Booking Five Blockbuster UFC Bouts for 2023

Welcome to The Weekly Takedown, Sports Illustrated’s in-depth look at MMA. Every week, this column offers insight and information on the most noteworthy stories in the fight world.

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It is becoming more expensive than ever to be a fight fan, particularly of the UFC. Some of us are hooked and unable to leave even if we ever wanted to, but cards with a lot more name value than we just witnessed at UFC 282 will be necessary if the powers that be want the masses to shell out $80 once (or twice) a month.

So maybe that means we are on the cusp of seeing some special fights.

After going a putrid one-for-five last year (special thanks to Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev for keeping me on the scoreboard), it is time to try this again.

Here are five fights I would love to see–and I think you would, too–in 2023.

5. Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou

At the rate we are moving, this Jon Jones-Francis Ngannou fight will be on our wish list for the next decade. That is why it needs to happen now, while it remains a top priority for nearly every fight fan.

There are so many fascinating elements. This would finally mark Jones’ long-awaited heavyweight debut in the UFC. Winning the heavyweight belt (after three years without a fight) would be a not-so-subtle reminder to Daniel Cormier that anything DC can do, Jones can do better. A victory would elevate Jones even higher in the debate for greatest of all time, especially if he turns Ngannou into a pretzel during their bout.

But there is an alternative outcome to consider. What if Ngannou sends Jones into oblivion with the right combo? That isn’t out of the realm of possibility. And with Stipe Miocic impatiently waiting cageside for this fight, it possesses every high-stakes element needed to become an instant fight-of-the-year candidate in 2023.

4. Colby Covington vs. Khamzat Chimaev

Colby Covington is universally one of the most disliked people in the sport. That is partially by design, though Covington has a natural flair for being the bad guy. But could a face turn be coming?

Matching Covington against Khamzat Chimaev may actually put fans in Covington’s corner. Chimaev is a wrecking machine, but he isn’t exactly the world’s most endearing personality. A fight against Covington would help determine the future of the welterweight division. Personally, I put no stock in Chimaev’s failure to make weight in September at UFC 279. That card changed radically, meaning Chimaev decimated Kevin Holland instead of Nate Diaz. Or maybe the crowd will hold onto their disdain for Covington and cheer for Chimaev. Either way, it would be a great fight.

Covington’s wrestling-based approach could cause headaches for Chimaev. The key questions would be whether Covington could maintain control following his takedowns, as well as if Chimaev could finish Covington after he hurt him. This would be a phenomenal bout, especially if it were part of an undercard.

3. Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley

Aljamain Sterling seems sincere about his decision to move from bantamweight to featherweight, but he has a couple more title defenses to make before that happens. A must-see bantamweight title bout would be Sterling defending his title against Sean O’Malley.

O’Malley defeated Petr Yan in October at UFC 280. That was, by far, the most notable win of his career, and it launched him up the rankings, where he currently sits at No. 1. Testing himself against Sterling would be an entirely new challenge. Wrestling would be a major advantage for Sterling, and all signs point to a Sterling victory by submission, but O’Malley would have paths to victory, too, primarily with the knockout blow.

O’Malley proved he is ready for his title shot. Following this bout (with three or four title defenses under his belt by then), Sterling will be able to make his move to featherweight.

2. Islam Makhachev vs. Michael Chandler

Michael Chandler is a great wrestler, but Islam Makhachev is even better. Chandler is a talented grappler, yet nowhere near the level of Makhachev. Chandler also has a tendency to run out of gas, which is never an issue for Makhachev.

With all that being said, wouldn’t you still want to see this fight?

The odds of it happening decreased significantly after Chandler’s loss in November to Dustin Poirier. And we are all confident this would end in a submission victory for Makhachev. But for a round, or possibly two, this would be spectacular.

1. Conor McGregor vs. Alexander Volkanovski

Who says no to this bout?

Even though his days as a world-class, elite fighter have passed, McGregor still has something left to prove. Who better to do that against than the pound-for-pound best in the world? For Volkanovski, this matchup would make him a global entity, a massive positive for someone who is already the top fighter in the world.

Everything about this fight, even determining which weight class it would fall under, would be fascinating. McGregor never had the same power as a lightweight that he did as a featherweight, but this bout would be compelling under any weight class.

The more realistic choice for McGregor would be a fight against Stephen Thompson at 170. Neither McGregor or Thompson seem eager to fight wrestlers, and they would certainly combine for an entertaining bout. But nothing would compare to McGregor-Volkanovski, which would likely be an official coronation of Volkanovski as both the best–and most well-known–fighter in the sport.

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‘Pitbull’ Ready to Represent Bellator on NYE

Patricio “Pitbull” Freire competes in the co-main event of the Bellator vs. Rizin card taking place in Tokyo on New Year’s Eve. The reigning Bellator featherweight champion, Freire (34-5) meets Kleber Koike, who is the Rizin featherweight champ, in a non-title bout.

Riding a seven-fight win streak, Koike (31-5-1) won all of those bouts by submission. While Freire will have the clear advantage standing, Koike believes there is a path to victory on the mat.

“My strength is in jiu-jitsu,” says Koike, speaking through a translator. “I know he is strong in the ground game, but I hope to win with my ground game.”

The 33-year-old Brazilian is one of the lesser-known fighters on this supercard. He has fought all over the globe, but never against anyone of Freire’s caliber. A determining factor will be how Koike responds in the moment against a genuine MMA superstar, especially if Freire is, as expected, able to push the pace.

“This is the most important match of my career,” says Koike. “Pitbull is one of the strongest pound-for-pound in the world.”

Koike has the advantage of fighting at home in Rizin, with a ruleset that has some critical differences from Bellator, including knees to the head of a grounded opponent and soccer kicks. The action also takes place in a ring instead of a cage, but none of that is overwhelming or daunting to a mixed martial artist as seasoned as Freire.

“I grew up training under these rules,” says Freire, 35. “I am very familiar with them.”

While Freire is aware of the dangers Koike presents, he is optimistic that the bout will end in his favor.

“I’m fighting a jiu-jitsu guy, and he is going to try to put me on the ground and finish me,” says Freire. “But maybe I’ll finish him.”

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The Pick ‘Em Section:

Bellator vs. Rizin lightweight bout: AJ McKee vs. Roberto de Souza

Pick: AJ McKee

Bellator vs. Rizin featherweight bout: Patricio “Pitbull” Freire vs. Kleber Koike

Pick: Patricio “Pitbull” Freire

Bellator vs. Rizin flyweight bout: Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Hiromasa Ougikubo

Pick: Kyoji Horiguchi

Bellator vs. Rizin bantamweight bout: Juan Archuleta vs. Soo Chul Kim

Pick: Soo Chul Kim

Bellator vs. Rizin lightweight bout: Gadzhi Rabadanov vs. Koji Takeda

Pick: Koji Takeda

Last week: 0-0

2022 record: 146-81