Power Ranking the 5 Best UFC Fights Currently on the Books for 2015
Between UFC 176's Aldo vs. Mendes, UFC 175's Weidman vs. Machida, UFC 171's Hendricks vs. Lawler and UFC Fight Night 40's Brown vs. Silva, 2014 was a pretty good year to watch fights.
Still in its early goings, the succeeding year has struggled to provide the same quality.
Bitter rivals took center stage to welcome 2015, as UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and former Olympian Daniel Cormier finally had it out in the Octagon. Outside of that monumental light heavyweight tilt, the UFC has found itself working hard to provide viewers with star power at both ends of the cage while providing a back-and-forth bout.
Gustafsson vs. Johnson couldn't do it, Silva vs. Diaz couldn't do it and—shocking as it was—Pettis vs. dos Anjos couldn't do it.
Stay with us as we power rank the five best UFC fights currently on the books for 2015. Fights are ranked based on the amount of hype behind the matchup and how competitive it could turn out to be.
5. Edgar vs. Faber
1 of 5
Who: Frankie Edgar vs. Urijah Faber
What: UFC Fight Night 66
When: May 16
Where: Mall of Asia Arena, Pasay City, Philippines
Why: Sitting in third place behind an injured Dominick Cruz and champion-turned-challenger Renan Barao (whom he lost to twice already), there isn't much Urijah Faber can do to further his title hopes in the bantamweight division. This notion holds even more weight when considering the fact that longtime training partner T.J. Dillashaw is the one with the title around his waist.
Frankie Edgar's story is similar. He is just two years and three fights removed from a failed attempt at conquering the featherweight champion. Having dominated the division's fifth-ranked fighter, most wouldn't have raised an eyebrow at seeing the former UFC lightweight champion receive another crack at the crown, but he didn't, and it has everything to do with Conor McGregor.
That said, both fighters need this fight. But we're not talking about a challenge-the-15th-ranked-guy fight. We're talking about the sort of fight that has a collection of superfight whispers following in its path.
4. Machida vs. Rockhold
2 of 5
Who: Lyoto Machida vs. Luke Rockhold
What: UFC on Fox 15
When: April 18
Where: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Why: Two years ago Anderson Silva found himself atop the mountain of the 185-pound division. He was fresh off his second defeat of Chael Sonnen and undoubtedly the best fighter on the planet with few contenders left in his wake.
Now that Silva's two years removed from his championship reign, the middleweight title picture is a bit of a mess—the "good" kind of mess, though. Atop that mess of fighters on the outside looking in are former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida and former Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold.
This fight could find itself atop the hindsight power rankings for plenty of reasons. Since joining the UFC (save for a highlight-reel loss to Vitor Belfort), Rockhold has proven himself as a bona fide striker. A kick to Costas Philippou's liver and a kick to Michael Bisping's head are enough to prove that.
And while you have Rockhold improving on his stand-up game with each passing fight, you've got Machida chomping at the bit to find somebody willing to stand up with him inside a cage. This one could be good—really, really good.
3. Weidman vs. Belfort
3 of 5
Who: Chris Weidman vs. Vitor Belfort
What: UFC 187
When: May 23
Where: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Why: Since the first time he defeated Anderson Silva at UFC 162, Chris Weidman has been on quite a journey to prove himself worthy of the UFC's middleweight throne.
Many of us hoped he'd get that opportunity when fighting Silva in an immediate rematch, but a freak leg-break forced Silva to suffer his second TKO loss in as many fights. Weidman remained the champion, but couldn't shake his critics' doubts.
But then he met Machida at UFC 175, and Weidman finally began to lay the foundation for his championship legacy.
Going in to his third title defense, Weidman's out to prove himself worthy of the crown again—this time against Vitor Belfort. These two have been matched up several times in the past, only to find impermeable obstacles—like Belfort's withdrawal after the banning of TRT and Weidman's multiple injuries—in the way.
These two don't like each other. Better yet, they're both absolutely certain they will walk out of the cage with the crown. Buckle up, folks.
2. Jones vs. Johnson
4 of 5
Who: Jon Jones vs. Anthony Johnson
What: UFC 187
When: May 23
Where: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Why: It seems strange to think about Jon Jones and his age. At just 27 years old, Jones is not only already the most dominant light heavyweight fighter the sport has ever seen, but firmly in the conversation as the greatest fighter of all time.
Some of it has to do with the fact he's closing in on the record for most consecutive title defenses in the promotion's 21-year history. A lot of it has to do with the fact that he's defended his title with about as much ease and dominance as we've ever witnessed.
He makes the greatest fighters on the planet look human, while transcending into something beyond what his DNA should allow himself.
But that's why a title fight with Anthony Johnson is so intriguing; because for all intents and purposes, a single punch from the former-welterweight-turned-middleweight-turned-light-heavyweight fighter could tether Jones and his ascent to new heights.
Jones has a knack for making the best look average. Johnson has a knack for knocking them out. Take your pick.
1. Aldo vs. McGregor
5 of 5
Who: Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor
What: UFC 189
When: July 11
Where: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Why: For obvious reasons, Dana White and his rich friends are pushing hard to make this the biggest fight of the year. Call it a bunch of hype if you'd like, but I'm buying in.
The fact of the matter is there's a good portion of the MMA faithful who think Conor McGregor's well on his way to the top of his division. And how can you blame them? He's dominated each fighter he's faced during his UFC tenure, often making use of his world-class striking abilities along the way.
But he's not the only reason this fight has "Fight of the Year" written all over it—the reigning featherweight champion is pretty good at fighting, too. He hasn't necessarily looked as dominant as he did when he rattled off six straight knockout wins in 2008, but he proved he still has what it takes to fend off qualified challengers during a five-round war with Chad Mendes in October.
It'll be interesting to see how long Aldo is willing to stand with the challenger or how long McGregor's willing to keep his lead leg in prime real estate for the champion's sledgehammer leg kicks. It almost certainly won't reach the Mayweather-Pacquiao numbers McGregor predicted, but that doesn't mean it won't be a successful night for the UFC.
Kristian Ibarra is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report MMA. He also serves as the sports editor at San Diego State University's student-run newspaper, The Daily Aztec, and a programming intern at Fox Sports San Diego. Follow him on Twitter at @Kristian_Ibarra for all things MMA.
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