Must-See UFC Fights of 2018: Picks & Predictions

We can all agree that 2017 hasn’t been a great year for the UFC. In a year where boxing captured the hearts and minds of fight fans with a flurry of top-notch bouts, the MMA world struggled to generate the same excitement.

Apart from Daniel Cormier vs Jon Jones II, which was later nullified after Jones failed a drug test, there weren’t any events that truly excited. In order to get back on track, Dana White needs to do just one thing: pair the best against the best. Of course, that’s a lot easier said than done.

There are three fights that absolutely need to happen in 2018, and even though they haven’t been set in stone, you can already bet on them.

Conor Mcgregor (-154) vs Tony Ferguson (+138)

What good is an interim title if it doesn’t guarantee a shot at the champ?

Riding a ten-fight win streak, Tony Ferguson (23-3) holds the record for most consecutive wins in UFC lightweight history. He’s defeated some of the toughest names in the lightweight division, like Edson Barboza and Rafael dos Anjos, and Kevin Lee, whom he submitted to claim the interim title. Now, he waits for Conor Mcgregor (21-3) to make his first ever title defense.

After becoming a two-division champion in the UFC, Mcgregor took a detour into the world of boxing and emerged around $100 million richer. Now, he’s returning to the promotion that made him who he is.

A title fight between “Notorious” and “El Cucuy” could be one for the ages. Mcgregor has a deadly left hand and timing and rhythm like none other. You just have to watch his last fight against Eddie Alvarez to understand how devastating he can be.

Ferguson is one of the strangest fighters in the UFC, both inside and outside of the cage. His highly unorthodox fighting style makes him difficult to predict and he has the stamina to go full-speed for five rounds. His aggressive style usually overwhelms his opponents, but it also leads to him taking a lot of damage. Against a fighter as clinical as McGregor, he can’t afford to absorb too many blows.

Conor McGregor has fight-stopping power in his hands, but he’s also been known to fade as fights progress. If Ferguson can drag McGregor into the championship rounds, he should be able to outlast the champ. He just needs to make sure to play it smart.

Pick: Tony Ferguson (+138)

George St-Pierre (+155) vs Robert Whittaker (-183)

Again: What good is an interim title if it doesn’t guarantee a shot at the champ?

George St-Pierre (26-2) returned to the octagon after a four-year hiatus to challenge Michael Bisping for the middleweight crown… and won! It was a fairy-tale moment and one of the greatest returns in sporting history. But it also throws a wrench in the works for the middleweight division.

The division is bristling with talent, stacked to the brim with fighters worthy of a title shot. Then in came GSP, a man who had never fought at middleweight before, and snatched the title from an inactive champ.

Robert Whittaker (19-4) didn’t have such an easy route to the title. He beat Derek Brunson and Ronaldo Souza to earn a shot at the interim title, then defeated middleweight royalty Yoel Romero for the belt. He absolutely deserves a title unification fight against GSP.

While the win against Bisping was impressive, GSP showed significant rust during the fight. He ate a few heavy blows and appeared gassed by the third round. Bisping was the champ, but he’s by no means the toughest guy in the division. Almost any other middleweight in the top-five would have seriously punished a fatigued GSP.

The 36-year-old Canadian will struggle against the young and hungry “Bobby Knuckles.” The 26-year-old Australian will be able to make GSP pay in ways Bisping couldn’t.

Pick: Robert Whittaker (-183)

Demetrious Johnson (-133) vs T.J Dillashaw (+120)

After knocking out Cody Garbrandt to re-claim the bantamweight title, T.J Dillashaw (15-3) issued a call out to flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson (27-2-1), offering to move down to 125 pounds for a two-champ superfight.

TJ stands at 5’6.5” with a reach of 67″. Contrast that to DJ, who stands at 5’3” with a 66″ reach. If Dillashaw can make the ten-pound cut (and he’s repeatedly guaranteed that he can), he’ll loom large over Johnson.

Johnson is arguably the greatest pound-for-pound fighter in the world today, but he’s rarely been challenged at flyweight. He’s the first and only champ the division has ever known, and has made a record-breaking 11 title defenses.

He’ll be in for the challenge of his career against Dillashaw. Johnson is a submission artist but it won’t be easy to take Dillashaw to ground. His size will be a huge advantage in this match-up, and if he can make the weight, he should be able to stage an upset and dethrone the long-standing flyweight king.

Pick: TJ Dillashaw (+120)