BY: SLICK L
Fooooolkssss, Slick L here, and boy there have been a lot of fights announced lately.
The UFC is already off to a banger of a 2021, and they show no signs of slowing down anytime soon! We return to fight nights this Saturday and are almost two weeks out from UFC 261, featuring three title fights. I’m going to give some early takes on fights that I’m most looking forward to as we transition into Spring/Summer.
Without further ado, let’s get into it!
UFC 262: Chandler vs. Oliveira
There’s a reason I chose to start with this fight. I am so fired up for these two guys to scrap for the vacant lightweight title. We all knew it was pretty likely that if and when this belt was vacated, Charles Oliveira would be the first to fight for it. Who he would be fighting would be the real question, and with Dustin Poirier turning the opportunity down, who better than Michael Chandler?! Folks, if you’re a fan of MMA, you know damn well who Michael Chandler is. Guy has been a beast in Bellator for the past decade, and he’s coming off one of the most impressive UFC debuts ever. Many people would look at this matchup as your typical grappler vs. boxer match, but as I said, if you know Michael Chandler, you should know that his wrestling is unreal. As we know, Oliveira’s jiu-jitsu is off the charts. He had a spectacular fight in all aspects against Tony Ferguson. My early lean is Chandler, even though I would expect Oliveira to be the favorite. To me, Chandler looks like he’s training harder than ever and has never been more motivated. The fight takes place at UFC 262 in Houston, Texas, on May 15.
UFC 264: Poirier vs. McGregor III
Well, okay, I’d be a DAMN FOOL if I said I wasn’t waiting anxiously for this fight. Everyone is, it isn’t a surprise… I must say that I am delighted both camps worked this out and set it in stone as quickly as they did. When you’re trying to arrange a rematch fight with two of the most well-known fighters in the world, typically, there’s going to be logistics and conditions. I wasn’t too hopeful we’d even see the trilogy until the end of 2021. But nope, these guys are running it back in July! What I’m most intrigued to see here is the opening odds on this fight. Knowing Vegas, McGregor will probably still be the favorite, but no way it can be as juiced this time around. People that bet on Dustin last time made serious money. I think he was like a +280, if I’m not mistaken. I think Conor was too confident in his abilities last time around and clearly wasn’t prepared for the improvements Porier had made since their initial meeting. I expect we get a bit of the old Conor leading up to this fight, and that’s what he should do. Obviously, come back with a more MMA-based approach and get under Dustin’s skin a little bit before the fight. That’s half the reason we tune in. He also happens to be one of the most famous fighters on the planet.
Potential: Ngannou vs. Jones
This fight has to happen. Plain and simple. If the UFC chokes on making this fight, they will have missed out on probably the biggest box office fight in martial arts heavyweight history. It would be that good. I understand people’s frustration seeing Jon Jones publicly stating that $10M wouldn’t even be enough. I get it, but here’s the thing, people. It doesn’t matter. Pay the dude. Do you want to know why he wants that kind of money? Because he is the GOAT, and that is not up for debate in my mind. Sure, Derrick Lewis would take the fight right now, but we don’t want to see Ngannou vs. Lewis! Obviously, it would be better than their last fight, but Derrick Lewis is not even close to Jon Jones’ level. Dana has the money. There’s no doubt about that. On top of that, Dana has been saying the winner of Ngannou vs. Miocic would face Jon Jones since he booked that title fight! I would be shocked if a deal got done anytime soon, but either way, it must be done at some point.
For live updates and breaking news, follow Trainwreck Sports, Crossing Swords, 2 Goalies 1 Mic, Happy Hour Hoops, and The Crowd Assist Podcast on Twitter or subscribe to our YouTube channel
The Sports Desk can be reached at editorialtrainwrecksports@gmail.com