MacMally: Four Fights That Need to Happen in 2024
Who is excited for a big year of UFC fight nights? MacMally certainly is, and has gone through four fights that need to happen in 2024.
Ladies and gentlemen, fight enthusiasts, and those who simply can’t resist the allure of MMA drama and the violence that proceeds, hold onto your asses and hear me out. I realise some of these matchups would need a fight or two beforehand to make sense but bear with me and let’s dive headfirst theoretically into the post-USADA era of UFC, where legends are forged or destroyed, egos are sliding into wife’s DMs, and fans will invite fighters to live rent free in their minds for a decade for crashing their $5 parlay. I am so ready for MMA TO BE BACK.
Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya 3: This isn’t over, Bro
I don’t see a lot of people calling for this fight. I just don’t think this story is finished. It’s one of the greatest rivalries we’ve seen in MMA. The history of these two is deeper than a book by George R.R. Martin. These two have a history hotter than a bottle of that stuff that makes celebrities cry on Hot Ones. This is a rivalry of Biblical proportions and the twist on what would be their third clash in the Octagon under MMA rules? A new weight class. One Pereira now holds the throne over. After knocking out Pereira to regain the middleweight title, the only thing more epic to exact his revenge over his persistent nemesis other than sliding into Alex’s recent ex-girlfriend’s Instagram DMs would be to step back up to 205 and challenge for Pereira’s new title. Guys, come on. This isn’t over. One more for the homies.
Tom Aspinall vs. Jon Jones: A Battle of the Ages… Literally
Did the fans and both fighters deserve a Stipe Miocic vs Jon Jones fight? Yes. Does Tom Aspinall deserve a shot at the undisputed title after dispatching the Russian version of Shane Carwin on short notice? Yes. So what do we do? I feel like the UFC shot themselves in the foot by bringing in an interim title to save a PPV. With how good Aspinall looked, it ruined what mediocre hype Stipe vs Jon had. We didn’t realize Tom was THAT good just yet. Some may have predicted so but knocking out Sergei the way he did produced a receipt longer than buying a pack of gum at CVS pharmacy. By the time Jones is ready to go, and assuming he wins, how long does that sideline Aspinall while he’s clearly entering his prime? To most fans Stipe vs Jon was a foregone conclusion. It was Jon Jones’ fight to lose. This isn’t a rip on Stipe, but that fight just seemed to have lost all momentum the second the Russian juggernaut hit the canvas. England’s new kid on the block brings modern MMA wizardry to the table, while Jones is the OG who probably learned a few moves from cavemen and hasn’t lost since people started recording history. We need to know, is Tom Aspinall or Jon Jones the heavyweight HIM? It’s a showdown like if we got Barry Bonds vs Aaron Judge in a homerun derby, but with more tattoos and cauliflower ears.
Conor McGregor vs. Islam Makhachev: Like dropping Mentos into a Diet Coke
Conor McGregor has no right to fight Islam Makhachev right now. Who even knows who he really fights when he comes back? Chandler at 185? I call cap. It may be Chandler after all but it’s undeniable, based on his pull and Dana White Privilege, Conor is always one good win away from a title fight. We will never see Khabib vs Conor 2. We don’t need to run that back, either. There is another. Do you guys remember the lead up to the Khabib fight? That buildup needed the National Guard on standby. There is no reason to think Islam vs Conor wouldn’t produce the same insanity. All fighters will have to use Uber throughout the week because buses will not be present. Heavy equipment will have to be carried by hand because hand trucks are temporarily banned from the venue. Dillon Danis will bring a mouthguard and a taser to sit cageside… MMA Twitter will erupt into a civil war witnessing it. 2024 is already off to a wild start in the news, let’s embrace it and show this year we can get crazy, too. It’s like the MMA version of the Palpatine sending Darth Vader to kill Obi Wan. But in Madison Square Garden and ESPN will be broadcasting it. Or something like that. Master’s apprentice vs his greatest old rival. Inject it into my veins.
Khamzat Chimaev vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov: Oh wait he’s a middleweight now
This is one of the best skill matchups we could possibly see between two guys who don’t have a title. Chimaev seems to have left 170 in the dust so scrap that idea. Give me Chimaev vs Strickland. Of course, Strickland will have to get through Dricus but I must say I believe his cardio and energizer bunny pressure could end up being enough to get by the not economically friendly style of Du Plessis. With that said, they already said Chimaev vs Kamaru would produce the next title shot. I like Strickland vs Chimaev more than Chimaev taking on Izzy or someone else. Let him heal from the health issues he displayed he’s having on Instagram and get that lad a title shot. Khamzat beating Strickland wouldn’t be insanely surprising, but I’m looking into my crystal ball and trying to will a path for the real biggest undefeated receipt waving prospects. Bo Nickal vs Khamzat Chimaev. I know a lot of things have to go right for this whole scheme to happen but let me have this. I wanna see the absolute chaos that ensues on the feet when two of the best wrestlers that have graced the octagon decide they’d rather stand and bang to prove a point like Damian Maia and Ben Askren.
Francis Ngannou vs Literally anyone not in the PFL
Look, I’m not being a hater but facts are facts. There isn’t a single person in the PFL that makes me perk up at the idea of a scrap with a man who just dropped Tyson Fury in his boxing DEBUT. Would the Brazilian titan Renan Ferreira who has been clearing out PFL rankings like Francis did the UFC be a cool fight? Sure, but deadass knock it off. When Francis Ngannou dropped the 9 foot tall Gypsy Goliath, he inserted his name into potential fights with the likes of the elites like Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder and Oleksandr Usyk. There is simply no reason Francis should be entertaining anything outside of fighting in a blockbuster boxing PPV. That man did not go through what he has to sell 73 PPVs fighting someone from Dick’s Sporting Goods in a cage that tracks your punches at an insanely underwhelming 16 miles an hour. Please MMA Gods, that’s our golden boy.
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