Ranking the UFC’s upcoming blockbuster summer fights

The UFC is primed for an incredible summer of action after some blockbuster news recently dropped.

The UFC announced on May 13th that Islam Makhachev had dropped the lightweight belt to move up to 170 pounds. He’ll challenge newly crowned champion Jack Della Maddalena at a yet-to-be-confirmed date.

For months, Makhachev seemed on a collision course with Ilia Topuria, who himself had dropped his 145-pound belt with his sights set on a superfight with the Russian at lightweight. Instead, Topuria will face former champion Charles Oliveira for the vacant 155-pound championship on June 28th.

But the UFC wasn’t done dropping bombs. The promotion also announced that the middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis will defend his title against the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev on August 16th.

These three title fights will join a summer slate that also includes two other major bouts — a retirement fight for Dustin Poirier against BMF champion Max Holloway on July 19th, and a rematch between bantamweight king Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley on June 7th.

While all five fights are sure to get UFC fans hyped up, let’s rank them from least anticipated to most anticipated. I’ll also throw in my prediction for each matchup alongside fight odds from FanDuel.

5. Merab Dvalishvili (C) vs. Sean O’Malley 2 Bantameight title fight at UFC 316 on June 7th

Let’s kick things off with a fairly easy decision for my least anticipated major fight of the summer. We saw Dvalishvili rip the bantamweight title from O’Malley’s hands just seven months ago, using his superior wrestling skills en route to an impressive performance in what was a lackluster fight.

Since then, Dvalishvili has further established himself as the guy at 135 pounds by coming out on top in a Fight of the Year candidate against Umar Nurmagomedov in January. But O’Malley hasn’t fought again after undergoing hip surgery for a torn labrum, which he suffered during the leadup to their first matchup.

Tale of the tape

While a fully healthy O’Malley might create a more competitive matchup, he wasn’t anywhere near a dominant enough champion to warrant an immediate rematch. He only had one title defense, and that came in a tailor-made matchup against Marlon Vera.

Of course, O’Malley is a sharpshooter, with a long history of landing picture-perfect shots that win fights. He’s also one of the biggest stars the UFC has, so it’s understandable why the promotion wants him back in the title picture as quickly as possible.

But a fighter coming off a hip surgery attempting to defend takedown after takedown from one of the most relentless wrestlers in the UFC isn’t a recipe for success — or a fight that can match the excitement of the rest of the matchups on this list.

4. Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira  Vacant lightweight title fight at UFC 317 on June 28th

Topuria and Oliveira both simply don’t have boring fights. They’re among the most electrifying fighters on the UFC roster. So why only fourth on this list? I just can’t let go of what should’ve been between Topuria and Makhachev. True superfights are becoming increasingly rare in today’s UFC.

Topuria versus Makhachev would’ve been an all-time matchup. Makhachev is the UFC’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter, and Topuria is No. 3. Seeing as the No. 2 guy, Jon Jones, constantly has one foot in retirement, it would’ve been essentially the promotion’s top two dogs fighting it out to see who was the true king of the UFC.

Tale of the tape

Furthermore, Oliveira wasn’t the obvious candidate to welcome Topuria to 155 pounds; that was Arman Tsarukyan. Tsarukyan is the No. 1 contender at lightweight, has beaten Oliveira, and was previously scheduled to fight Makhachev in January but pulled out at the last minute due to a back injury.

That all said, this fight does have a lot going for it. The excitement of Topuria’s 155-pound debut is obvious. We hadn’t seen this kind of earth-shattering punching power at 145 since Conor McGregor, and there’s no reason to expect Topuria to be any less exciting at lightweight.

On the other side, we have the man who owns the most finishes (20) in UFC history. While he’s 35, Oliveira showed he’s still got it by dominating Michael Chander in his last fight in November. Seriously, how can you not love the prospect of a Hail Mary submission from Oliveira to earn an unlikely second title?

This fight might not last long, and it might not be the most competitive. But it’ll be a hell of a lot of fun while it lasts. Still, it’s not quite worthy of a top-three spot.

3. Max Holloway (C) vs. Dustin Poirier 3 BMF title fight at UFC 318 on July 19th

It’s one final ride for Dustin Poirier.

The legendary UFC fighter is calling time on his career, and his swan song will be a third fight against Holloway. Poirier won both previous matchups, the first way back in 2012 via first-round submission and the second in 2019 by unanimous decision for the interim lightweight title.

Some might consider it contentious to put this above two actual title fights (all respect to the BMF title), but few fighters are as beloved as Poirier, one of the sport’s true good guys. And one of the only fighters who receives as much universal adoration is Holloway.

While Poirier and Holloway are fan favorites because of their unproblematic and wholesome personalities in a sport dominated by controversy, it’s also because they absolutely bring it every single fight. You couldn’t find two fighters who exemplify what it means to be a BMF more than Poirier and Holloway.

Tale of the tape

Of course, neither fighter is in their prime. Poirier is 36 and has lost three of his last five fights, including two shots at an undisputed title. Meanwhile, Holloway suffered the first knockout loss of his career to Topuria last October and has the second-most Octagon time of any UFC fighter ever.

But none of that will matter once that Octagon door closes. It’ll just be two of the most exciting MMA fighters to ever do it, squaring off one last time. Whatever the result, there likely won’t be a dry eye in the place.

2. Dricus du Plessis (C) vs. Khamzat Chimaev Middleweight title fight at UFC 319 on August 16th

For those who’ve followed the Khamzat Chimaev story from his first UFC appearance, it has been a very long wait for this moment.

When he burst onto the scene with two wins in 10 days during Fight Island in July 2020 and then a 17-second knockout in his third fight two months later, a title shot seemed inevitable. But Chimaev has fought just five times since his unprecedented three-fight start to his career in 2020.

Complications stemming from COVID-19 caused Chimaev to pull out of multiple fights and briefly retire in March 2021 before he reversed his decision. His future at welterweight was also called into question after he missed weight by 7.5 pounds for a fight against Nate Diaz in September 2022.

But the undefeated Russian finally earned his title shot by destroying former champion Robert Whittaker in October 2024. Chimaev choked out Whittaker in the first round, and Whittaker didn’t even land a single strike. That’s the monster that Du Plessis will face at UFC 319.

Tale of the tape

The fact that it’s taken me this long to mention Du Plessis is fitting considering how the story of the champion’s career has gone. Few saw Du Plessis as a future champion, with an unorthodox, wild style and overall recklessness that often makes him look amateurish.

But the South African beat Whittaker when he wasn’t supposed to. He then won the title in his next fight against Sean Strickland, who was riding high off a shock win to dethrone longtime king Israel Adesanya. After that, Du Plessis also took down Adesanya despite being the underdog, and then beat Strickland again.

Still, this is easily Du Plessis’ biggest test to date. Chimaev feels like one of those fighters destined to hold UFC gold. Whatever the result, the aggressive style of both men will surely lead to fireworks that you won’t want to miss.

1. Jack Della Maddalena (C) vs. Islam Makhachev Welterweight title fight (date, location TBD)

Makhachev has long made it known that a move up to 170 pounds was inevitable. But with a superfight on the cards versus Topuria, it seemed like Makhachev would have at least one more dance at 155 before trying to join the exclusive club of two-weight-class champions.

But after his friend Belal Muhammad dropped the 170-pound title to Della Maddalena, Makhachev jumped at the chance to take on fresh meat. Now, this fight doesn’t yet have a date, so we’ll have to wait to see if they can schedule it for the end of the summer. Regardless, it’s the clear No. 1 fight I want to see.

Tale of the tape

Sure, my disappointment that I mentioned in the Topuria-Oliveira section still stands. But there are several reasons why I’m far more invested in the welterweight title fight than the vacant lightweight championship bout.

Firstly, it feels like Topuria still has work left to do at 145 pounds, while Makhachev has basically cleared out his division. A new challenge for Makhachev, and one to see if he can vault himself into the conversation of all-time greats, is must-see TV.

Secondly, while Della Maddalena isn’t the established champion that I’d have ideally liked to see Makhachev take on in a move to 170, he’ll still be a tough out. The Australian showcased great takedown defense against Muhammad. He’s also an outstanding boxer, an area Makhachev has shown weakness in the past.

The UFC is always about what’s next, too. If Makhachev can earn his second belt and stay at 170, there are some mouth-watering matchups. Sean Brady and the undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov both deserve title fights. Former champions Muhammad, Kamaru Usman, and Leon Edwards are also still in the picture.

All in all, this is the kind of massive fight that reminds you why you became a UFC fan.