5 incredible UFC fights to look forward to before the end of 2021

Charles Oliveira's first UFC title defense against Dustin Poirier could end 2021 with a bang

It seems hard to believe, but there are now only seven weeks left in 2021 and just five UFC events to come before the year ends.

There might be only five more UFC events left in 2021, but thankfully, there are still plenty of amazing matchups to come.

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From big-time UFC title fights to clashes featuring some of the promotion’s most exciting fighters, it’s even within the realm of possibility that we have yet to see 2021’s best fight.

With that considered, here are five incredible UFC fights to look forward to before the end of the year.

#5. Max Holloway vs. Yair Rodriguez - UFC featherweight

Max Holloway's upcoming fight with Yair Rodriguez could be an instant classic

This weekend’s UFC Fight Night event isn’t that heavy in terms of name value, but it could well produce one of the best fights of 2021 in the main event. That headliner sees former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway taking on No.3-ranked Yair Rodriguez.

There are big stakes coming into this one. While there are no guarantees the winner will fight for the UFC featherweight title next, it’s definitely likely, particularly if it’s an impressive victory.

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More importantly though, the clash of styles between the two standouts could make this one an instant classic. Both men prefer to strike than grapple, but that’s essentially where the similarities end. Holloway is probably the UFC’s premier volume striker, preferring to chain together combinations to break his opponents down, usually using his boxing skills

‘El Pantera’, on the other hand, is much wilder, preferring to throw low-percentage shots like tornado kicks and spinning elbows. While these shots don’t always land, when they do, they can produce some truly breathtaking moments.

Holloway is undoubtedly the favorite here. Rodriguez hasn’t fought since late 2019, while ‘Blessed’ beat Calvin Kattar down as recently as January. However, Rodriguez is so unpredictable that he simply can’t be counted out of any fight.

Basically, fireworks should ensue when these two aggressive and talented fighters meet in the octagon, making this one of the UFC’s must-see fights of 2021.

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