MMA fans better get used to rematches this year, because a lot of them are coming up, with many of them holding title implications.
It all starts this weekend, when Benson Henderson takes on Donald Cerrone in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 59. To be fair, this wasn’t the UFC’s original plan, but it’s the fight they ended up with and it’s actually a better fight than Henderson versus Eddie Alvarez, his original opponent.
Henderson and Cerrone fought twice previously in WEC with Henderson taking both bouts (by decision and submission), but both guys are different fighters now, and this is a different matchup. And if Cerrone wins, a rematch with UFC Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis is not out of the question.
• Benson Henderson vs. Donald Cerrone
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Later this month, Alexander Gustafsson will fight Anthony Johnson in the main event of UFC on FOX 14, and the winner will get a title shot against UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones later this year. Jones vs. Gustafsson was the Fight of the Year in 2013 and if Gustafsson beats Johnson like the betting odds call for him to do so, the fans will see the Jones-Gustafsson rematch before the year is up.
Then there are two trilogies that could potentially happen in 2015. One is already confirmed, with Robbie Lawler and Johny Hendricks set to go at it again for a third time for the welterweight title sometime this spring/early summer. If Lawler defends the belt, a rematch with Rory MacDonald, who he defeated by split decision at UFC 167, could be in store. And if Anderson Silva can beat Nick Diaz at UFC 183, he will get another shot at UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman, should the champ get by challenger Vitor Belfort at UFC 184. While the Lawler-Hendricks trilogy is wanted by the fans and the Silva-Weidman one isn’t, the UFC feels this is the biggest-money fight it can make, and even with criticism on social media about Silva getting another title shot, it looks very likely.
In the bantamweight division, TJ Dillashaw‘s next opponent is likely to be the man he took the belt from, Renan Barao, after top contenders Raphael Assuncao and Dominick Cruz went down with injuries. And if Assuncao returns and fights Dillashaw later this year, that’s also a rematch. In the women’s bantamweight division, Ronda Rousey is due to take on Cat Zingano at UFC 184, and if she can win that fight, the UFC will likely have no choice but to have her rematch Sara McMann, Sarah Kaufman, or Miesha Tate, women she has already defeated before.
At flyweight, champion Demetrious Johnson has nearly cleaned out the division, and a rematch with John Dodson and/or a trilogy bout with Joseph Benavidez are both not out of the question. The same goes with Jose Aldo at featherweight, who is looking at a rematch with Frankie Edgar should he get past Conor McGregor (or should McGregor lose at UFC Fight Night 59). And at heavyweight, should UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez get by Fabricio Werdum, a fourth bout with Junior dos Santos could be on deck. That’s a fight I don’t think anyone wants to see, but in a shallow division, there’s a good chance it happens. And if Werdum somehow upsets Velasquez, a rematch between JDS and Werdum isn’t out of the question.
All the rematches I’ve listed so far feature fights with immediate title implications, but there are still other rematches that are possible as well, like Carlos Condit vs. Nick Diaz 2, Matt Brown vs. Dong Hyun Kim 2, and even Michael Bisping vs. Dan Henderson 2. Don’t be surprised if any of those fights happen.
Basically, fight fans, get used to the rematch in 2015, because it sure seems like the UFC is dead-set on doing many of these fights all over again. For fans of the first fights between these aforementioned competitors, this is a good thing, but for those who want fresh faces fighting for titles, well, better wait for next year.
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UFC Fight Night 59: McGregor vs. Siver is due to take place on January 18, 2015 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.
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UFC 183: Silva vs. Diaz is due to take place on January 31, 2015 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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