Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping lists his top 4 must-see UFC fights that he wants to see take place in 2023.
“There are some mouthwatering matchups that we have yet to see, that we’ve been denied of, that we absolutely must see in the year 2023,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel.
Francis Ngannou vs. Jon Jones
“First fight on the list, and this absolutely needs to happen in 2023, I can’t believe it hasn’t happened yet. I’m talking about Jon Jones versus Francis Ngannou,” Bisping said.
“The greatest of all time in Jon Jones, a man that had a meteoric rise. The only person to beat him was Matthew Hamill by disqualification,” continued Bisping. “That should have been allowed to continue. Jon Jones should be undefeated, but regardless the man has been in and won 15 consecutive title fights.”
“On the flip side, Francis Ngannou. The man’s terrifying, the hard-hitting guy – hits like a Ford Focus going a million miles an hour, or something crazy like that. We know about the knockout power. He’s getting better all the time. He’s learning how to sprawl. He beat Stipe [Miocic], the greatest heavyweight of all time. The last time we saw him, he beat Ciryl Gane. Evolution. He showed some new wrinkles. He showed some takedowns, but how will he do against Jon Jones?
“That is the big fight that everyone wants to see, and it absolutely has to happen in the year 2023.”
Marlon vs. Sean O’Malley 2
“Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera – ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley. This fight has to happen in 2023 because they fought before. ‘Chito’ won by a knockout. Kick the leg, hurt the nerve. ‘Chito’ went down, elbow town; O’Malley was out.”
“I’m a fan of them both, but the’ve got to fight again. The reason way is because they’re on the trajectory. They’re two of the biggest stars in the bantamweight division.”
Khamzat Chimaev vs. Colby Covington
“This man is loved, hated, worshipped, detested, feared inside the octagon. I’m talking about ‘Borz,’ the Wolf, Khamzat Chimaev. Since this guy came to the UFC he’s been unstoppable, but he needs a real test. He needs a real fight. He needs someone that can match him with the wrestling prowess. I’m talking about Colby Covington.
“Khamzat versus Colby needs to happen for several reasons. Khamzat Chimaev is out there. He’s asking for fight everyone. He says that he’s been offered four opponents, but four opponents turned him down. He wants to fight Alex Pereira for the middleweight belt. He wants to fight Leon [Edwards] for the welterweight belt. He literally says that he wants to fight everyone, but he has to earn a title fight.
“He’s 6-0 in the UFC. He’s had some devastating performances. Gilbert Burns pushed him to his limit. There were rumors of a fight going down between Khamzat and Colby at UFC London in March when Leon fights Kamaru Usman for the third time. That was going to be the co-main event. It was never officially announced, but that was the rumor. It kind of went away, and now we’re hearing Khamzat saying that he can’t get a fight. Colby Covington currently doesn’t have a fight.”
“That’s the fight I want to see because I want to know, can Khamzat do it? Can he fight someone that can wrestle? Can he fight someone that’s just as strong, maybe? Can he fight someone that has the gas tank to go five rounds, and can Khamzat go five rounds? These are all questions that need answering.”
Conor McGregor vs. Jorge Masvidal
“There are a lot of people out there that want to fight Conor McGregor. There’s Michael Chandler. There’s Tony Ferguson. Both of them would be great fights, but the one I want to see is against Jorge ‘Gamebred’ Masvidal.”
“(Masvidal) is a striker. What do we want to see? I don’t believe Conor McGregor’s got too much longer in the fight game. He’s been there, done it, smashed it out of the damn park.”
“I want to see him against someone that’s going to put on an exciting fight. I don’t want to see someone trying to wrestle him. I’m not saying Conor couldn’t beat those guys. That’s not what I’m saying at all, but he’s probably going to fight at 170. He’s teasing 185. He’s not going to do that.”
“155 is in the rearview mirror big time. 170 is going to be the weight class. I don’t want to see him against Khamzat. I don’t want to see him against a Khamzat. I don’t want to see him against a Colby, or any of them. I want to see him in a fun fight. I want see someone that’s going to stand toe-to-toe. That’s what Masvidal will do.”
Honorable Mentions
- Paulo Costa vs. Robert Whittaker
- Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz 3
- Islam Makhachev vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov
- Amanda Nunes vs. Valentina Shevchenko 3
- Conor McGregor vs. Tony Ferguson
- Arnold Allen vs. Max Holloway
- Arnold Allen vs. Brian Ortega
- Arnold Allen fighting for the title
- Ilia Topuria vs. Paddy Pimblett
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The 4 fights Michael Bisping wants to see in 2023
