Verdict MMA

2021 was a great year for mixed martial arts. From Kamaru Usman continuing his quest to become the greatest Welterweight of all-time to Francis Ngannou finally becoming the UFC Heavyweight Champion to Charles Oliveira shocking the world. We came out of 2021 with several possibilities for 2022. We discuss those possibilities below.

## Kamaru Usman vs. Khamzat Chimaev

 ![UsmanKhamzat.png](https://imagedelivery.net/kd_oB-9dZCrENaJzp7HSCA/72fecee6-7121-4637-f05f-fc59a592f900/pub)


  
Kamaru Usman is the consensus 2021 Fighter of the Year, the reigning Welterweight Champion, and pound for pound #1 fighter in the world. With two wins against both Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal, Usman has started to lap the division. UFC President Dana White has indicated that Usman will be fighting Leon Edwards next for the 2nd time. If Usman defeats Edwards, he’ll be in need of a fresh opponent. Vicente Luque is there, but there’s a new phenom on the rise in Khamzat Chimaev. Not since Conor McGregor has a newcomer taken the fight game by storm like Khamzat Chimaev. If Khamzat continues to plough through the competition, a fight between him and Kamaru Usman could take place at the end of the year. We could very well be on a collision course to see the pound for pound #1 fighter in the world defending his Championship against the most promising prospect of the past few years.  


## Francis Ngannou vs. Jon Jones

![NgannouJones.png](https://imagedelivery.net/kd_oB-9dZCrENaJzp7HSCA/2fe69d42-2376-40b7-7cbc-5c416e187200/public)

Many consider Jon Jones as the greatest fighter of all time. In his recent fights, Jones looks like he’s lost the motivation he once had. That’s why he’s decided to bulk up and move to the Heavyweight division. If there’s anyone that deserves the right to walk into a division and immediately challenge for the Championship, it’s Jon Jones. This isn’t like moving up 10 lbs in weight from Featherweight to Lightweight. Jones is moving to a division where the weight limit is 65 lbs higher than where he’s fought at his entire career. If Francis Ngannou gets past Ciryl Gane, a fight between him and Jones could be in order. The scariest fighter of all-time vs. the greatest fighter of all-time.

## Glover Teixeira vs. Jiri Prochazka

![GloverJiri.png](https://imagedelivery.net/kd_oB-9dZCrENaJzp7HSCA/aefea634-28fb-4490-91bc-731483e6f400/public)

At 42 years old, Glover Teixeira became the oldest first time Champion in UFC history when he defeated Jan Błachowicz at UFC 267. The Verdict Community had Glover as the underdog in each of his last 3 fights. His first title defense will likely be against Jiri Prochazka. The Light Heavyweight division was injected with new blood when Prochazka made his UFC debut against former title challenger Volkan Oezdemir in July of 2020. He finished Oezdemir by knockout and quickly got everyone’s attention. Prochazka then finished another former title challenger in Dominick Reyes by knockout. This was Prochazka’s 2nd fight in the UFC and it was the main event. The UFC brass seems confident in Prochazka and it’s very likely that he’ll be challenging Teixeira next. This could be the ushering in of a new era in the Light Heavyweight division.

## Dustin Poirier vs. Nate Diaz

![PoirierDiaz.png](https://imagedelivery.net/kd_oB-9dZCrENaJzp7HSCA/16bed41d-a0f7-473d-6738-3523146ceb00/pub)

This fight was originally supposed to take place at UFC 230 in Madison Square Garden, but an injury forced Poirier out of the fight. After losing his recent title fight to Charles Oliveira, Poirier said that there’s only one fight that excites him- Nate Diaz. Poirier has flirted with the idea of moving up to Welterweight for years now and there’s no better way to make a Welterweight debut than in a blockbuster fight against Nate Diaz. This fight is stylistically guaranteed to be a thriller. Dustin wants it, Nate wants it, and the Verdict Community wants it.

## Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira

![AdesanyaPereira.png](https://imagedelivery.net/kd_oB-9dZCrENaJzp7HSCA/ea363fa4-5980-4986-202f-dd1ad8e90800/public)

Like Kamaru Usman, Israel Adesanya is starting to lap his division. If he defeats Robert Whittaker again, he’ll be in need of new opponents. It’s no secret that Adesanya is chasing greatness and wants to take on the most difficult challenges. Less than one year before Adesanya made his UFC debut, he competed in his final kickboxing match against Alex Pereira who finished Adesanya by knockout. This is the only time that Adesanya was finished in his combat sports career. Pereira also defeated Adesanya by unanimous decision in 2016 in a kickboxing match. Pereira has now entered the UFC’s Middleweight division. Israel Adesanya’s division. Pereira made his successful UFC debut at UFC 268 when he finished Andreas Michailidis by knockout. If Pereira earns a few more wins and Adesanya continues to lap the division, we might see this fight sooner than expected. Adesanya certainly wants the fight.

## Petr Yan vs. TJ Dillashaw

![YanDillashaw.png](https://imagedelivery.net/kd_oB-9dZCrENaJzp7HSCA/ea2baf89-6b47-498a-8620-45fff46da800/public)

Petr Yan has quickly become one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world. He lost his Bantamweight title by disqualification last March against Aljamain Sterling. He’s set to compete in a rematch against Sterling on April 9th for the Undisputed UFC Bantamweight title. If Yan gets past Sterling, his next defense will likely be against TJ Dillashaw who was stripped of his Bantamweight title in early 2019 after a USADA violation. During Dillashaw’s 2 year suspension, Yan took over the Bantamweight division. 

## Jose Aldo vs. Dominick Cruz

![AldoCruz.png](https://imagedelivery.net/kd_oB-9dZCrENaJzp7HSCA/ec0efe4b-c0c8-45d3-b674-d6886fe66900/pub)

When the WEC merged with the UFC in 2011, Jose Aldo was the UFC Featherweight Champion and Dominick Cruz was the UFC Bantamweight Champion. Both men are widely considered the greatest fighters to ever compete in those respective weight classes. 11 years later, Aldo and Cruz are both Bantamweights and are both on winning streaks against some of the best fighters in the world. For the fans that have followed the sport for the past 10 years, this is a dream fight.

## Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje

![OliveiraGaethje.png](https://imagedelivery.net/kd_oB-9dZCrENaJzp7HSCA/c4d5a6bf-6391-4add-7524-d281cdaba700/pub)

With stoppage wins against Michael Chandler and Dustin Poirier in 2021, Charles Oliveira has proved that he’s the best active Lightweight fighter in the world. Justin Gaethje has made it clear that his ultimate goal in this sport is to win the UFC Lightweight Championship. Gaethje defeated Michael Chandler in one of the most exciting fights of 2021 and made his intention clear- he wants to fight for the Lightweight title next.

## Charles Oliviera vs. Conor McGregor

![OliveiraMcGregor.png](https://imagedelivery.net/kd_oB-9dZCrENaJzp7HSCA/d51c5153-1ec5-4edf-4c22-0a88f71be400/public)

Before you get mad, you’ve got to remember the rules are different when it comes to Conor McGregor. Though his last win in the Lightweight division was in November of 2016 when he defeated Eddie Alvarez, Conor McGregor has his sights set on Charles Oliveira and the Lightweight title when he returns to action from his injury. Not only does McGregor want that fight, Oliveira wants the fight too. As UFC Champion, Charles Oliveira receives PPV points. There’s no bigger money fight for him than McGregor who is the biggest PPV star in UFC history. Is it fair? No. Is it possible? Anything is possible when it’s Conor McGregor.

## Sean O’Malley vs. Adrian Yanez

![OMalleyYanez.png](https://imagedelivery.net/kd_oB-9dZCrENaJzp7HSCA/b20b1839-c16c-42ed-e57f-98651c29f100/pub)


The rise of Sean O’Malley has been intriguing as he’s competed against fighters outside the Top 10 and has dominated the competition with the exception of Marlon Vera. Before O’Malley competes against the Top 10 of the division, he wants to fight Adrian Yanez who is one of the most promising prospects of the Bantamweight division himself. Yanez who is on an 8 fight winning streak, has some of the best pure boxing in MMA. This would be O’Malley’s first fight in the UFC against an opponent with a longer winning streak than 3 fights.  



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