The 10 Best Off-the-Wall Dream Fights the UFC Could Make Right Now
There are no rules anymore.
If the last year of topsy-turvy UFC matchmaking has taught us anything, perhaps that’s it. Three full years after the fight company promised us “the year of the superfight” in 2013 and then delivered bupkis, it’s finally starting to seem like a couple of division-bending dream matchups might actually happen in 2016.
These days, the featherweight champion is the top lightweight contender, the flyweight champion talks openly about fighting the bantamweight champion, and the light heavyweight champion promises it won’t be long before he moves up to heavyweight.
It’s a whole new world, where anything is possible. As a happy accident, it’s also actually starting to feel like fun and, yeah, money rule the day.
In the spirit of these crazy good times, here are my picks for the best off-the-wall, multi-divisional dream fights the UFC could make right now. The only rule is this: Two people from two different UFC weight classes have to fight each other for fun and profit (within reason).
Remember, these are for entertainment purposes only (unless UFC matchmakers Joe Silva and Sean Shelby are reading this, in which case, book these fights, dudes).
10. Luke Rockhold vs. Alexander Gustafsson
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Perhaps the most outside-the-box fight on this entire list, Rockhold vs. Gustafsson appeals on the basis of sheer physicality and as a matchup of styles. The new middleweight champion is a gargantuan man with exciting, volatile stand-up skills. Gustafsson is even bigger and has shown a knack for forcing the best athletes he’s ever fought—read: Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier—to the brink.
Does this matchup come out of nowhere? Sure. But that doesn’t make it any less awesome. Could Rockhold thrive when he’s not the bigger man? Could Gustafsson handle Rockhold’s speed and the diversity of his attack? Inquiring minds want to know.
The only bummer here is the fight would have to be at light heavyweight, so Rockhold’s title couldn’t be on the line. Still, as a one-off trifle, you could do a lot worse.
#WouldWatch Fun Fight Rating: Two-and-a-half stars.
9. Demetrious Johnson vs. Dominick Cruz
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This is a rematch of their 2011 fight, which was Johnson’s last bout at bantamweight and also his last professional loss.
In the real world, Johnson is headed for a defense of his flyweight title against Henry Cejudo at UFC 197 in April. Meanwhile, Cruz may well end up taking a third fight against Urijah Faber as his first test since reclaiming the 135-pound title from T.J. Dillashaw. On top of that, Johnson has said he’d want to get paid a pretty penny to make this fight happen, which probably makes it one of the least economically viable bouts presented here.
Still, we can dream. That’s what this list is all about.
Johnson has won nine fights in a row dating back to June 2012 and has improved enough as a fighter to make this bout interesting again. Cruz is finally healthy and ready to prove himself in the biggest pairings available. It wouldn’t get much bigger than flyweight champ vs. bantamweight champ.
#WouldWatch Fun Fight Rating: Three stars.
8. Rory MacDonald vs. Lyoto Machida
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Yeah, you read that right.
Look, it would be worth making this fight for the sheer weirdness alone. MacDonald may be the most complete competitor in all of MMA, but for some reason he just can’t get over the hump to claim his birthright as welterweight king. Meanwhile, Machida has recently dropped to middleweight as his long, great career begins to wind down.
With MacDonald coming off a loss to Robbie Lawler at UFC 189 and Machida suffering back-to-back defeats in 2015, this seems like a nice little diversion for both guys.
Plus, can you even imagine the kind of insanity that might ensue when The Red King got in the cage with the karate master? Book it.
#WouldWatch Fun Fight Rating: Three stars.
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7. Frankie Edgar vs. T.J. Dillashaw
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These two guys once again find themselves at loose ends, eh? Fresh off the loss of his bantamweight title last month, there is much speculation over what should be next for Dillashaw. Meanwhile, Edgar is waiting to see what becomes of his promised featherweight title shot while Conor McGregor treks to lightweight in search of bigger prizes.
Really, though, why keep either of these dudes on ice any longer than you absolutely have to do it? The idea of Edgar at 135 pounds has always been intriguing, and with all the weirdness going on at 145 pounds, perhaps it’s time for him to get a little creative. If he can make the weight, his slick boxing style and lightning-fast takedowns would make a perfect match for Dillashaw’s similar skills. This one shapes up as a hardcore fan’s dream.
#WouldWatch Fun Fight Rating: Three stars.
6. Anthony Pettis vs. Jose Aldo
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Remember back in simpler times, when both Anthony Pettis and Jose Aldo were dominant UFC champions who seemed like they might well spend the rest of their careers on top? My, how things have changed.
These days, both Pettis and Aldo are on the outside looking in after losing their titles to Dos Anjos and McGregor, respectively. Perhaps the good news, though, is that both men are suddenly free and available for the big-money superfight between them that briefly got so much hype back in their championship days.
Perhaps the word “super” no longer applies, but who wouldn’t want to see Aldo’s picture-perfect punches and punishing leg kicks matched up against Pettis’ gravity-defying creativity? You know Aldo is probably going to wind up at 155 pounds anyway, so let's get his lightweight career started with a bang.
#WouldWatch Fun Fight Rating: Four stars.
5. Nick Diaz vs. Vitor Belfort
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Maaaaan....just take a moment to ponder the insanity of The Young Dinosaur touching down on Planet Diaz. It’s possible these two wouldn’t even have to fight. They could just show up to the press conferences and try to out-non-sequitur each other. That alone would be worth the price of admission.
Seriously, though, with Nick Diaz making the sojourn up to middleweight for his battle with Anderson Silva at UFC 183, why not keep him there for a bit? Diaz will be free of his marijuana-related suspension by summertime, just as Belfort should be transitioning into the fun-fight twilight of his MMA career.
Belfort's first-round headhunter's blitz against Diaz's high-volume pressure? C'mon. This match makes itself.
#WouldWatch Fun Fight Rating: Three-and-a-half stars.
4. Anthony Johnson vs. Alistair Overeem
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There's no reason to overthink some of this stuff: Anthony Johnson and Alistair Overeem don’t get along. Johnson and Overeem are two of the most fearsome strikers in the UFC. Johnson has occasionally made appearances in Overeem’s weight class. You see where this is going?
Just let them bang, bro.
Johnson surged past Ryan Bader last month but is stuck waiting for the light heavyweight logjam to work itself out until Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones settle their differences in April. Overeem is also a free agent, but assuming he re-signs with the UFC, there’s no reason whatsoever not to put these two in a small cage together and see what kind of terrifying violence comes tumbling out.
#WouldWatch Fun Fight Rating: Three stars.
3. Anderson Silva vs. Georges St-Pierre
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Ah yes, the original superfight of the UFC’s modern era. It seemed like for years we were mesmerized by the "will he or won't he?" discussion surrounding Georges St-Pierre going up to 185 pounds to fight Anderson Silva.
Understandably, St-Pierre always seemed reluctant to pull trigger on this bout, which at the time would have meant him forsaking his natural weight class for a suicide mission against the consensus No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world. It all dragged on so long that eventually the whole idea got scrapped.
But now? With GSP teasing a return from semi-retirement and a fading Silva about to take on Michael Bisping in a fight that will only stream on the Internet, a GSP vs. Silva "superfight" makes more sense than ever. It’s not as though Silva is the terrifying knockout artist he once was, and it’s not as though the welterweight division will die on the vine if St-Pierre never returns.
Two legends, 185 pounds, UFC 200. Let’s do this.
#WouldWatch Fun Fight Rating: Four stars, for nostalgic purposes if nothing else.
2. Jon Jones vs. Anybody at Heavyweight
9 of 10We were so close! When UFC 196 fell apart due to the late withdrawals of Cain Velasquez and Fabricio Werdum last month, Jones briefly teased us with the idea of stepping in to fight Stipe Miocic for the heavyweight belt. Alas, it was not to be.
At least not yet. Jones will still fight Cormier for the light heavyweight title he never lost in April and then has said on social media he fancies perhaps two more fights at 205 pounds. Seriously, though, why wait? All the best, most interesting matchups for Jones exist in the heavyweight division.
Honest truth? I don’t really care who the opponent is, where it happens or what’s on the line. I want to see the greatest MMA fighter on the planet fight the heavyweights.
And I want to see it now.
#WouldWatch Fun Fight Rating: Five stars. Five. Ever-loving. Stars.
1. Conor McGregor vs. Robbie Lawler
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McGregor is calling his own shots these days and far be it from him to let his upcoming meeting with Rafael dos Anjos be the only superfight on his radar. He and coach John Kavanagh have both talked idly about a future meet-up with welterweight champion Lawler—if McGregor’s foray against Dos Anjos proves to be a successful one.
I say bring it on. McGregor has been good to his word so far during his career in the Octagon. There may be no more fun matchup in all of MMA than imaging what would happen if he ran up against Lawler. They are two dynamic and powerful strikers who want nothing more than to lay it all out there with their hearts (and their chins) on the line.
It’s the kind of thing that is so amazing, you can’t think of it too long, if you want to get anything accomplished with your day.
#WouldWatch Fun Fight Rating: Five stars.
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