Honorable Mention:
- Bellator: (C) Sergio Pettis (22-5) vs ONE: (C) John Lineker (35-9) vs UFC: Marlon Vera (18-7)
- Bellator: Aaron Pico (10-3) vs PFL: Bubba Jenkins (16-5)
- UFC: Rafael Fiziev (11-1) vs PFL: Raush Manfio (15-3)
- UFC: (C) Valentina Shevchenko (22-3) vs Bellator: (C) Juliana Velazquez (12-0)
UFC: (C) Israel Adesanya (22-1) vs Bellator: (C) Gegard Mousasi (49-7): Israel Adesanya has established himself as the top dog in the UFC’s middleweight division. He has toyed with his opposition to the point that there doesn’t appear to be any worthy challengers left, Izzy has defeated every major rival at least once and even moved up a weight class to challenge Jan. However, many believe Bellator’s Gegard Mousasi is the only man in the world that can give Izzy a run for his money. The former UFC fighter has been on an incredible run since leaving the UFC, joining Bellator and becoming their champ, “the dreamcatcher” has continued to show that his striking is still elite, but is it Izzy elite? MMA fans around the world deserve to know who is the best 185.
Bellator: Michael Venom Page (20-1) vs UFC: Wonderboy Thompson (16-6): While this fight may not be champ vs champ, this could easily be one of the greatest pure striker vs striker matchups out there today. Both compete in the same division for rival organizations but their style and overall body of work is what makes this a must see fight. Both fighters are long and rangy and know how to use their jab and kicks to keep opponents where they want them. Wonderboy can put anyone out with his kicks but is more of a point fighter, where MVP is still accurate but is more of a finisher. Here’s to hoping that if this fight ever happens we are treated to a stylistic war and not so much a repeat of MVP vs Daley.
UFC: (C) Rose Namajunas (11-4) vs ONE: (C) Angela Lee (11-2): While both fighters are relatively the same age and have nearly the same amount of fights, Rose has been in the bigger spotlight with much more difficult competition. But this doesn’t take away from the fact that Angela Lee has been wrecking shop for One Championship since 2015 and is looking like she could one day reach the levels of success and fame that Rose has. This matchup would pit 2 of the best 115-pound women on earth who combine their speed and athleticism with their hard work and dedication. Rose is renowned for her striking and grappling ability, while Angela has been a human Boa Constrictor scoring 7 submissions in 11 wins.
UFC: Tai Tuivasa (14-3) vs PFL: Bruno Cappelozza (14-5): This fight does not go the full 3 or 5 rounds. Both fighters are KO walking machines, combined they share 26 KO’s (13 individual) and have had almost the same amount of fights. Tai is looking like a contender as he is on a 5 fight win streak and is currently ranked #3 in the UFC. Bruno has exploded since coming back to MMA after a 2-year layoff and scored 4 straight wins (3 KO) en route to winning the PFL million dollar tournament.
Bellator: (C) Ryan Bader (29-7) vs UFC: Curtis Blaydes (16-3): Longtime LHW Ryan Bader has moved up to HW since leaving the UFC and captured gold in both divisions for Bellator (lost title at 205), but Bader is undefeated as a heavyweight and continues to show that he can still hang with the best of them. Curtis is currently on a 2 fight win streak and is becoming the Francis Nganou of ground and pound. Both fighters are some of the best wrestlers in the division but are more than capable as strikers, both have a combined 26 stoppages and this number could easily be 27 should they ever meet.
Bellator: Corey Anderson (16-5) vs UFC: Jan Blachowicz (28-9): The series is tied 1-1. Corey beat Jan in 2015 by UD and Jan KO’d Corey in his final UFC fight. Corey has gone on to have a resurgence and came close to capturing Bellator’s LHW crown, if not for an accidental headbutt that caused an NC. Jan on the other hand went on to win and defend his belt, but has since lost it. Both fighters still hold animosity toward each other and it would be great to see 2 of the best LHW settle their rivalry.
Bellator: (C) Yaroslav Amosov (26-0)vs UFC: Colby Covington (17-3): Yaroslav currently has a record that no other champion even in the UFC has, an unprecedented 26 fight streak that includes names like Douglas Lima, Erick Silva, Ed Ruth and Logan Storley. The Ukrainian fighter is a master of Sambo and has demonstrated that he loves to finish opponents (19 stoppages). Colby is stuck in purgatory after losing to Usman a second time, he took out rival Masvidal and is looking to face Khamzat Chimaev to establish who is Usman’s next challenger. But a fight against Amosov would be the perfect test for both fighters who seem to be slightly behind the current 170 king.
Bellator: Douglas Lima (32-10) vs UFC: Jorge Masvidal (35-16): These two have been through just about everything that a fighter can experience, with a combined 93 fights, these two welterweights not only offer a library of knowledge and experience but also have the most fan friendly styles that an MMA fighter can have. While they may not always get their hands raised, one can’t say that these two don’t give 100% in every fight. Each fighter has 16 KO wins individually and Douglas has 10 Submissions as well. This match could be a backyard style fight in the octagon.
Bellator: Fedor Emelianenko(40-6) vs UFC: Derrick Lewis (26-9): Call me the typical UFC “just bleed” kind of fan here, but that’s exactly what this fight would lead to. While Fedor never fought in the UFC during or after his prime, he showed last October (1st round KO win) that he can still flatline any man that he faces. Derrick is the KO king of the UFC and has continuously been in the mix for a title shot with every win, while still in his prime Derrick would be the best opponent for Fedor given his willingness to trade.
Bellator: Aj Mckee (18-1) vs UFC: Brian Ortega (15-2): If not for his first career loss this past weekend to Pitbull, I would be matching him vs Volkanovski, while AJ is still one of the best 145’s in the world, he is still not ready for Volk. A fight vs T-city would test AJ to see just how ready he is for the UFC’s biggest stage and champion and considering they are both submission specialists this fight would be one of the best grappler vs grappler fights to make but don’t overlook their striking either as both have shown they are more than capable of putting you to sleep with their fists.
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