5 potential UFC non-title fights to look forward to in 2022
The UFC has enjoyed an incredible year so far. The world's premier MMA organization has continued to churn out stellar fights and stacked fight cards time and time again. There were many memorable moments for fans to come away with, thanks to some incredible match-making by the UFC brass.
While title fights tend to steal the shine away from bouts on the undercard, hard-core fans of the sport will never forget some of the incredible non-title fights that took place in 2021.
At UFC 268, lightweight contenders Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler went toe-to-toe to kick off the main card at Madison Square Garden. The three-round bout left the fans in awe as both fighters left it all in the octagon on the night.
That's one for the history books 📚👏
[ #UFC268 | The Main Card is LIVE on ESPN+ PPV: ufc.ac/3pxVxYV ] https://t.co/EKQE6N7sTU
Other spectacular UFC non-title fights that went down this year include Dominick Reyes vs. Jiri Prochazka, Cory Sandhagen vs. T.J. Dillashaw, Shane Burgos vs. Edson Barboza, and many more.
With 2022 projected to be a historic year for the UFC as the fastest-growing sport in the world continues to grow, there is a long list of fights that fans can’t wait to see. Having already discussed the top 5 potential title fights to look forward to, we thought we’d take a look at the top 5 potential non-title fights that we need to see in 2022.
#5. Beneil Dariush vs. Islam Makhachev
Islam Makhachev enjoyed a perfect run of form in 2021. The rising lightweight contender fought thrice, defeating Drew Dober, Thiago Moises, and Dan Hooker to climb into the top five of the divisional rankings. Moreover, the Dagestani secured submission victories in all three of the bouts mentioned above.
While many believe that Islam Makhachev is the best fighter in the lightweight division, it seems as though he will need to win one more fight before securing a title shot. Despite never having fought a top-five fighter in the lightweight division, he believes he should be next in line for the belt owing to a nine-fight win streak.
It’s not my fault that I did not fight with ranked opponent, everybody declines to fight with me.
And still, I’m #4 now.. Name a single fighter from top 10 who wants to fight me now.
UFC had to overpay Hooker to take this fight🤷🏼♂️
It’s slowly turning into boxing. twitter.com/Ealvarezfight/…
However, fellow UFC lightweight contender Justin Gaethje, who is fresh off his incredible victory over Michael Chandler at UFC 268, appears to be the front-runner for the next shot at the belt. ‘The Highlight’ recently suggested that Makhachev should take on a top 5 fighter before asking for a shot at divisional gold. He suggested that Makhachev should fight Beneil Dariush.
In an appearance on the UFC Unfiltered podcast, Gaethje said:
“Makhachev fought No. 14, went to No. 5 and fought a late replacement in Dan Hooker. It wasn’t Dan Hooker on a full camp. It does not count as much, but still, it’s two top 15 guys, none in the top five, only one in the top 10. That’s not how this sh*t works. Do your f*cking job, fight these guys, and Beneil Dariush is right here. And I like the dude, he’s my friend so you know I’m just going to jump over this man and expect to get a title shot when the No. 3 guy is Beneil Dariush. Handle that. That has to be handled.”
Check out the full interview with Gaethje below:
Beneil Dariush will be Islam Makhachev’s toughest test to date. Stylistically, Dariush is a tricky matchup for the Russian, considering his heavy hands and elite-level Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The bout will certainly be a sight to behold as it has all the makings of a high-level grappling chess match.
Ali Abdelaziz, who manages Makhachev, Gaethje, and Dariush, provided a bit of clarity on the situation in an interview with TMZ Sports. He said:
“Justin Gaethje is going to be next [in line for a title shot]. Probably Beneil Dariush is going to fight Islam Makhachev.”
Check out Abdelaziz’s full interview with TMZ Sports below: