Three Fights the UFC Absolutely Has To Book Next

T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, the site of the UFC’s biggest fights - Source: Unsplash

Doors. For the better part of two years, that's what the UFC's biggest fights have been, swinging shut just as fans reached for the handle.

UFC's Recent Failure to Book the Blockbuster

The heavyweight unification between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall dragged through month after month of stalled talks, and Jones later confirmed he'd turned down a reported $30 million to make it happen. Let's be honest about what that represented: not a business decision so much as a referendum on whether the sport's biggest fights get made on merit or on one man's terms. It ended not in a cage but at a press conference in Baku on June 21, 2025, where Dana White told reporters: "Jon Jones called us last night and retired. Jon Jones is officially retired. Tom Aspinall is the heavyweight champion of the UFC."

Then there was the superfight that simply walked past itself. Ilia Topuria vacated his featherweight title early in 2025 to chase Islam Makhachev at lightweight; by May, Makhachev had himself vacated the lightweight belt to pursue welterweight gold instead. Topuria responded on social media that it was unfortunate Makhachev "ran away." What does it say about the modern UFC that its two most dominant champions could spend a year calling each other out and end up in different divisions?

Now, however, the UFC has no fewer than three blockbuster fights in the palm of its hand, each of them capable of drumming up monstrous interest the world over. All that awaits is for them to pull the trigger. But the tens of millions of dollars question is this: Will they?

Justin Gaethje vs Arman Tsarukyan

With four seconds left in the first round at UFC 331, Arman Tsarukyan knew a decision wouldn't silence anyone. Mauricio Ruffy had stuffed nearly every takedown at Crypto.com Arena on September 19, so Tsarukyan pinned him to the fence and landed two short elbows, brutally dropping the Brazilian to claim a stunning TKO victory. It was the loudest knock on the lightweight door yet from the Armenian, and his sixth straight win, a run that includes a split decision over Charles Oliveira at UFC 300 and an arm-triangle submission of Dan Hooker in Qatar last November.

Across the Octagon sits Justin Gaethje. The American veteran has shocked everyone by claiming the 155-pound division for himself, first beating Paddy Pimblett for the interim belt at UFC 324 back in January before unifying the title against the previously unbeaten Ilia Topuria on the White House South Lawn on June 14. And the shocking thing is that the Highlight was a betting underdog in both of those fights.

The popular 5Gringos online sportsbook made Gaethje a +185 underdog to beat Pimblett, and he did. The same outlet then made him a mighty +400 underdog to hand Topuria his first defeat, and he did so in brutal fashion, forcing El Matador to quit on his stool after four rounds. Now, Tsarukyan is clearly the number one contender, but does the potential title defense appeal to a 38-year-old who feels like he no longer has anything to prove in the sport?

Gaethje has a deep bone bruise in his knee, has ruled out fighting again in 2026, and has framed his future as Tsarukyan or retirement, while also musing that a McGregor fight would be fun. Tsarukyan, busy wrestling Dillon Danis at RAF 14 on October 23, insists the champion is scared and avoiding him. Can Gaethje really turn down the one fight his division has been building toward? He wouldn't be the first veteran American champion to do exactly that in a bid to avoid the challenge of a young and hungry opponent from overseas.

Ilia Topuria vs Paddy Pimblett

Fifty-two seconds. That's all Paddy Pimblett needed to choke Benoit Saint Denis unconscious with a D'Arce at UFC 329 in Las Vegas on July 11, announcing to the world that he was by no means finished against a Frenchman riding a four-fight win streak. After his first UFC defeat to Gaethje in January, it was the perfect reply, and it turned his public campaign for Topuria from wishful thinking into a genuine matchmaking argument.

Topuria, for his part, must rebuild after the first loss of his career. In his own essay, he confirmed fractures to both orbital bones, a broken septum, and a broken foot from the Gaethje fight, a jarring aftermath for a man whose previous three outings were knockouts of Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and Oliveira. Speaking to Jim Rome this month, White called him ready to fight and named the Gaethje rematch or Pimblett as his two options, adding that both work "as bad as those two hate each other."

When the UFC booked Pimblett vs Gaethje for the interim title, it was clear that they expected the brash Brit to get the victory and then face off in a monster clash against bitter rival Topuria for the undisputed gold. That hatred is a fuse lit years ago, when Pimblett humorously threw a bottle of hand sanitiser at Topuria; he still calls El Matador "sanitizer boy" to this day. But despite the UFC's best efforts, Gaethje beat both of them, and now the two enemies could well square off, with the winner getting their coveted rematch against Gaethje and one last chance to secure their redemption.

Islam Makhachev vs Carlos Prates

Islam Makhachev's unanimous decision over Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330 in Philadelphia on August 15, on scores of 49-46, 49-46, and 48-47, was his 17th straight UFC win, breaking Anderson Silva's record. That came after four lightweight title defences and last November's win over Jack Della Maddalena for the welterweight belt. Afterward, he picked his challenger, arguing that Carlos Prates is still fighting and still active, while Shavkat Rakhmonov is injured and Michael Morales hasn't fought in a while.

Prates has earned that. He finished Leon Edwards at UFC 322, then stopped Della Maddalena with leg kicks and elbows at 3:17 of the third round at RAC Arena in Perth on May 2, 2026. The Brazilian now says the UFC has handed him a new contract and told him he's next, and Anik has said Prates seemingly is.

This one lacks bad blood but is arguably even more tantalising than the other two. Makhachev is on his way toward GOAT status. Prates meanwhile is the beloved knockout artist who smokes cigarettes and drinks beers in post-fight press conferences. The two men could not be more different, and that's exactly why this has to be the next welterweight title fight, no excuses.