Emelianenko's benefit performance, Makhachev's duel with Volkanovski and Pavlovich's fight for the UFC title: the most anticipated events of 2023 in MMA

Makhachev's battle with Volkanovski

In early February, a duel will take place, which may well become one of the brightest of the year.

Before Islam Makhachev had time to crush Charles Oliveira and win the UFC lightweight title, an equally difficult test awaits him.

In early February, the Russian will re-enter the octagon to defend his belt for the first time in a duel with featherweight trophy winner and number one ranked Alexander Volkanovski regardless of category.

For the 31-year-old Russian, this will be a great chance not only to climb to the top of the list of the strongest P4P fighters, but also to achieve superstar status.

Despite the patronage of Khabib Nurmagomedov and the amazing results in the cage, he cannot yet be called one of the main faces of the promotion.

For this, he simply does not have enough big victories.

And while success against Volkanovski is unlikely to have the same effect on his career as Eagle's victory against Conor McGregor, the dividends are sure to be impressive.

Especially if he again does not notice any resistance from the opponent and will deal with him in a couple of rounds.

Of course, Volkanovski should not be underestimated, but so far everything speaks against him.

In anthropometry, he is very much inferior to Makhachev, he is unlikely to be superior in percussion technique, and in wrestling he looks one level lower.

And therefore it is very difficult to imagine what exactly the Australian can count on in the upcoming duel.

Apparently, the bookmakers who prefer Islam are of the same opinion.

Alex himself, of course, does not pay attention to this and is already actively gaining muscle mass, as he stated in a video published on his YouTube channel.

But power alone is hardly enough to compete with such a skillful and versatile opponent.

Emelianenko's revenge with Bader

A week before that, another event will take place, to which increased attention will be riveted - and not only in Russia, but throughout the world.

In Inglewood, the farewell tour of Fedor Emelianenko will end, which will be crowned by a fight with Ryan Bader.

And if The Last Emperor succeeds, he will not just end his career on a high note, but as a Bellator champion.

It is difficult to imagine a more spectacular end to a career.

True, the chances of success of the domestic fighter do not look so high.

Of course, even at the age of 46, Emelianenko remains a rather dangerous opponent.

The fight with Timothy Johnson showed that in terms of speed, he is still able to give odds to many, and his knockout punch and timing are still with him.

But in the confrontation with Bader, this may not be enough.

And the reason here, first of all, is not the strongest chin of the Last Emperor.

Three years ago, he already fought with an American and ended up on the canvas after the first missed blow.

And since then, little has changed.

Yes, lately Emelianenko has twice prepared his pupils for a meeting with Bader and thoroughly studied his strengths and weaknesses.

But knowing where to strike is one thing, but executing it is quite another.

And while it seems that it is Ryan who has much more tools to win.

Even though Vadim Nemkov is confident in his mentor’s ability to hold out all five rounds with the reigning champion, it will become more and more difficult for him to compete with the American every minute, especially if he decides not only to work in the stance, but also to use wrestling skills.

But don't bury the Emperor beforehand.

As you know, knockouts always have a chance.

And such a magician from the world of MMA - even more so.

Nemkov's transition to the

UFC

Initially, at Bellator 290, a student of Emelianenko was also supposed to enter the cage, but subsequently his battle with Yoel Romero was postponed to a later date.

And although the sign is more than impressive, the decision of the matchmakers to put the Cuban against the Russian seems more like a tribute to the famous athlete.

Nevertheless, after moving to the second largest MMA promotion, he first lost to Phil Davis in all respects, and then did not get the better of any really strong opponent - Alex Polizzi and Melvin Manhoef cannot be included in this category.

Thus, Nemkov actually finds himself in the same situation as Bader.

After all, he is waiting for a duel with a star veteran who has colossal power and a knockout blow, but at the same time does not lose anything in case of failure.

And this is the main danger for Vadim.

Romero is well aware that he simply will not have another chance to win the trophy, so he will certainly make every effort and resort to any tricks to achieve the result.

And what he is capable of is well known to all MMA fans and especially Tim Kennedy.

Then the Cuban, who survived the standing knockdown, extended his break between rounds by almost 30 seconds, and then sensationally knocked out the American.

If Nemkov does not repeat the fate of Kennedy and confidently deal with Romero, then for the fourth time he will defend the title and clear the Bellator light heavyweight division.

In this case, he will have almost no motivation to fight in this category in particular, or the promotion in general.

It is unlikely that the third battles with Davis or Corey Anderson will become challenges for him, therefore, the Russian can seriously think about either rising to the most prestigious weight, or moving to the UFC.

And in the current conditions it seems extremely promising.

At 93 kilograms, a fighter of the caliber of John Jones or Daniel Cormier has not yet appeared, so any of the top five in the rating can win the belt.

And in terms of his skills, Vadim is certainly not inferior to the same Jan Blachowicz.

Revenge of Jan and Ankalaev

The next year will be decisive for two Russian UFC fighters, unfairly deprived of victories in 2022.

Due to controversial judicial decisions, Peter Yan could not regain his bantamweight belt, and then was left without the status of the first contender, and Magomed Ankalaev - to take the throne in the light heavyweight category, vacated after Jiri Prochazka was injured.

And not only the development of their career depends on the results of their next fights, but also whether they will continue to perform in the largest MMA promotion on the planet.

In early March, Yana is waiting for a duel with Merab Dvalishvili - a tough nut to crack from the top of the division, with whom he had not previously crossed paths.

Ankalaev will either be brought together again with Blachowicz, or will be identified as an opponent of Alexander Rakich, a former counterpart of the Pole, who is a line below him.

Given Dana White's dissatisfaction with the performance of the Russian in the title fight, the second option seems more realistic.

Thus, the management is able to punish him for not the brightest (in their opinion) duel and criticism of the judges.

No matter how good the opponents are, both Russians cannot be inferior.

Defeats will cross them out of the belt contenders and delay their eventual return to the elite for a long time.

And if for Ankalaev this fiasco could be the first since March 2018, then for Yan it could be the third in the last two years.

And this is quite capable of breaking Peter, who has not been in the best mood lately.

Otherwise, it is difficult to explain the rumors about his intention to leave the Absolute Fighting Championship.

Test for Pavlovich

In turn, the 30-year-old Rostovite, who has skyrocketed in all ratings, this year has every chance of becoming the first Russian contender for the UFC heavyweight title.

Sergey Pavlovich won the last five fights in the first round, as a result of which the famous mentor Fernand Lopez dubbed him "the new emperor in the MMA world."

And although such assessments may seem somewhat overestimated and premature, there really are reasons to sing the praises of a Russian.

In just nine months, Pavlovich reached the top of the heavyweight category and joined the fight for the trophy.

Now only the legendary Stipe Miocic and the former challenger Cyril Gan are above him, but in the light of recent performances, it is impossible to call them impenetrable obstacles for him.

Sergey conquered many with his phenomenal striking technique and power, which allows him to literally knock down opponents and prevent him from using his gaps in the fight.

After defeating Tai Tuivasa, the Russian himself admitted that in this aspect he still has work to do.

Matchmakers are unlikely to marinate Pavlovich and may soon arrange an eliminator with his participation.

And if he copes with Miocic or Curtis Blades, he will become the first contender for the title and will be able to compete for him towards the end of the year.

Given the UFC's scandalous breakup with former champion Francis Ngannou, this scenario seems the most likely.

Return of Magomedsharipov

In addition to Jones, several mixed martial arts superstars can make a long-awaited comeback in 2023 at once.

The media is already talking about a possible fight between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler and the return of former champion in the bantamweight category Henry Cejudo to fight Aljamain Sterling.

In Russia, rumors about the possible resumption of the career of Zabit Magomedsharipov aroused great interest.

On his page in social networks, he published a photo with the caption: “Contracts are not the same, of course,” and his brother Hasan said that with his arrival, “everything will change.”

It is not yet clear whether Magomedsharipov really decided to put on the gloves again and, most importantly, in which promotion he plans to perform.

His most notable fights were in the UFC, while his brother is currently building a career with Bellator.

And do not exclude the option in which it is there that he decides to try his hand again.

Scott Cocker has always been famous for his loyal attitude towards athletes, which both Fedor Emelianenko and Vadim Nemkov have repeatedly spoken about.

However, many fans would certainly like to see Magomedsharipov back in the UFC and see him rise to the top of the featherweight division.

At the end of 2019, he came close to fulfilling this goal, but for unknown reasons he stopped fighting, and subsequently announced his retirement from the sport altogether.

And if Zabit managed to deal with all the problems and find motivation again, then he can once again become a force to be reckoned with.