Oliveira could face Makhachev, McGregor continues return: UFC agenda for 2022 | Local News

A disciple of the legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov, Makhachev is quickly rising through the ranks and could carry on the legacy, although he will have to defeat a man in excellent shape first.

Clearly, you can’t talk about UFC without bringing up a certain Conor McGregor but, frankly, he doesn’t look like the money fight in terms of statistical form. The Irishman will always be a draw and his social media antics will continue to make the news, but he feels increasingly out of place despite his frequent calls for a shot against Oliveira.

A potential fight with Chandler, however, would be explosive. If McGregor got over that challenge, maybe he could start dreaming about the lightweight title again. At this point in his career, that would be an achievement.

Dominant Kamaru Usman, who has hinted at a cross-promotion bout with Canelo Alvarez, could be cast for Leon Edwards or Vicente Luque as he continues his quest to be considered the greatest welterweight of all time.

If Kamaru escalated a division, however, a meeting with Israel Adesanya would surely be the biggest fight of the year. The dream game for this generation would be the Jon Jones vs. Brock Lesnar game that we never got to see.

Quite where Colby Covington is going is absolutely fascinating. Surely better than most on the planet, two losses to Kamaru left him out of the welterweight title photo, with “Chaos” now calling on Jorge Masvidal.

In the heavyweight division, Francis Ngannou looks set for Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 as the latter looks to practice after only being crowned interim champion. Gane certainly has what it takes to beat Ngannou, but the champion’s experience could be key.

Julianna Pena, who shocked the word by beating Amanda Nunes for the UFC 269 women’s bantamweight title, comes into 2022 with a title few would expect her to hold, so watching her defend it will be a big hit. enticing prospect.

For her part, Nunes doesn’t seem enthusiastic about what a trilogy fight with Valentina Shevchenko would be like, although the flyweight champion appears determined to avenge her two losses to Nunes.