Henry Cejudo - Alexander Volkanovski


It's been a little less than two years since Henry Cejudo defeated Dominick Cruz at UFC 249 and announced his retirement from mixed martial arts.

Even then, many were skeptical about this statement and called his return a matter of time.

And so far it looks like they were right.

Over the past months, the American has been actively fueling the excitement around his next fight and was looking for an opportunity to either earn a round sum or win titles in three different categories of the Absolute Fighting Championship for the first time in history.

And it is possible that in the near future he will achieve one of the goals.

Recently, Cejudo managed to challenge Conor McGregor and Alexander Volkanovski.

But if organizing a meeting with the first of them seems unlikely for a number of reasons, including a huge difference in size and a complete lack of interest on the part of the Irish, then fighting the Australian is quite feasible.

Even if the champion himself is not eager to put the belt on the line in the confrontation with Henry, this is unlikely to become an obstacle for Dana White and company.

Firstly, his opinion does not carry the same weight as the position of his more stellar counterpart, and a duel with an American could benefit the promotion's featherweight division.

At the very least, it will cause much more excitement than another rematch with Max Holloway or a one-sided beating of Cheng Sung Jung.

Cejudo himself has already indicated that the fight with Volkanovski attracts him the most.

According to him, it was the Australian who inspired him to put on the gloves again, so Henry encouraged him to sign the contract.

But if everything is going so well, and the star fighter himself is ready to enter the cage with a physically more powerful opponent, then why is the promotion management still silent?

Apparently, White is afraid of repeating history four years ago.

In November 2017, a duel took place between Georges St-Pierre and Michael Bisping.

Unlike Cejudo, the Canadian did not compete for almost four years, but returned at a time when the middleweight belt was owned by not the most skillful and convenient opponent for him.

Subsequently, he won an early victory and became a champion in two categories, but did not make any more defenses, citing health problems.

By doing so, he stagnated the division and prevented the company from cashing in on future high-profile title defenses.

This is probably why the UFC president is in no hurry to meet Cejudo.

However, he also did not put an end to this battle, therefore, the parties only had to agree on a price.

If Henry reassures management that he will not retire after a possible victory, then he will surely enlist White's support and get a chance to cement his status as one of the greatest fighters in the history of mixed martial arts.

Conor McGregor - Kamaru Usman


As for McGregor, if he is absolutely not interested in meeting Cejudo, then the battle with the current king of the welterweight division is his main goal at the moment.

The Irishman himself has repeatedly admitted that he feels comfortable in the weight of 77 kg and does not intend to go through grueling weight races again.

Especially after a serious injury received in the third fight with Dustin Poirier.

Thus, he effectively abandoned the fight with the winner of the championship fight between Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje, finally focusing on Kamaru Usman.

In this case, all parties expressed interest in organizing the battle.

McGregor was quick to belittle Usman's skills both on the stand and on the ground, and declared his readiness to knock him out.

And the manager of the Nigerian Ali-Abdel Aziz made it clear that his client is ready to fight not only according to the rules of mixed martial arts, but also boxing.

White also did not stand aside, called Conor's possible confrontation with Kamaru "interesting" and promised to personally discuss this issue with the Irishman.

And if the rumors are to be believed, it didn't end there.

As the well-known fighter Chael Sonnen said in the past, the UFC management personally contacted Leon Edwards, the first contender for the welterweight title, with a request to cede the right to fight to McGregor.

Moreover, in return, they promised to pay him not only a fee for an unannounced duel with Usman, but also a bonus for winning.

And although there has not yet been an answer, the Englishman may well postpone the rematch with Kamaru.

Especially in the event that he will be guaranteed to him in the future.

The only question is whether McGregor really needs it.

In the last four fights, he suffered three defeats, moreover from smaller opponents, and even seriously injured his leg.

And although he himself positively assesses his own experience in welterweight performances, the victories over Nate Diaz and Donald Cerrone hardly give a reason to consider himself ready for the battle with Usman.

He not only surpasses the Irishman in size, but is also an extremely uncomfortable opponent for him.

At best, Conor faces a five-round strike on the ground, and at worst, a crushing knockout akin to what Kamaru performed in a rematch with Jorge Masvidal.

Jon Jones - Stipe Miocic


There could be another big comeback this summer.

In February 2020, one of the greatest fighters in MMA history, Jon Jones, defeated Dominick Reyes in a close match and announced his intention to move up to heavyweight, but has since fought mostly against inner demons.

In September 2021, he once again became the hero of police chronicles when he was detained on charges of domestic violence, bodily harm and damage to a police car.

And it cost him not only the relationship with the bride, but also a place in the Jackson Wink MMA hall, which was his second home for 12 years.

Apparently, the American managed to get through one of the darkest periods in his life and get as close as possible to the fulfillment of the task that he set for himself two years ago.

Injury Francis Ngannou actually cleared the way for him to the title of champion in the most prestigious weight.

The Cameroonian will not return to the cage in 2022, which will most likely force the promotion to introduce a temporary belt.

And it is likely that Jones and former trophy winner Stipe Miocic will play it among themselves.

Surprisingly, the former rival of both athletes, Daniel Cormier, who had been in extremely tense relations with Jones for a long time, was the first to voice such an idea.

According to him, the confrontation with Miocic will answer the question of whether John is able to compete with the strongest in the new category, and also guarantee a superfight after the return of Ngannou.

Apparently, Jones himself liked this idea, which he hastened to report on social networks.

The idea of ​​organizing a duel between the two legends also inspired White.

According to him, the battle between Jones and Miocic makes sense, but it can take place as part of the tenth anniversary UFC International Fight Week in July, the main events of which will be the 276th tournament and the Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

And despite the fact that Jones has not fought for more than two years and has never performed at this weight, it was he who opened the favorite in a duel with Miocic, according to the bookmakers.

And this despite the fact that Stipe is the record holder of the UFC heavyweight division for victories in title fights and the number of cash bonuses following the show.

One way or another, the battle promises to be extremely exciting and one of the most difficult in John's career.

First, many remember how unimpressive he looked in a duel with Ovince Saint Preux, which also took place after a long downtime.

Secondly, it is difficult to predict how he will appear in the absence of long-term mentors - Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn.