In an unprecedented move, once frowned upon by the UFC, the world’s largest Mixed Martial Arts promotion has three champion vs. champion super fights on the table for 2018.
It wasn’t that long ago that UFC president Dana White would quickly shutdown the idea of champions moving up and/or down in weight to challenge a neighboring champion, but under the new UFC ownership times have definitely changed.
UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor was the first fighter in UFC history to successfully move up in weight and become a dual division champion. The Irish star broke the seal for these types of bouts inside the UFC, and now Dana White is all in.
What’s different about this day and age is that it’s not the fighters themselves pushing for these three champ vs. champ bouts, it’s Dana White himself, who nearly insists the bouts take place.
First up on Dana’s list is the super fight between UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson and UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw.
In the proposed bout Dillashaw plans on moving down in weight to challenge Johnson for his UFC flyweight belt. This fight was the first the UFC boss started to push for, and though talks fizzled out in 2017, this one looks nearly done, and is expected to go down during International Fight Week in July.
In the second champion vs. champion bout that the UFC boss is insisting takes place, Dana White has proposed that his female bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes move up to the UFC’s female featherweight division and challenge Cris Cyborg for her world title.
This is a fight that Amanda Nunes first called out for, however, it took some convincing on Cyborg’s part, who appears tired of fighting the UFC’s bantaweight fighters, and desires to fight true featherweights. Still though, after nearly a month of back-and-forth Cris Cyborg has agreed to take the champion vs. champion bout, and these two are also eyeing a July International Fight Week event for it.
Last up, and the most recent champion vs. champion bout that UFC president Dana White has on his list, is between his light-heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier and his heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic. Dana White is proposing that D.C. move up to his former heavyweight home and challenge Stipe for his world title.
While this is the most recent super fight on the UFC President’s radar, he has some work to do on Daniel Cormier, whose friendship with Cain Velasquez is currently preventing him to commit to the bout. Still though, just like the other two champ vs. champ bouts, the UFC boss has a history of getting what he wants, and right now he wants D.C. vs. Miocic in 2018. For his part, Stipe Miocic is down for the fight, only leaving Daniel Cormier to convince to make it happen.
Dana White even went as far to say that in the event Cain Velasquez was challenging for the heavyweight world title, he would gladly let D.C. vacate it, should he defeat Miocic.
If they UFC boss can finalize deals on all three fight, 2018 will prove to be the most interesting and highly anticipated year the UFC has ever had. And that’s a real good thing.
