5 UFC dream matches we could see in 2019
It seems like every MMA fan has their idea of what constitutes as the right way to book fights in the UFC, and while Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby remain the promotion’s primary matchmakers, sometimes it’s pretty clear that Dana White – or the owners of the UFC, Endeavor – have more than just a hand in deciding who fights who.
We’ve already seen a major ‘superfight’ in 2019 – Henry Cejudo defended his UFC Flyweight title against UFC Bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw – and while no other champion vs. champion fights have been booked yet, fights like Velasquez vs. Ngannou and Lawler vs. Askren already have fans’ mouths watering.
Quite how the UFC sees 2019 mapping out is anyone’s guess, but here are 5 dream matches that we could potentially see later in the year.
#1 Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson
Could 2019 really see this long-awaited clash? It’s honestly tricky to tell but right now I’d lean towards it being more likely than not. The NSAC investigation into the behaviour of current UFC Lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov in the aftermath of UFC 229 has now concluded, meaning he can return to action as soon as July, and Tony Ferguson is still waiting in the wings.
One issue could be the timing of the fight; devout Muslim Nurmagomedov plans to take a self-imposed hiatus to honour Ramadan, which takes place between May 5th and June 4th, and that would mean his return would likely happen sometime in the autumn. That means that Ferguson may well be required to fight again in the interim, possibly against a dangerous opponent like Dustin Poirier.
Even if that’s the case, though, nothing Ferguson has done suggests he’s going to lose to anyone not named Khabib right now – he’s run through 11 straight opponents, after all – and so that means we could finally get the fight, which has been scrapped on 4 previous occasions, at some point later on in 2019. And naturally, it’d be awesome, with Ferguson’s wild offensive array facing off against Khabib’s seemingly unstoppable takedown and ground control.