Fight Week: The Six Best Fights Of The Next Two Weeks

It’s now finally officially fight week, and the long awaited month of December fights is just about ready to explode.

The UFC has stacked the deck with four cards in two weekends, with three of those cards scheduled for three consecutive days. We will be treated to three title fights, as well as a plethora of top contender bouts.

As a fight fan, it simply doesn’t get much better than this. With so many fights going down in such little time, it’s possible that the situation could get a bit cloudy, but the action is expected to be relentless and nonstop.

With that being said, let’s take a look at the six best fights of the promotion’s most lucrative attempt at mixed martial arts (MMA) madness:

6. Junior Dos Santos vs. Alistair Overeem – UFC on FOX 17

UFC on FOX 17 is scheduled for December 19, 2015 from Orlando, Florida and the co-main event will feature a clash between heavyweight bruisers years in the making.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior “Cigano” Dos Santos and gigantic Dutch kickboxer Alistair “The Reem” Overeem have actually been paired up twice in the past. The two were originally set to tangle at UFC 146 in May 2012, but Overeem was scrapped after failing a pre-fight drug test.

They were then slated for UFC 160 a year later, but this time “The Reem” was forced out due to an injury. Now, however, Dos Santos and Overeem will finally lock horns.

The Brazilian “Cigano” has won two out of his last three, with the loss coming at the hands of former boss Cain Velasquez. JDS bounced back last December, however, scoring a unanimous decision victory over Stipe Miocic in a five-round slug fest.

Now healthy, JDS will be looking to work his way back to a title shot.

Overeem on the other hand, has won two consecutive fights, with one being a finish over Stefan Struve, and the other being a decision victory over Roy Nelson last March.

Although this fight should have gone down years ago, it still remains as a fantastic contest. When the cage door closes on December 19th, fans will be tuning in to see two of the best finishers that the division has to offer.

5. Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza vs. Yoel Romero – UFC 194

Like Dos Santos and Overeem, middleweight contenders Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and Yoel “The Soldier of God” Romero have been paired up to fight numerous times just over the last year, with injuries to both men putting the bout on hold.

However, the two will finally clash at UFC 194 which is set for December 12, 2015 from the MGM Grand.

“Jacare”, a man many consider to be amongst the very best Brazilian jiu-jistu artists in mixed martial arts has gone on a tear as of late, winning eight-straight, with an incredible seven by way of finish.

Souza will be taking on no easy task in the form of the freakishly massive Romero, who happens to be an Olympic caliber wrestler with brutal power. He too has run rampant at middleweight, scoring six-straight victories.

When these two meet, it will not just be a bout between two of the best grapplers in the game, but two of the best finishers at 185-pounds, with the winner likely being next in line for a title shot.

4. Rafael dos Anjos vs. Donald Cerrone – UFC on FOX 17

The main event of UFC on FOX 17 will feature a rematch for the 155-pound strap, but the circumstances are quite different the second time around.

Newly crowned champ Rafael dos Anjos will put his title on the line for the very first time against surging contender Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.

The two met for a first time back in August 2013 with RDA scoring a rather lack luster one-sided decision victory. Since then, however, he has gone 4-1 with two of those victories coming by way of finish. The Brazilian has seemed to have revamped his style, and has looked destructive in the process.

Cerrone has looked rejuvenated as well, as he hasn’t lost since his showdown with RDA, rattling off a super impressive eight-straight wins. Five of those victories have come before the final bell, and “Cowboy” has finally earned his long-awaited title shot.

Both men are clearly different fighters from when they first met, and that should make for quite an interesting affair.

3. Chad Mendes vs. Frankie Edgar – TUF 22 Finale

In the midst of all of the madness sits The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 22 Finale which will go down on Friday December 11, 2015 from Las Vegas.

While the card as a whole may be being slightly overlooked, the main event sure shouldn’t be, as two of the best 145-pounders in the world will go head to head.

Multi-time title challenger Chad “Money” Mendes will square off with highly-ranked former lightweight champion Frankie “The Answer” Edgar.

The powerful and explosive Mendes has lost twice to current champion Jose Aldo, and is coming off of a knockout loss to interim champ Conor McGregor on short notice, but he has remained atop the divisional rankings for years, knocking off top contenders left and right.

Edgar spent much of his career at 155-pounds before dropping down to featherweight where he too lost to Aldo in 2013. Since then, however, he has carved out four victories in a row, and has been endlessly working for a title shot that he may already deserve.

Both men have similar skill sets, and have proved themselves to be amongst the cream of the crop at 145-pounds, making this one of the best fights of the month.

2. Chris Weidman vs. Luke Rockhold – UFC 194

UFC 194 is December’s main attraction, and the main event has stolen the show, but the co-main event could provide something special as well.

Middleweight kingpin Chris Weidman will put his title on the line against surging contender and former Strikeforce champion Luke Rockhold in a tussle that has been deemed the best middleweight title fight of all-time.

Weidman and Rockhold sit as two of the most skilled fighters in the sport, and each man appears to be in the prime of his career.

The New York champion has used his tough and gritty wrestling to incorporate a relentless pressure based attack backed up by a vicious ground game. That along with his always go forward striking that has been fine-tuned under the tutelage of Ray Longo has made him a tough puzzle to solve.

The American Kickboxing Academy challenger is extremely well-rounded. A long and rangy southpaw, Rockhold has shown the ability to pick opponents apart, while also displaying solid wrestling, and a lethal submission arsenal.

I would have to think it would be fair to say that Rockhold is one of the biggest threats to Weidman’s throne, and for that reason this fight is a must see.

1. Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor – UFC 194

This was an obvious choice for the top spot. This is what the fans want to see, and what the fans have been waiting for.

Originally set to meet at last July’s UFC 189, Jose Aldo was forced out of the bout with a rib injury, forcing Irish hype machine Conor McGregor to silence more doubters and knockout Chad Mendes for the interim title.

Now after almost a year of promotion, Aldo and McGregor will finally collide in a title unifier that has undoubtedly become the biggest fight in the history of the sport.

Aside from all of the hype, however, stylistically it is a phenomenal fight.

Aldo looms as the only featherweight champion in UFC history, and for good reason. “Scarface” has continuously broken opponents down with absolutely brutal Muay Thai skills. He also has some of the best takedown defense in the game, and a world class ground game to go with it.

McGregor, however, could provide the skillset to give Aldo some issues. The “Notorious” one appears to be a master of movement, using odd angles, and unpredictable combos. That along with his southpaw stance and natural KO power makes him a serious threat to Aldo’s long held throne.

Although some may say this isn’t necessarily the best fight of the month, the clash of styles along with the hype has put it atop this list.

Let fight week begin.