 218, as Woodley mentioned a break was in his future due to a potentially torn labrum in a recent appearance on The MMA Hour. Even then, the likelihood of Cyborg fighting outside of Las Vegas, California, or Brazil in her next bout, in favor of Detroit, is slim.

According to UFC President Dana White, a heavyweight clash has been in the works for Detroit’s PPV. Originally, the idea of Stipe Miocic defending his heavyweight belt against light heavyweight champion* Jon Jones was on the cards. Now that ship has sailed, but maybe Miocic could still feature. Detroit is only a few hours away from Cleveland, and we all remember how raucous Miocic’s homecoming was last September.

The problem with that scenario is finding a suitable opponent for Miocic. On one of the most impressive runs in UFC heavyweight history, the promotion’s realistic options for their champion are few and far between. The one we’d all prefer, Cain Velasquez, seems more like a hope than an actual possibility. Velasquez was slated for a fight with Fabricio Werdum at UFC 207 last year, and has even been discussed in a bout with Miocic at UFC 216, despite that bout with Werdum never happening.

After those reports, the Ferguson-Lee interim lightweight title bout was officially named the main event, with Fabricio Werdum and Derrick Lewis in the co-main event. Moving that title matchup to UFC 216, when it makes more sense at 218, probably means the promotion felt forced into moving that bout up in the calendar due to the lack of top-tier options.

With the Miocic-Velasquez bout becoming increasingly unlikely, there aren’t many other fighters available for the heavyweight champion. He’s already defeated three of the top-five contenders in the last couple of years, with the other two fighters being Velasquez and Francis Ngannou. It might be too-much too-early for one of the promotion’s top prospects. But, without any other options, Ngannou could find himself in a title-fight sooner rather than later. He’s currently free, after his bout with Junior dos Santos at UFC 215 was canceled.

Oh, lightweight champion Conor McGregor is available, technically. But his return to MMA coming in Detroit at UFC 218 is as improbable as a boxer with zero professional bouts taking on Floyd Mayweather. Or something.

There aren’t a ton of options for the main event of UFC 218, but a high-profile title fight should be headed to Detroit this December. Currently, the matchup that makes the most sense is Stipe Miocic taking on either Cain Velasquez or Francis Ngannou. If the UFC can’t get that fight made, whichever title bout gets left off of UFC 217 at MSG between Holloway-Edgar and Jedrzejczyk-Namajunas could find itself main eventing Detroit’s PPV. Regardless, expect UFC 218 to look a little light compared to the major events surrounding it throughout the end of the year.

The post UFC 218: Potential Main Events for Detroit’s December PPV appeared first on Cageside Press.

Following a string of lackluster main events in UFC PPVs to begin the year, things have begun to turn around for the promotion. Or, it at least seemed that way. The likes of UFC 211 and 212 got things going in the right direction, while July’s double-dose of PPVs is more of the same high-quality matchups fans can easily get behind. Then, the fallout around the still-to-be-announced UFC 215 began. That’s for another article.

Last year, the lone Canadian PPV of the year was at UFC 206 in Toronto. That card would eventually lose its original main event, the initially scheduled rematch between Daniel Cormier and Anthony Johnson, and instead be treated to a fight for the interim featherweight title (remember that?) featuring Max Holloway and Anthony Pettis. Here’s hoping the promotion remembers that fact, and treats Canada right with a top-tier main event this fall.

The card is beginning to take shape, with one official fight announced for UFC 216. Undefeated Canadian prospect Gavin Tucker will put his 10-0 record on the line against Rick Glenn. The additionally reported, but to-be-confirmed, bouts include a flyweight fight featuring Henry Cejudo and Wilson Reis, as well as a women’s bantamweight bout between Sarah Moras and Ashlee Evans-Smith. A heavyweight bout is also being reported featuring Luis Henrique and Olympian Arjan Bhullar.

While those fights are well and good, the main event is what we’re most interested in. The promotion is slated for a busy summer, and the final quarter of the year is pretty packed as well. We can expect a title bout, even if it’s as forced as the one last year. So, who’s left for Canada’s lone PPV of the year in Edmonton at UFC 216?

WHO’S OUT

First, who won’t be invited to the main event party for two in the Octagon at UFC 216? Well, the easiest people to cross of the list are the champions with already scheduled bouts. That means we won’t be seeing Amanda Nunes or Daniel Cormier in Edmonton, as the turnarounds from UFC 213 and 214 in July are too soon. Plus, the promotion will be needing champions for the PPV events to close out the year as well.

On the injured list, the likes of Cody Garbrandt and Michael Bisping are misses for UFC 216 as well, while the interim middleweight title is on-the-line at UFC 213. We’re going to go ahead and say Demetrious Johnson won’t be defending his flyweight title in Canada this year either, but who really knows considering the twists that seemingly easy booking for UFC 215 has taken recently.

The likelihood of the newly crowned undisputed featherweight champion Max Holloway first defense coming in Canada, relatively quickly after UFC 212, is low. As are the chances of lightweight champion Conor McGregor’s unexpected return coming in Edmonton in September.

WHO’S AVAILABLE

Of the remaining available champions, welterweight title-holder Tyron Woodley is the most rested. Defending his belt against Stephen Thompson in early-March at UFC 209, Woodley even has an opponent who, by September, would be ready to go: Demain Maia. This bout makes all the sense in the world for the promotion and the 170-pound weight class, and likely leaves either fighter ready for Georges St. Pierre’s late-2017 return. It would’ve been great for GSP’s return to come in Canada, but he’ll barely have begun sparring at that point.

The UFC could lean on either of their UFC 211 title-defenders. Both Stipe Miocic and Joanna Jedrzejczyk were dominant in their performances in May, and although it is more likely the promotion utilizes those assets on higher-profile PPVs later in the year, they are both legitimate options. Of the two, Miocic seems a slightly better fit than Jedrzejczyk, with a European destination becoming more likely with each victory for the strawweight champion. For the heavyweight champ, UFC 216 makes sense so long as he has an opponent. The best option at this point might be Cain Velasquez, and attempting to predict his availability is as tough as ever in 2017.

Outside of the easier options, there’s women’s featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie and her belt. As of this writing, Cris Cyborg is slated for UFC 214 in July, without an opponent. So, there’s that. As weird as the Mighty Mouse situation is, the drama in the essentially non-existent women’s 145-pound weight class is something nobody expected this year, but we don’t expect it to spill over into Edmonton’s PPV.

We’d be remiss if we didn’t bring up the potential for an interim lightweight title. As mentioned earlier, the promotion has no problem sticking an interim belt on the line in a Canadian PPV main event. Whether or not they think pitting Tony Ferguson against Nate Diaz (or Khabib Nurmagomedov) makes sense for UFC 216 is another story.

Unfortunately for Edmonton, timing is tough. July has two huge cards, and it’s looking as though December will too. Between those cards, UFC 214 and 220, are five more PPVs, each of which will likely demand at least one title fight. Given those parameters, we expect the promotion to save whatever they decide to do with the 155-pound division somewhere other than Edmonton.

Despite that, the promotion still has a few options that could make the Canadian crowd happy. Leading the way is Woodley’s third welterweight title defense against arguably the greatest Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner in MMA today in Demian Maia, while calling upon Stipe Miocic or Joanna Jedrzejczyk could be the UFC’s solution. Regardless, a title-fight should be expected, and it’ll be interesting to see who the promotion picks for UFC 216.

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