With a new year comes new things, including good ol’-fashioned fist fights. What kinds of matchups are we hoping to see in 2020? What kinds of bookings do we want the MMA gods to bless us with?
Here’s a list of some ideas and why they may (or may not) make sense:
20. A.J. Agazarm vs. Dillon Danis
This list is being kicked off by “El Jefe” himself. I know this will automatically trigger the Twitter trolls, but hear me out. Danis and Agazarm easily are two of the best grapplers Bellator has in its lighter weight classes. The two have competed against each other plenty of times in the grappling world and they don’t have a lot of love for each other. Their name value doesn’t match their experience level in MMA, so they both often have fights against unknown opponents, which makes their fights hard to promote.
So why not pit them against each other? It makes sense for both fighters skill-level wise, it could be a fun buildup, and we could certainly see some fun, world-class jiu-jitsu.
19. Kron Gracie vs. Bryce Mitchell
Let’s keep the jiu-jitsu train rolling. Gracie is jiu-jitsu royalty and Mitchell scored a cool-looking submission in his most recent fight – a twister. The UFC certainly is not shy about throwing Gracie against someone with far more experience (cough, cough – Cub Swanson). I know Mitchell is a bit more experienced than Gracie, but not by a crazy margin. Both guys need fights and have interesting and opposing personalities. Why not?
18. Frankie Edgar vs. Cory Sandhagen
This was was already booked for January 2020, but Edgar chose to take a short-notice fight against Chan Sung Jung in December and pulled himself out of this fantastic matchup.
I’m curious to see how Edgar looks at bantamweight because there is a good argument that it might be his optimal weight class and Sandhagen is a phenomenal talent in need of a big name to take his career to a new level. It makes sense for both and sure looks fun to me.
17. Irene Aldana vs. Holly Holm
Irene Aldana made a huge statement at UFC 245 when she knocked out who many considered to be the rightful No. 1 women’s bantamweight contender, Ketlen Vieira. Although Aldana certainly made a claim for being next in line for champ Amanda Nunes, she’s still a developing product and I’m not so sure how much different a fight with the consensus G.O.A.T. will look than the one with saw with Germaine de Radamie that night at UFC 245.
There are some interesting challengers left for Nunes, so a bout between Aldana and Holm could make sense – two very tall and trigger-heavy strikers who are willing to engage in fire fights.
16. Fedor Emelianenko vs. Lyoto Machida
Let’s switch gears to Bellator. The great Fedor Emelianenko is on his retirement tour, so let’s hav fun with it and say the hell with divisions. Although “The Last Emperor” is 43, he proved against ‘Rampage’ Jackson that he’s still quick, mobile, and packs a mean punch.
Lyoto Machida has expressed interest in fighting Emelianenko and he’s fought at heavyweight before. This potential booking is prime legend’s division matchmaking. I’m all for it.
15. Vicente Luque vs. Geof Neal
Two rising contenders with high-level striking and respectable knockout power, what’s not to like?
I know Vicente Luque is coming off a loss and Geof Neal off a victory, but in my mind Luque didn’t lose too much stock against Stephen Thompson. Both are relevant figures at welterweight and a loss shouldn’t derail either fighter by much since they’re still fairly young in their careers.
14. Kevin Lee vs. Charles Oliveira
Kevin Lee is no longer nitpicking or too concerned with whom he has to scrap. He’s down to take on the dangerous up-and-comers looking to climb the ladder at 155 pounds, so why not give him Charles Oliveira?
13. Carlos Condit vs. Nick Diaz 2
Carlos Condit hasn’t won a fight in nearly five years, and Nick Diaz hasn’t competed in nearly five years, so it seems fair.
We want to see where Diaz is at? Well, this a good fight to find out. It doesn’t throw Diaz to the wolves, but it also pits him against a name. Also, it seems like a fun bout to revisit since their first fight was part of a special chapter in welterweight history (remember: Diaz 1, 2, 5).
12. Colby Covington vs. Tyron Woodley
I can actually see this happening in late 2020. It looks like Colby Covington is going to be out for a while due to his broken jaw, and Tyron Woodley is being targeted to fight Leon Edwards in March. Their timelines might actually line up.
There was a lot of friction between the two when Woodley was champ and the matchup was catching traction. It would be a big fight for the welterweight division.
11. Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Darren Till
This basically follows the same logic of the Luque-Neal bout I suggested earlier on the list: two exciting rising contenders at 185 pounds with interesting striking styles. It makes sense on all angles, and will settle either fighter as a solid candidate to challenge for the title.
10. Zabit Magomedsharipov vs. Yair Rodriguez
We were teased with the matchup in 2018, and sadly it never came to fruition. It sure sounds like banger, and the featherweight division is in need of a clear No. 1 contender.
9. Paul Daley vs. Michael Page 2
I’ve said this a million times: This is Bellator’s Lewis vs. Ngannou.
It’s a fight that miserably failed expectations, but also one I think can’t possibly play out the same a second time around. Michael Page still needs to be proven in many people’s eyes, and Daley is legit. There’s still a degree of bad blood and it remains one of the biggest MMA fights to make for the U.K.
8. Jon Jones vs. Anthony Johnson (heavyweight)
This one is one of my wilder ideas, but I think it can actually work.
Jon Jones seems to be running out of contenders at 205 pounds. He’s currently scheduled to fight Dominick Reyes at UFC 246 and then there’s Corey Anderson vs. Jan Blachowicz. Beyond that, there’s not much else going on at light heavyweight – at least for clear soon-to-be contenders.
And let’s be honest: Although the challengers above are worthy opponents to Jones, they don’t cause much excitement with the fan base. Anthony Johnson could change that, given his scary power and ruthless striking style. Plus, we’ve been wanting to see Jones at heavyweight for a bit now, so it kills two birds with one massive stone.
7. Israel Adesanya vs. Yoel Romero
It seems this is the next fight in line for Israel Adesanya, but it has yet to be booked.
It makes very little sense, if I’m being honest. Yoel Romero is 1-3 in his past four bouts and he’s failed to make in two of those. Yet, the losses were controversial. Romero offers a unique challenge to Adesanya, and they’re both exciting as hell.
So just go ahead and do it, UFC. We can ignore the numbers for this one.
6. Israel Adesanya vs. Paulo Costa
If Israel Adesanya gets past berserker Yoel Romero, then Paulo Costa should be next.
If we’re blessed to see those two title fights back-to-back, we could be looking at the golden age of the UFC middleweight division. Plus, keep in mind we’d have Jared Cannonier, Robert Whittaker, Edman Shabazyan or Darren Till waiting up next, depending on results. How stacked is this division?
Adesanya vs. Costa had a fun feel when it was a possibility. The trash talk was real, but at the same time light. They’re both dangerous strikers, but polar opposites in style. It has the makings of an epic war or an epic knockout.
5. Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje
I have no clue what’s going to happen in the greatest lightweight championship booking in the history of the UFC. Tony Ferguson could very well beat Khabib Nurmagomedov, but he could very well get smashed by the unbeaten champ, as well.
Regardless of whether Ferguson becomes champion or not, I’d love to see a bout with Justin Gaethje. This would easily be the most violent matchup on paper in lightweight history. The two are some of the best strikers in the division and also some the biggest risk takers.
4. Amanda Nunes vs. Valentina Shevchenko 3
Amanda Nunes is the G.O.A.T. and she’s looked unstoppable for the last few years. The only person to challenge that statement was Valentina Shevchenko – who’s now flyweight champion.
Although Shevchenko lost both bouts against Nunes, it’s undeniable she fared well. Some even believe she did enough to beat Nunes in both fights. Either way, they were good, competitive, world-class bouts.
It’s tough to create doubt in an Amanda Nunes fight, but if anyone can do that it’s Shevchenko. She’s won four fights in a row since losing to Nunes in 2017 and she’s picked up the 125-pound title, becoming one of the most dominant looking champions in the UFC.
This would be a huge champ-champ vs. champ fight.
3. Stipe Miocic[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Daniel Cormier 3
Much like the Adesanya-Romero bout, Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier 3 is a fight that’s expected to go down in 2020, but has yet to be booked.
The first fight was an historic bout as Cormier became double champion and defeated the most successful heavyweight in the promotion’s history. The second one was one of the most exciting heavyweight title fights in the UFC, and also was one of the greatest comebacks in the division in recent memory.
So let’s get the trilogy fight going. It makes sense for both fighters. The score needs to be settled, and because the nature of both fights, there’s still major doubt on who’s really the baddest man on the planet.
2. Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor 3
I want to see Conor McGregor be active in 2020 if possible, and I also want him away from any title fights – at least for now.
McGregor is a great fighter and remains the promotion’s biggest star, but his inactivity and his lack of recent wins doesn’t merit any kind of shot at a title. Even if victorious against Donald Cerrone at UFC 246, McGregor would still not be close to any deserving contender at featherweight, lightweight or welterweight.
A trilogy fight with Diaz, win or lose against Cerrone, is the fight to make in late 2020. There is a story line there and McGregor could use some back-to-back wins. I’m not saying Cerrone and Diaz are easy matchups, but they’re far better opponents for him than Usman or Khabib Nurmagomedov.
The first two fights had fun buildups and the fights themselves were extremely entertaining. Diaz and McGregor have some sort of magic when they’re pitted again each other, and I wouldn’t mind revisiting that this year.
1. Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal
UFC welterweight champion vs. the division’s baddest mother(expletive)? Why not?
Usman vs. Masvidal checks all the boxes for me. For starters, it’s a very compelling matchup. It’s one of the biggest fights the UFC can make at 170 pounds. And most importantly, it makes sense.
Masvidal’s run in 2019 is deserving of a title shot. The man knocked out Darren Till in his backyard in the U.K., scored the fastest knockout in UFC history and handed Ben Askren his first professional defeat, and won the “BMF” title in one of the biggest fight of the year by basically demolishing Nate Diaz.
On top of that, Usman, although on the come up as a name and popular figure, still remains one of the more unknown champions in the promotion. There’s no doubt he’s the best at 170 pounds and has proven that again and again. The only thing he’s missing is an opportunity to showcase his world-class skills in a blockbuster fight. Masvidal can give him just that.
