UFC: The seven fights that need to happen in 2018, including McGregor vs Diaz III

Conor McGregor vs. Tony Ferguson

Following his venture into the world of boxing and a multi-million dollar fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr, UFC fans are eagerly awaiting the return of their golden boy, Conor McGregor.

The lightweight champion hasn’t stepped foot in the Octagon since defeating Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 over a year ago, and is facing calls from critics to either ‘defend or vacate’ his title.

Of those critics, the most notable is interim lightweight champion and number one contender to The Notorious’ title, Tony Ferguson.

After totting up 10 straight UFC wins, including an impressive submission victory over Kevin Lee to become interim champ, Ferguson is putting pressure on the man he calls ‘McNuggets’ to get back into the cage so they can find out who the real lightweight champion is once and for all.

Demetrious Johnson vs. TJ Dillashaw

Newly crowned bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw has made no secret of his intention to drop down to 125lbs and become the second fighter in UFC history to hold two titles simultaneously.

To do so, he would have to defeat a man who has dominated the flyweight division for over 5 years, Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson.

Since claiming the flyweight championship in 2012, Johnson has made easy pickings of the division, defeating top contenders including Ray Borg, Wilson Reis, Henry Cejudo and many more.

In recent times however, ‘Mighty Mouse’ has complained about his earnings and a lack of ‘big fights’ in the division. A super-fight with bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw would make the pair a ton of cash and undoubtedly provide fans with an explosive, dynamic fight for the ages.

Cain Velasquez vs. Stipe Miocic/Francis Ngannou

Arguably the most prestigious division in mixed martial arts, the UFC’s heavyweight division has seen some classic fights over the years, and one man who’d be able to provide another is Cain Velasquez.

The 35-year-old’s MMA career has been plagued with injury, but with a return seemingly imminent, a fight against the winner of Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou for the heavyweight championship would be one fans would be thoroughly excited about.

The fact that Velasquez has never fought Miocic or Ngannou would make this an unpredictable fight going into it, alongside the fact the trio have devastating knockout power; and with the heavyweight championship on the line, would do some serious pay-per-view numbers.

Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz 3

The trilogy fight between McGregor and Diaz is one of the most eagerly-anticipated fights in UFC history.

After filling in for the injured Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC 196, Nate Diaz shocked the MMA world by submitting Conor McGregor in the second round of the welterweight bout and becoming one of the UFC’s star names.

McGregor levelled the score at UFC 202 via majority decision, but a trilogy fight for the lightweight belt would certainly wet the fans’ and UFC officials’ appetites.

However, the sticking point seems to be coming from the Diaz camp, with Nate reportedly demanding $15 million to step back into the Octagon with McGregor and the UFC seeming reluctant to part with that amount of cash.

Rose Namajunas vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk 2

Since winning the women’s strawweight championship back in 2015, Joanna Jedrzejczyk has cemented herself as one of the all-time MMA greats, defending her title frequently and putting away top contender after top contender.

However, at UFC 217, 25-year-old Rose Namajunas stunned UFC fans by finishing Jedrzejczyk in the very first round, and doing it in style to claim the strawweight title.

Since then, Jedrzejczyk has left her nutrition team, citing ‘unforgivable mistakes’ during her weight-cut as the reason for her first round defeat.

The fight itself was an entertaining, albeit short one, and both women would certainly relish the prospect of running it back one more time for the fans.

To defend a title is difficult, but to continuously defend a title in the manner than Jedrzejczyk did for two and a half years should make her the immediate contender for Namajunas’ first title defence.

Tony Ferguson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov

With  McGregor seemingly in no rush to return to action, Ferguson vs. Nurmagomedov is a potential match-up that would make sense for the UFC’s lightweight division.

It is also a fight that has been in the works for over two years. Injuries for both men have prevented them from squaring off as of yet, most recently at UFC 209 where the pair were set to meet before Nurmagomedov was forced to pull out of the fight due to complications with his weight cut.

Whether Ferguson and Nurmagomedov will fight one another remains to be seen, with Tony understandably unlikely to accept a bout with anyone other than McGregor and Nurmagomedov already booked to fight Edson Barboza at UFC 219.

One thing that is for certain is that if the fight were to go down, we would finally know who the undisputed number one lightweight contender is.

Luke Rockhold vs. Chris Weidman 2

Following Georges St-Pierre’s relinquishment of his title, it is once again open season in the middleweight division, with a handful of fighters all vying for the next shot at Robert Whittaker.

Luke Rockhold will be the first man to challenge ‘Bobby Knuckles’ at UFC 221, but with Chris Weidman mounting a comeback for the middleweight title following three disappointing defeats, ‘The All-American’ would relish the prospect of getting his hands on the man who snatched the belt from him back in 2015.