Ranking the Best Fights Scheduled in 2019
If you follow MMA closely, sometimes it's hard to remember that the sport actually involves a sport.
Yes, Virginia, there are fights to be had, many of them involving pretty good fighters. And these are cage fights, of course. Not the fights that happen on social media or buses. No, we're talking about good, wholesome, civilized cage fighting.
What we're going to do right now is take a look at the events calendar—UFC and otherwise—and highlight the 10 best scraps on the docket as of Friday. Yes, big fights are in the mix, but so are more under-the-radar matchups.
Ready? Great. Let's make MMA a sport again.
The Undercard
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10. Tatiana Suarez vs. Nina Ansaroff
Event: UFC 238, June 8
Weight class: Women's strawweight
Why it's great: The UFC is always on the look out for The Next Ronda Rousey. Could Olympic-level wrestler Tatiana Suarez fit the bill? She's currently third on the official UFC rankings with a 7-0 pro record including a perfect four-for-four in the UFC, three of which came by stoppage. Currently on a four-fight win streak, Nina Ansaroff (10-5) is one slot below her on that list, meaning the winner is a virtual lock for the next title shot.
9. Benson Henderson vs. Adam Piccolotti
Event: Bellator 220, April 27
Weight class: Lightweight
Why it's great: Former UFC lightweight champ Benson Henderson (26-8) has had a tough time getting it rolling since moving to Bellator in 2016. His penchant for low-action, razor-thin decisions doesn't help; only two of six contests have ended inside the distance during his 3-3 run in the Bellator cage.
Piccolotti (11-2) was once considered a title challenger until losing two straight. But winning two straight afterward got him this shot against Bendo. The winner remains relevant, but the loser could have a long way to fall.
8. Rory MacDonald vs. Jon Fitch
Event: Bellator 220, April 27
Weight class: Welterweight
Why it's great: Rory MacDonald (20-5) handled Paul Daley and then Douglas Lima to capture the Bellator welterweight title. This will be his first defense. MacDonald is well-known to fans for his long career in the UFC.
Fitch is an even more well-traveled journeyman, familiar for a grinding, control-heavy style. But at 41 years old and with a 31-7-1 (1) record, Fitch—for all his name recognition—may have seen better days.
8. Michael Chandler vs. Patricio Freire
Event: Bellator 221, May 11
Weight class: Lightweight
Why it's great: Bellator's greatest warhorse is three-time and reigning lightweight champion Michael Chandler (19-4). Not far behind is another battle-tested action hero in Patricio "Pitbull" Freire (28-4), who just so happens to be the promotion's featherweight title holder. Freire will move up to challenge for the 155-pound strap.
Both are well-rounded and hard-hitting, with Chandler using a wrestling base and Freire falling back on his jiu-jitsu. Both come forward, so expect plenty of action.
6. Jon Jones vs. Thiago Santos
Event: UFC 239, July 6
Weight class: Light heavyweight
Why it's great: Don't get me wrong; any Jon Jones fight is appointment viewing. It's just that he (24-1-1) put a bit of a damper on this one when he teased a superfight with heavyweight ex-champ Stipe Miocic right as this one was announced.
Thiago Santos (21-6) is a bona fide beast, with 15 knockouts to his name, each one more rabid than the last. But he only has three bouts under his belt at 205 pounds—all three knockouts, of course—and his top UFC opponent to date was arguably Anthony Smith, who just fell seriously short against Jones. A puncher's chance? Sure. But it will take more than that to make this feel like a close contest on paper.
5. Jorge Masvidal vs. Ben Askren
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Event: UFC 239, July 6
Weight class: Welterweight
Why it's great: This one isn't quite official yet, but with Ariel Helwani of ESPN reporting the details, it's a pretty safe bet we'll see it happen.
This is one of those boom-or-bust matchups, but it includes two of the most interesting fighters on the jam-packed welterweright roster.
Jorge Masvidal (33-13) is as dynamic as they come when he's on, but he is prone to bouts of inactivity that leave fans frustrated. To illustrate, he's 3-2 in his last five bouts. The wins were all knockouts; the losses were close decisions.
So he really needs to finish as he did in his last bout, an electric second-round flattening of Darren Till.
Here's the thing, though: Ben Askren is the anti-finish. The Olympic wrestler (19-0-1) has never been bested, and he loves to impose his will by taking opponents down and smothering them on the mat.
In his UFC debut in March, Lawler appeared to be on his way to a stoppage before Askren won on a questionable stoppage of his own.
This is a very interesting battle of styles, where the winner should be evident far before anyone's hand is raised.
4. Gegard Mousasi vs. Rafael Lovato Jr.
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Event: Bellator 223, June 22
Weight class: Middleweight
Why it's great: Gegard Mousasi (45-6-2) might just be the best fighter on the Bellator roster. He's on an eight-fight win streak including three-for-three in Bellator. Most recently, he captured the middleweight title with a second-round TKO of Rory MacDonald.
Mousasi is truly dangerous in all phases and has a sky-high fight IQ. As fans of his deadpan demeanor know, he never seems to get rattled.
Rafael Lovato might put that to the test, though.
Lovato (9-0) moved to Bellator after winning just about every grappling and jiu-jitsu world championship there is to win. The fourth-degree BJJ black belt has six MMA wins by submission and is a holy terror on the mat.
This is a chess match through and through and is must-see TV for anyone who values ringcraft, er, cagecraft.
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3. Kelvin Gastelum vs. Israel Adesanya
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Event: UFC 236, April 13
Weight class: Middleweight
Why it's great: The interim UFC middleweight championship—if such distinctions are valuable to you—is on the line in this co-main event.
You'll need to have been living under a rock by this point not to know Israel Adesanya (16-0), who has made short work of some pretty solid names since joining the UFC in February 2018. This will be his sixth fight since then, meaning he's willing to work and taking little damage in these contests.
He's a striking wizard with deceptive power. He works great angles, controls range brilliantly and hits with peerless precision. He hasn't been here long, but the flamboyant finisher has earned this title shot.
Kelvin Gastelum (15-3-1), while Adesanya earns the lion's share of the headlines, is a relentless pressure fighter, Gastelum has formidable wrestling and ground-and-pound. Adesanya's takedown defense has proved equal to the task thus far, but Gastelum will test it like never before.
2. Jose Aldo vs. Alexander Volkanovski
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Event: UFC 237, May 11
Weight class: Featherweight
Why it's great: This fight may well signal the end of the MMA line for the great Jose Aldo. Although the 32-year-old (28-4) has one fight left on his contract after this one, he has indicated he may like to move over to boxing.
We'll see what happens, but after the spectacular knockout of Renato Moicano in his last bout, Aldo is a vital figure on the UFC landscape again.
The multi-time featherweight champ will sometimes go dormant during matches, with his outstanding defense and counter-striking instincts almost serving as an autoimmune reaction against the fight itself. But when he's firing on all cylinders, his efficient-but-deadly offense is a sight to behold.
Alexander Volkanovski (19-1) is a more-than-worthy opponent for Aldo on this card, which goes down in Aldo's native Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. T
he Australian likes to use his kickboxing in the cage (11 knockouts on his ledger to date), but he backs it up with a solid freestyle wrestling base. Wins over Darren Elkins and Chad Mendes vaulted him to the top of the division, where he sits fourth in the official rankings. Aldo, however, is first.
If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. Outside the immediate championship picture, these two more than qualify.
1. Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier
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Event: UFC 236, April 13
Weight class: Lightweight
Why it's great: Another interim title is on the line here when lineal featherweight champ Max Holloway (20-3) moves up to 155 pounds to face the streaking Dustin Poirier (24-5-1). It doesn't get any better than this.
Both men are well-rounded, and both are finishers. When healthy, Holloway is one of the most dangerous fighters in the sport today at any level. (This bout at lightweight could help him on that front since it will make for an easier weight cut).
His combinations come at the opponent like lightning, mixing long-range punches and kicks in unusual groupings. He's a deeply intelligent fighter who gets the most out of his reach and angles—not to mention the weaknesses of his opponents.
Poirier has been inching his way into the limelight for years now, and an 8-1 (1) record since returning to lightweight, including a current three-fight streak over the likes of Anthony Pettis, Justin Gaethje and Eddie Alvarez, have put him right on the precipice. Here's where he takes the leap.
A technician with a brawler's instincts, he's always had that take-two-to-give-one mindset, to which his nine career performances bonuses can attest. But he appears to be more measured of late (at times) and his punches (particularly a sweet power jab) are as dangerous as any, either alone or in combination with his kicks.
Poirier will probably want to get inside on Holloway and dirty this one up, though that's far easier said than done.
It's a tough fight to call, with Poirier's chin and cardio perhaps playing big roles down the stretch.
Go ahead and pencil this one in as your UFC 236 fight of the night, despite the loaded field. It has all the makings of a classic.
Scott Harris covers MMA and does feature writing for Bleacher Report.
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