The UFC’s fall 2021 slate becomes clearer and more exciting by the day. Up next is UFC on ESPN: Cannonier vs Gastelum, followed by UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs Chikadze, which will also host The Ultimate Fighter: Team Volkanovski vs Team Ortega finals. The next pay-per-view offering features the return of wildly popular Stockton superstar Nick Diaz, whose younger brother Nate is once again making headlines with relation to a bout against the top contender among the lightweights, Dustin Poirier.

In 2018, the UFC had a lightweight fight between Diaz and Poirier on the docket for UFC 230 at Madison Square Garden. It ultimately fell through because of an injury to Poirier. Now, there is renewed speculation that the pairing wants to fight. Both men seem interested, and Diaz definitely wants it, but the clear next step for Poirier is a meeting with Charles Oliveira for the undisputed 155-pound crown. If this fight is seriously considered, it will bring questions. Will Poirier again push the belt back for a big money fight? He did it once, but how likely is it that it happens again?

According to Ariel Helwani, the UFC aims to make a rematch between Rose Namajunas and Zhang Weili for the strawweight championship around the end of the year. Namajunas’s show-stopping upset knockout of Weili remains one of 2021’s most shocking MMA moments, and a rematch is by no means a placeholder. Carla Esparza has a claim for her own rematch against Namajunas, but the immediate Weili rematch is a bigger fight for the fan-favorite ‘Thug Rose’, who seems to have made strawweight title upsets a habit.

The UFC 268 card, still slated for Madison Square Garden, will feature the return of one former champion. If the UFC gets its apparent wish, it could play host to another. Frankie Edgar, former lightweight champion and featherweight title challenger, is reportedly the desired next opponent for the best unranked bantamweight in the promotion, Sean O’Malley. This fight is massive, and although Edgar is coming off of a tough loss to Cory Sandhagen, the fight is proving ground for O’Malley as Edgar is in the 135-pound top 10. This intriguing bout would be a huge addition to a huge card.

Not to become a vocally idle fighter during his time off, Conor McGregor has been making waves on social media. His feud with fellow former simultaneous dual-champion Daniel Cormier made headlines. Now, The Notorious has explicitly confirmed via Twitter that his comeback will take place in 2022. He also raised the prospect that the fight will take place at welterweight. McGregor is 2-1 at 170 pounds in the UFC, and last fought there against Cowboy Cerrone in 2020.

After just four fights and no shortage of controversial scorecards, Kai Kamaka is on to another path, as his UFC tenure is no more.

Featherweight prospect Kamaka (8-4-1 MMA, 1-2-1 UFC) last fought on July 31, 2021, in a short-notice bout with Danny Chavez. The fight was scored a majority draw, and would have been a win for The Fighting Hawaiian were it not for a second-round point deduction. This was his third straight winless result under the UFC banner. Previously, he lost an unfortunate split decision on May 1 and lost by knockout on November 28, 2020.

He made his promotional debut on August 15, 2020. The news of his departure from the promotion became public on August 12, 2021, just under a year later. The UFC debut fight came less than three weeks after Kamaka won a decision in the Legacy Fighting Alliance. Upon achieving victory in his UFC debut, Kamaka pushed his winning streak to six straight fights.

In addition to the UFC and the LFA, Kamaka fought for Bellator MMA from 2018 to 2019. He was 2-0 there before moving to the LFA.

The UFC’s return to full-capacity audiences for its pay-per-view offerings has been a huge success. Sellouts, massive buyrates, and epic moments have been part of the story that has unfolded in front of ravenous swaths of fans around the United States. Unfortunately, another chapter of this illustrious story is far more dubious- and disheartening- severe injuries. A grisly injury has befallen at least one fighter on every card which has played out in front of a full crowd.

While mixed martial arts is not a sport that can exist in its current form without great risk of bodily harm to its many combatants, these incidents are noteworthy for their especially serious nature. At UFC 261 in jacksonville, Florida, on April 24, one of the most bizarre and gruesome injuries in the history of combat sports took place when former middleweight champion Chris Weidman broke his leg just seventeen seconds into a fight with Uriah Hall. The injury, which occurred because the kick was checked by Hall, occurred in an eerily comparable fashion to Anderson Silva’s broken leg in his second fight against Weidman years ago. Already aghast at the horrifying nature of the break, UFC fans were further taken aback by this fact. While Weidman targets a 2022 comeback, he has encountered complications as a result of the incident and his career does remain in doubt. Silva made it back to competition just over a year after his 2013 injury at UFC 168.

UFC 262 took place on May 15 in Houston, Texas. During the featured bout of the preliminary card, former Strikeforce champion and UFC middleweight mainstay Jacare Souza had his arm broken when he refused to tap to an Andre Muniz submission attempt. Souza, who once allowed his arm to be broken during a jiu-jitsu match so he could still win on points, did not appear significantly pained. He smiled while sharing a moment with Muniz immediately after the fight. Souza, who has a victory over Weidman on his record, does not appear intent on retiring either. The moment of the break was audible on the event’s broadcast.

The action on the UFC 263 fight card went down on June 12. In the main card opener, light heavyweight prospect Jamahal Hill sustained a badly dislocated arm after a late stoppage against Paul Craig. Hill, who was coming off a victory against a former title challenger, appeared to have a broken arm as well. He was locked into the armbar for an uncomfortably long amount of time, even after it was clear his left arm was in bad shape. Dana White was not of a favorable opinion with regard to the stoppage of the fight, which he and many fans felt should have occurred earlier.

UFC 264’s big injury is perhaps the one that needs the least introduction. The UFC’s return to Las Vegas’s T-Mobile Arena was to see the close of the trilogy and reignited rivalry between former lightweight belt-holders Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. With seconds to go in the first round, McGregor, the most popular star in mixed martial arts history, stepped back onto his left foot and came down awkwardly, with his tibia giving way for a sickening scene. It was perhaps the wildest possible outcome for a fiery night of fights, and the Irishman is expected to be sidelined for a year. For those who wished to see more from the trilogy bout, fear not, as McGregor has his eyes on a tetralogy. With the trilogy bringing home the second-highest buyrate in UFC history, and White saying that a fourth showdown ‘makes sense’, it is a realistic possibility that he will be obliged.

UFC 265, the second 2021 show in Houston, was not immune to the injury bug. In only the second fight on the card, women’s flyweight prospect and Contender Series contract winner Victoria Leonardo suffered a second broken right arm in as many fights. Seconds into her UFC debut in January, her right ulna was broken on a blocked kick. During her UFC 265 fight with Melissa Gatto, the same injury happened again. Between the second and third rounds, she could be heard telling her coach that her right arm ‘wasn’t working’ and that she couldn’t throw with it. Although she wanted to continue, the cageside physician determined that a break had occurred and correctly called off the bout.

With a massive Vegas card coming up in September, fight fans have to hope that this unceremonious streak of negative incidences comes to an end.

Following the major success of the UFC in summer 2021, the promotion is not letting its foot off the gas pedal.

UFC 268, which is scheduled for November 6, is targeting Madison Square Garden as its host. Set to headline is the hotly-anticipated rematch between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington, which, like their first meeting, will have the UFC welterweight championship on the line. The bout will take place just under two years after the first matchup between them, which is to date the most competitive welterweight title fight of Usman’s tenure as the champion.

Former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold, who last fought in 2019 against current 205-pound king Jan Blachowicz, finally has an opponent for his comeback. After a middleweight fight with rising prospect Khamzat Chimaev did not materialize, Rockhold will now fight Sean Strickland, who is fresh off a headlining win at UFC on ESPN: Hall vs Strickland. This bout is also scheduled to take place at UFC 268.

Ciryl Gane beat Derrick Lewis in the main event of UFC 265 to become the UFC’s sixth interim heavyweight titleholder. On the horizon is a unification bout with Francis Ngannou, for whom Gane is perceived as a legitimate threat. The sky appears the limit for the 10-0 Frenchman, who is France’s first UFC champion.

Fans wanted Michael Chandler vs Justin Gaethje. They have gotten their wish. Two of the top contenders at 155 pounds are slated to meet on the stacked UFC 268 card. This has ‘Fight of the Year’ written all over it, and will be one of the UFC’s most violent offerings of 2021 if it delivers as expected.

Also, in less-publicized news, the UFC parted ways with a former champion in the past week. Nicco Montano, the inaugural women’s flyweight champ, was let go after her July 31 fight was scrapped due to her missing weight. This was the second such occurrence of her short UFC career, and the fifth time overall that one of her fights was cancelled.

After just over three years in competition as a mixed martial arts professional, France’s Ciryl Gane has a UFC championship belt and a looming megafight to bolster his meteoric rise.

Gane (10-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) became the interim heavyweight champion after scoring a finish over fan-favorite Derrick Lewis in the main event of UFC 265 in Houston, Texas. He won the first two rounds convincingly before stopping former undisputed title challenger Lewis once and for all as the third round neared its end. Noted for his high-level skill set and fight movement, Gane spoiled the hometown showcase for one of the division’s most popular athletes. It was the Frenchman’s third consecutive main event win, after February’s shutout over hard-hitting kickboxer Jairzinho Rozenstruik and June’s shutout over former Bellator champion Alexander Volkov. In addition to these wins, he has also beaten former UFC heavyweight champ Junior dos Santos.

Gane challenged Lewis’s stamina with his mobility and speed, in which categories he holds a decided advantage over most of his division. He hurt him with leg kicks, one of which was the beginning of the end. Lewis appeared particularly hurt at one moment, and Gane pounced with another kick and hard punches. Stagnant throughout the affair, Lewis nevertheless tried to ward his opponent off, but Gane had become too much. After giving Lewis, for whom many of the Houston faithful had turned out, every chance he could (and then some), referee Dan Miragliotta stopped the fight with just under a minute left in the round.

With the win, Ciryl Gane is now on a collision course with the heavyweights’ kingpin, Francis Ngannou. UFC President Dana White expressed excitement about the matchup, which at this point is the best fight to make in the promotion’s heaviest division. The title unifier will serve as a major test of Gane’s skills; however, he has passed all previous tests with flying colors. The former teammates, when they square off, will put on an exciting show.

The unquestioned best-ever of women’s mixed martial arts continues to retain two belts. Amanda Nunes is the UFC’s women’s bantamweight champion and the women’s featherweight champion. While sights have shifted to her upcoming return to 135 pounds, she remains adamant that she will keep hold of the 145-pound belt despite recent claims that the division would be shuttered. In spite of said claims, UFC president Dana White is on record as saying that the division will stay active as long as Nunes wants to continue defending the belt. Without a wealth of prospective title challengers, the promotion has time to make an important fight to reinvigorate contention at 145 pounds- a rematch, maybe even for an interim belt, between Holly Holm and former featherweight queen Germaine de Randamie.

The two former champions (Holm held the bantamweight belt from 2015-2016 after her legendary upset of Ronda Rousey) first met in the main event of UFC 208 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Controversy surrounded de Randamie’s decision win, which awarded her the UFC’s inaugural women’s featherweight championship, because she hit Holm with flagrant shots after the horn multiple times. She did not face even so much as a point deduction. Matching the pair up again would therefore create an intriguing narrative to build on, as well as add to the relevance of the bout. Furthermore, these two combatants have some of the most name value in women’s MMA. To make a second fight at featherweight would not only tremendously bolster the division, it would also become a fight that fans want to see.

To that end, there is an argument to be made that if this bout comes to fruition, an interim championship should be contested. Amanda Nunes is very likely to defend her bantamweight belt at least once more consecutively if she is able to get past Julianna Pena on August 7 at UFC 265. To crown a veteran interim champion of name value to continue to move the division would only be a positive if the promotion keeps the weight class alive. If Holm were to win an interim featherweight belt, she would join Nunes in rarified air; together, they would be the only two women to hold belts in multiple weight divisions in UFC history. Additionally, if this fight were to materialize soon with gold on the line, the belt would be the first women’s interim championship in UFC history.

If the UFC wants to maintain the women’s featherweight division, this is unquestionably the fight to make. The high-stakes rematch element means that this fight can ensure the division is a talking point even if Nunes temporarily steps away. There has been much talk in fan circles of Holly Holm rematching with Miesha Tate, and while that fight carries plenty of value in its own right, pitting Holm and de Randamie together when each is coming off a big win (de Randamie’s was over Pena) with so much at stake is sure to revitalize the UFC women’s featherweight division.

On March 5, 2016, the biggest fight in UFC history was supposed to go down. The lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos was supposed to square off against the featherweight champion Conor McGregor. If Conor had picked up the victory, he would have become the first UFC fighter to ever be the champion of two weight divisions at the same time. Unfortunately the fight was canceled two weeks before it was supposed to happen due to an injury Dos Anjos sustained while training and was never rescheduled. Today we will discuss while it is finally time for the two to step into the octagon together after all this time.

In RDA’s professional career, he holds a record of 30-13-0, is 2-2 in title fights, and has gone against some of the biggest names in the sport such as Khabib Nurmagomedov, Tony Ferguson, Nate Diaz, and Eddie Alvarez. Unfortunately, the last couple of years have not gone so well for the Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend. He is 2-4 since 2018, with all four losses coming by way of unanimous decision. The fight with McGregor is exactly what RDA needs to be relevant again.

Conor McGregor has reached levels of popularity never seen before in the sport of MMA. With a whopping 40 million followers on Instagram and being known for his legendary trash talk, the Irish superstar was the highest paid athlete in the world in 2020. It is worth noting that he only fought once in 2020, knocking out Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in 40 seconds during the main event of UFC 246. He is also the first UFC fighter ever to be the champion of two weight divisions at the same time. His recent struggles are not as bad as RDA’s, but the Notorious one has seen better days himself. With his devastating leg injury suffered at UFC 264 against Dustin Poirier being fresh on everyone’s mind, and being 1-3 since fighting Floyd Mayweather in September 2017, Conor also needs something to give him a boost. The fight against RDA would be the perfect thing.

The biggest obstacle with getting this fight booked is timing. We still do not know how long Conor is going to be out for, but we do know that he will have another contest with Poirier. That contest could potentially be for the lightweight championship, meaning a McGregor win would put a lot of lightweights between him and RDA. But if Conor were to lose that fight or if it did not happen for whatever reason, we could finally see these two go at it as soon as McGregor is healthy.

For this segment of In Perspective, BrawlTalk’s Daniel Locke got to chat with UFC middleweight and member of the 2009 National Championship winning Alabama Crimson Tide, Eryk Anders. The two had a great conversation about Eryk’s time at Alabama and how it prepared him for the UFC, what motivated him to step into the octagon, and what is next for him as a fighter. This guy is one to look out for and is capable of making some news in the middleweight division. 

Q: When did you first realize that you wanted to pursue a career in mixed martial arts?

A: The first time I walked into a gym.

Q: Which was more nerve-racking: your UFC debut, or your first game at Alabama?

A: My first game starting at Alabama was the most nervous I’ve ever been.

Q: What is your favorite Coach Saban memory?

A: He cussed a guy out for putting on 10 lbs overnight. It was hilarious.

Q: Was Coach Cochran’s strength and conditioning program good preparation for the UFC?

A: No. Football and mma strength and conditioning programs are very different.

Q: Which is more intense: training sessions for your fights, or practice at Alabama?

A: Definitely my fights. I’m doing work 100% of the time.

Q: What has your relationship with Dana White been like?

A: He is super cool and supportive to me. I haven’t done anything to piss him off.

Q: What was your reaction to Conor McGregor’s leg injury at UFC 264?

A: Nobody wants to see a fight end like that. I hate it.

Q: What are some of your other hobbies outside of the octagon?

A: I don’t really do anything else, when I am home I want to be home. I do enjoy traveling though.

Q: Where is your favorite place to travel?

A: Rome, Italy.

Q: Who is your biggest inspiration as a fighter?

A: Myself. I truly enjoy fighting. I do this because I love it

Q: Who is your all-time favorite athlete?

A: Barry Sanders

Q: Do you wish Fight Night events would start touring again, or do you like them being at the Apex?

A: I’m glad that there is a place where we can keep fights going no matter what. But for me, I love traveling and fighting in front of different crowds.

Q: Do you have any plans on who you want to take on next?

A: I was supposed to fight Antonio Arroyoy last year, but I got sick and it did not happen.

Q: Which has the more rowdy fans: college football or mma?

A: Probably mma fans. College football fans will talk shit to you, but that is the extent of it in most cases. MMA fans, especially in Europe, are known to be violent at times.

The BrawlTalk staff looks forward to seeing Eryk return to the octagon soon. Thanks again for your time Eryk!

In spite of losing its original main event in Max Holloway vs Yair Rodriguez, the UFC’s July 17, 2021 card still proved to be an enjoyable watch. It featured the return of Miesha Tate after a four-plus year hiatus, as well as the return of Russian lightweight prodigy Islam Makhachev from a short layoff. After another entertaining weekend of fighting, here are some prospective bouts that might catch fans’ eyes.

Islam Makhachev vs Rafael dos Anjos- This is the matchup that has been on fight fans’ minds since its original booking in late 2020. Unable to make the November fight due to a staph infection, Makhachev was replaced by fan favorite Paul Felder. Now, after a strong main event victory, the current No. 9 lightweight looks to take his place among the immediate title contenders in a stacked division. What better way to do it than by taking on the No. 6 contender who is also the former champion? A second matching of this pair could also be a main event, and Makhachev says he wants to ‘help’ dos Anjos retire.

Miesha Tate vs Yana Kunitskaya- The aforementioned return of Tate was an impressive one, as the former women’s bantamweight champion was excellent over the better part of three rounds and scored a stoppage victory over a ranked veteran. With the opening test passed for Tate 2.0, she can now turn her attention once again to serious contention. Kunitskaya, who suffered a setback at UFC 264, is still a formidable top 10 competitor in the women’s bantamweight division and a fight between these two would be Fight of the Night material.

Mateusz Gamrot vs Gregor Gillespie- This could be seen as some aggressive matchmaking here, but Gamrot’s domination of Jeremy Stephens has firmly entrenched him as one of the 155-pound division’s top prospects. He won the fight he wanted, and now he can turn his attention to the high-level matchup of someone like Gillespie, as the wrestling in such a fight would be unbelievable. Gamrot wants a top 15 opponent, and it looks like he is ready for one after back-to-back strong Octagon appearances.

Donald Cerrone vs Jeremy Stephens 2- With his loss to Gamrot, Stephens is now in a position where his UFC roster spot is anything but on lock. The veteran may need to think about a farewell booking against Cerrone, whose next fight, which will be contested at lightweight, is his last. There’s still plenty of fan appeal to this matchup, and there’s really no reason the UFC shouldn’t make it after Dana White confirmed in May that Cerrone would be allowed to move back down from welterweight and take a sendoff bout at 155. These two popular fighters would put on a great show in their final Octagon appearances if they stand across from one another for a second time.

Billy Quarantillo vs Charles Rosa- Quarantillo called out Massachusetts’s Rosa after an epic stoppage victory against Gabriel Benitez. This fight could be entertaining on a similar level, with both combatants looking to make their names as prospects in the featherweight division. Put simply, this has fireworks all over it. Nonstop action isn’t something fight fans might say no to, and this pairing would bring that in a huge way.

For this segment of In Perspective, Will Miller checked in with UFC lightweight and featherweight Justin Jaynes. The two discussed Jaynes’s career, his experience in the UFC, some of his best moments, and much more. 

Justin says his favorite booking was against Frank Camacho, which was also his UFC debut. A fan of Camacho beforehand, he describes being excited to fight him in the promotion, and seeing the likes of Bruce Buffer and Herb Dean in the Octagon. He described how fast everything seemed to move, from the lead-up until the fight itself. He won in 40 seconds and also took home a $50,000 performance bonus. He took the bout on short notice, as he has for multiple UFC appearances. This led to interesting dialogue on what sort of preparations are made for a short-notice fight, as Jaynes says that depending on the amount of notice all you can really do is diet and cut weight. He walks right around the middleweight title fight limit (185 pounds).  

Specifically, Jaynes was asked what led to his facial injury at UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs Volkov in February. A tough-looking injury which caused a lot of facial swelling caused his fight with Devonte Smith to be stopped, and he said that the point in the fight in which the offending strike occurred was during the second round, adding that there was no pain or break where the injury took place. 

As for his strengths in the Octagon, Justin cites what he calls “relentless” power, adding that he can score a knockout victory and land good shots. His favorite part of training is the banter. He described preparing to fight inside the 25-foot UFC Apex Octagon (a regular Octagon is 30 feet) and said that there is more grappling, fights are more “in your face”, and there’s more potential for knockouts. When discussing the weight-cutting process, Jaynes spoke about his most recent fight being the best he had felt making featherweight. He also explained in detail how it was easier to drop the first few pounds in a weight cut than the last single pound. His hardest cut was when he went from 180 pounds to 145 in three weeks. The fight with Smith was at a 160-pound catchweight. Jaynes prefers to fight at lightweight in short-notice scenarios.

When it comes to career impact, Jaynes mentioned his coaching, including his head coach, Dennis Davis, and spoke about the involvement of former UFC welterweight title challenger and former Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields in his last camp. He also brought up training with fighters like Kevin Lee, Dan Ige, and Brad Tavares. Additionally, he pointed out his gratitude for his management team. 

As far as opponents, Justin expressed interest in a fight with an Octagon veteran like Michael Johnson, whom he cut weight with for the two’s fights in February. A specific opponent he went into detail on the prospect of facing is 21-year-old Chase Hooper, portraying the potential matchup as “an old dog teaching the young fellow new tricks.” When asked about a game plan with respect to Hooper’s ground attack, Jaynes replied that he is “no slouch on the ground”, as he has a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. An ideal time frame for that fight if it materialized, he said, would be September. His toughest opponent on paper was Gavin Tucker, which was also Jaynes’s 145-pound debut. He also wanted to answer former training partner Evan Dunham’s 2020 callout and retire him, but could not before Dunham was let go from the UFC.

Crowd-wise, Justin says he would rather fight with a crowd, as opposed to in the Apex. He highlighted a King of the Cage event in his home state of Michigan as one with a particularly good crowd and atmosphere, adding that he enjoys doing his walkout and hearing the fans. His grittiest fight, he said, was his latest one against Charles Rosa, and that he was “swinging for the fences” in that particular outing. As for Jaynes’s mindset when entering any fight, he is always looking to knock the opponent out, and just wants to take the fight to somebody.