Buy or Sell the Latest UFC Fight Rumors

Things are heating up for UFC fans.

Over the last few weeks, the promotion has booked a number of hotly anticipated fights—some of which we discussed in the last edition of this series.

Dustin Poirier, for example, is set to meet Max Holloway at UFC 318 this July, just as we expected. Dricus Du Plessis, meanwhile, is finally set to fight Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 in August in what could be one of the biggest fights of the year.

The promotion's matchmakers have definitely been busy.

Still, there are a number of long-discussed, widely rumored fights that the UFC has still not put together, and the time has come to take another look at how likely they are to happen.

Let's get into it.

Sell: Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall

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This is the big one. In fact, it's probably the biggest fight the UFC can make right now.

Jones, easily the greatest light heavyweight in MMA history, is now the UFC heavyweight champ. He assumed the throne in early 2023, with a quick submission of Ciryl Gane, which looked like the beginning of another legendary heavyweight title reign.

Unfortunately, it's been anything but.

Jones has fought just once since beating Gane, stopping a shopworn Stipe Miocic in fall of 2024—well over a year later.

To keep the division moving throughout Jones' inactivity, the UFC crowned Tom Aspinall the interim heavyweight champion in late 2023. Ordinarily, that would leave Jones with two choices: fight the interim champ or vacate the belt. However, regular rules don't seem to apply to him.

He is still the "undisputed" heavyweight champion, and despite endless calls for a title-unifying showdown from Aspinall, the fight is no closer to happening than it's ever been. In fact, it's looking less likely than ever.

Earlier this week, Jones took to social media where he shed a bit of light as to where his head is at. He made it clear he's not retired, but he sure didn't seem keen to fight soon either.

It's a real shame. This would be an incredible fight—arguably the riskiest of Jones' legendary career. However, it doesn't seem to interest him much as he nears the end of his fighting days. Aspinall should probably just move on.

Buy: Islam Makhachev vs. Jack Della Maddalena

Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

We have known for some time that long-reigning UFC lightweight champ Islam Makhachev had his eyes on the welterweight title. The only thing that was stopping him from climbing a weight class to pursue that title was that it was wrapped around the waist of his friend Belal Muhammad.

That's no longer the case.

Muhammad lost the belt to Australian knockout artist Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315 earlier this month. That result cleared the way for a massive showdown between Della Maddalena and Makhachev.

The new champ is certainly not the biggest name Makhachev can fight in his welterweight debut, but it almost doesn't matter who the Russian goes against. He's the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world right now, and we'll all tune in to watch him chase a second title, no matter who is standing across the cage.

We know Makhachev wants the fight. Della Maddalena has made it clear he's ready to rise to the occasion. The UFC seems to have accepted the plan, having booked Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira to fight for the lightweight belt Makhachev will be leaving behind when he moves up.

At this point, it's just a question of when it happens. Hopefully, it's soon.

Buy: Magomed Ankalaev vs. Alex Pereira II

Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Alex Pereira started 2025 as arguably the biggest star on the UFC roster. He was the promotion's light heavyweight champ, and he had defended the title with three knockouts against three very tough opponents, all in a short window. He was, quite frankly, The Man.

Things fell apart when he defended his title against Russia's Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 in March. Ankalaev, who has great wrestling, had long been considered Pereira's toughest test at light heavyweight. While Pereira surprised fans by stopping over 10 of his challenger's takedown attempts in the fight, he was ultimately beaten by decision, marking the end of his title reign.

Given Pereira's previous dominance, and his immense popularity, it was clear from the moment his first fight with Ankalaev ended that a rematch was likely. However, there has been some reason to doubt the fight will happen in recent weeks. Ankalaev recently claimed that Pereira wasn't available to fight him at UFC 317 next month. Pereira, meanwhile, expressed some frustrations with the promotion on X, though he later blamed his comments on a hacker.

Still, we've got to assume this one will happen soon. There are no better options for Ankalaev at the moment, and while Pereira seemingly won't be ready by UFC 317, we can safely assume he wants the opportunity to reclaim the belt. It's not the sure thing it initially seemed to be, but we still buy this one will be announced in the next few months.

Sell: Amanda Nunes vs. Peña-Harrison Winner

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Amanda Nunes is easily the greatest fighter in the history of women's MMA. The former UFC bantamweight and featherweight champ has been retired since early 2023, but most fans would still pick the Brazilian to beat pretty much any fighter out there at the moment. That's how good she was.

For that reason, there's been a lot of talk about her potential return to action. As any fight fan knows, MMA retirements are often short-lived, and Nunes recently caused quite a stir by suggesting she was considering returning to the Octagon.

Nunes' comment came as we await the next bantamweight title on the calendar, which will see new champ Julianna Peña defend her belt against former PFL champ Kayla Harrison at UFC 316 on June 8. Nunes has history with Peña, having gone 1-1 with the American in 2021 and 2022. However, the Brazilian absolutely dominated Peña in their second fight, which gave credence to claims that her loss in their first fight was a bit of a fluke.

The real attraction is a potential fight with Harrison. The former PFL champ is arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter competing right now, and seemingly has all the skills and physical attributes to beat Nunes. If Harrison wins the title from Peña, and Nunes is really serious about coming back, it would be a big fight.

It's hard to have much confidence in it happening, though. There are too many variables at play. First, Harrison will beat Peña, which seems likely, but is by no means certain. Secondly, Nunes would need to commit to a return to the Octagon, and the immense effort that will come with it: the training, the weight cut, the fight itself.

It could happen. Nunes could even decide to return if Peña retains the title against Harrison. For the moment, though, it seems like a real long shot. Hopefully, we're wrong.