Paul Craig VS. Volkan Oezdemir is one of the fights I am looking forward to this weekend between two ranked light heavyweights. Craig is on a four fight winning streak and is ranked #8 in the division with his last two wins being over Jamahal Hill who is ranked #10 and Nikita Krylov who is ranked #11. Craig has very aggressive Jiu Jitsu and will force his opponents to fall on top of him so he can submit them off his back, so he’s very exciting to watch. His opponent Oezdemir has fallen on some tough times with losing his last two fights back to back. Oezdemir is ranked #9 and is still very dangerous and has insane power and has 12 KO/TKOs. Oezdemir does need a win or he might be on the chopping block and I believe he knows this so we might see his best performance. There is definitely going to be a finish between these fighter’s either a submission win by Craig or a KO/TKO by Oezdemir.

Alexander Gustafsson VS. Nikita Krylov is another light heavyweight fight I am looking forward to this weekend. I believe this is Gustafsson’s last chance at a title run. He is on a 3 fight losing streak and really needs a win this Saturday. He also has not fought in 2 years and his last outing was at heavyweight however this Saturday he returns to light heavyweight hopefully back and better. Gustafsson has had a long career and has seen plenty of success and accomplishments; the only thing he hasn’t been able to accomplish is capturing a championship belt. This might be Gustafsson’s last chance to make a run at gold. He takes on Nikita Krylov who is ranked #11 in the division with over a 90% finishing rate and is capable of getting submissions and TKO/KOs. Krylov is also in need of a win because he’s on a 2 fight losing streak. Both fighters have their backs against the wall so I believe this fight will not be going the distance because they will be looking to make a statement and show why they still belong in the UFC.

Uriah Hall Vs. Andre Muniz is a fight on the early prelims which is insane to me it should be higher on the fight card. Uriah Hall is a true veteran of the UFC, he has been with the promotion since 2013 and has managed to stay in the top 10 of the middleweight rankings at the age of 37. He might be considered a gatekeeper but he is still capable of being a challenge to anyone he faces with his unorthodox style. Hall also has won 4 out of his last 5 fights. He takes on Andre Muniz who is a very talented prospect who is currently ranked 13 in the middleweight division. Muniz is undefeated in the UFC and has racked up 4 wins in the promotion. His Brazilian jiu-jitsu is on a whole different level and has submitted his last two opponents by arm bar and Muniz is the first person to submit the legend Ronaldo Souza. This fight in my eyes is 50/50 because Muniz can either submit Hall or Hall can get a highlight TKO/KO. A very exciting fight for the early prelims.

Brad Tavares Vs. Dricus Du Plessis is a fight in the prelims I am most excited for. I always enjoy watching Tavares fight and he is taking on a very well-known and talented prospect who might be the future of the middleweight division. Tavares is a savvy veteran who’s fought the who’s who of the middleweight division and has been able to compete with the best. Tavares has been competing in the UFC since 2011 which is remarkable especially since the UFC cuts Individuals off the roster with no hesitation. Tavares is on a two fight winning streak and is looking to take the hype away from Du Plessis. Du Plessis is a young lion who has won championships in other promotions such as Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki and Extreme Fighting Championship. Du Plessis has an 100% finishing rate with 7 KO’s and 9 submissions, if he can get through Tavares with flying colors he’s definitely going to skyrocket to the top. Du Plessis has won his first two fights in the UFC and has a tough challenge ahead of him in Brad Tavares.

Brad Riddell Vs. Jalin Turner is set to be the main event on the prelims and it’s because this fight is going to be full of fireworks. Brad Riddel is fighting out of city kickboxing which is a notorious gym due to champion Israel Adesanya and champion Alexander Volkanovski training there. Therefore Riddell trains with some of the best fighters in the world and is currently ranked #14 in the lightweight division which fans think is the toughest division in the UFC. He is a very tremendous striker who can stand with the elite in the division he is coming off a loss against Rafael Fiziev who is currently ranked #10 in the division so I believe he wants to bounce back with a spectacular win against Turner. Jalin Turner is on a 4 fight win streak and has looked very impressive in his past fights and has 100% finishing rate with 9 TKO/KO and 3 submissions. He is very tall and has a long reach for the division, he is 6’3 with a 77 inch reach compared to Riddell being 5’8 with a 71 inch reach. That’s why he’s been a problem for most of his opponents because his opponents have trouble closing the gap with him. Riddell is Turner’s toughest competition at lightweight so if he’s able to get a win Saturday night I believe he’s going to be a threat in the lightweight division due to his size and power he brings to fights.

Jiří Procházka became the new UFC Light Heavyweight Champion this past weekend in sporadic fashion by submitting Glover Teixeira in the fifth round with only 28 seconds left in the final round. If Teixeira would’ve made it to the final bell he would still be champion because he was winning on all three judges’ scorecards. However, Teixeira was submitted and Prochazka was crowned the new Light Heavyweight champion. Jiří Procházka is the first Czech Republic fighter to ever become champion in the UFC and has become one of Europe’s biggest stars. I believe he did take some brutal damage in this past fight and he might be out sometime so what awaits him when he decides to enter that octagon again. I would love for him to take a rematch against Teixeira due to the fight being so close and Teixeira being at the end of his career, Teixeira is 42 so father time is against him. Hopefully Teixeira gets a rematch.

I believe Procházka’s next opponent is Jan Błachowicz, two of Europe’s biggest UFC stars going head to head for the Light Heavyweight championship belt. Poland Vs. Czech Republic would most likely sell out the biggest arena in Europe. Błachowicz is coming off a win and was the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion before Teixeira so he is more than deserving of a fight against Procházka for the belt. I do believe the threat that Błachowicz has is his power and great stand up, he’s wise and very patient and that will be something Procházka will have to worry about.

If that fight falls through the next runner up who will deserve a titled shot would be the winner of Anthony Smith Vs. Magomed Ankalaev. Both fighters bring their uniqueness and will cause some troubles for Procházka. Ankalaev has amazing wrestling but he also is a very good striker and has great up the middle and high kicks but after watching Procházka last fight I think he is capable of holding his own in the wrestling department against Ankalaev. I think Procházka’s bizarre ways of striking will be a handful for Ankalaev and will be a big test for him. If Smith is the next opponent for Procházka I believe he would be the biggest test for Procházka because Smith has incredible Muay Thai and kickboxing. Also is very tricky in his Jiu Jitsu. Smith Vs. Procházka would be a very high-level striking match.

Therefore when Jiří Procházka does return to the octagon hes has a lot of options to pick from.

At UFC 274 Charles Oliveira finished Justin Gaethje with a rear-naked choke. Oliveira was stripped of his belt and champion title due to missing weight but still proved he’s the best lightweight in the world and deserves to be the champion. As of right now he’s ranked number 1 and the belt is vacant. Therefore, who should Oliveira fight for the vacant lightweight belt. Conor McGregor is the first option that comes to mind, is McGregor deserving of a title shot no but he’s the UFC biggest star of all time and Oliveira deserves a big pay day. Also I believe the rest of the top 5 are one win away from a titled shot. I understand everyone believes Islam Makhachev deserves a title shot but I rather see him fight Beneil Dariush. Makhachev hasn’t faced anyone in the top 5 so I do not see why he’s deserving of a title shot. Whoever wins between Makhachev and Dariush should face Oliveira for the vacant belt or whoever is champion by that time. I also believe Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler should face each other for the next person in line to fight Oliveira, whoever wins can get a rematch against Oliveira. I truly believe everyone else in the top 10 are a couple of wins away from being in the conversation so it might be some time before we see Oliveira in the octagon again. Maybe Charles Oliveira will take some time off and enjoy being a champion because no one in my opinion is truly deserving of a titled shot.

Darren Till Vs. Joaquin Buckley, does it make sense? I believe it can make sense. Earlier this week a video surfaced all over the internet of an interaction between Till, Buckley, and Khamzat Chimaev. Buckley approaches Till and Chimaev stating that he wants to fight Till and comments “let’s make money”. That right there is a great reason for the fight to be made. Two of UFC biggest stars going head to head. It can be a fight night main event or a Pay per view co-main. Besides the money they will both make I honestly think it will be good for both of them. Till really needs a win he’s won 1 out of his last 5 I know Buckley is not ranked in the top 15 but still has enough publicity to make the fight worth it. Buckley has one of the greatest and most seen knockouts in MMA history so a win over him will of course bring more attention to TIll. This would also be good for Buckley because Till is ranked 8Th in the middleweight division so it would give Buckley a chance to break into the top 10 and work closer to a title shot. Till could also benefit from fighting an unranked opponent because he’s been thrown to the wolves since his stardom and really needs a win.

This would give Till an opportunity to get back in the win column because another loss could place him on the chopping block. Both fighters would benefit but I believe Till needs a win more so he would be faced against an individual in Buckley who has nothing to lose. Stylistically this fight will be fireworks even if Buckley has a wrestling background I believe this fight will be a standup war. Till has an amazing Muay Thai/ kickboxing style that makes every fight fun to watch and Buckley is strong and very explosive. Till will be using his elbows as counters as Buckley throws his looping punches. Till will have to keep Buckley on his back foot so it’ll make it harder for him to go for takedowns and use his wrestling. Buckley being the athlete he is, he will probably use his strength and power to push Till against the cage and not allow him to throw kicks and any long attacks. This fight would be a great fight honestly and will help both fighters careers, I do not believe Till will take it but I think he’s better off fighting Buckley than some other monster in the top 5 that the UFC will probably throw at him. I wanna see both of the fighters succeed so whoever they fight next I hope they get closer to the top.

After a very spectacular hard fought decision win over Gilbert Burns at UFC 273 who should his next opponent be? I believe after beating the number 2 welterweight in the world it has opened the door for multiple options. He did have a long grueling fight with Burns so I believe he’ll take some time off to recover and get back to fighting shape. When Chimaev does decide to take another bout he will have many options, the first that comes to mind is Colby Covington. Colby is ranked #1 and it makes sense, since Chimaev just beat Burns who was ranked #2. If the fight ever does come to fruition it will be one of the biggest fights the promotion ever did. It can be a main event on a pay per view and sell tons of pay per views. The only thing I can see preventing the fight is what’s happening behind the scenes with Covington and Masvidal and all the legal things and charges Covington has put on Masvidal. Another worthy opponent would be Leon Edwards if he loses his title shot against Kamaru Usman. If Leon does lose against Usman, Chimaev would be a great bounce back fight. Also the winner of Vicente Luque and Belal Muhammed would be a good opponent for Chimaev; it could be a title eliminator.

I would personally like Chimaev and Sean Brady to fight because I believe they are the future of the welterweight division. I also believe Chimaev wouldn’t mind taking that fight since he seems to be open for anything. The last thing I can think of for Chimaev is a rematch against Gilbert Burns. Their first fight was with fireworks and it was very intense. Their fight is a fight of the year candidate. I believe no one would say no to a rematch, it’ll just be an even bigger fight and the UFC would benefit from it again. I think the time Khamzat Chimaev will take off will give the welterweight division time to figure out things. Especially with the future of the welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman he’s recently talked about retirement and even a boxing match with Canelo Alvarez. I believe after his fight with Leon Edwards we will know what’s the future of the division.