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Traditionally, July is a big month for the UFC, and with another International Fight Week on the horizon, this year seems no different.
This July has five UFC events on the horizon, including two major pay-per-views, and some of the most pivotal bouts of 2023 could take place.
Sure, the Fight Night events outside of those pay-per-views aren’t as loaded, but there should be enough going on during the month to keep everyone excited.
Here are the five biggest UFC fights to look forward to in July.
#5. UFC middleweight bout: Robert Whittaker vs. Dricus du Plessis
UFC 290’s main card features two title fights, but the show-stealer could turn out to be the middleweight clash between Robert Whittaker and Dricus du Plessis.
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The winner has been pegged by Dana White to be next in line for a shot at the middleweight title, and so the stakes couldn’t be higher.
More than that, though, it’s a fascinating style clash that pits one of the more most accomplished fighters in the division against arguably its hottest up-and-comer.
Whittaker, a former champion in his own right, essentially has no weaknesses. He carries knockout power, he’s a fantastic technical striker, and an underrated grappler. Realistically, without Israel Adesanya around, he’d still hold the title today.
South Africa’s du Plessis has already entered into a war of words with Adesanya, and so if he can win here, their title bout would instantly become huge. Can he do it, though?
‘Stillknocks’ has defeated the likes of Darren Till and Derek Brunson to take his octagon record to 5-0 since his 2020 debut, and like Whittaker, he doesn’t really appear to have many weaknesses.
Essentially, the only difference between these two is that du Plessis is less proven. It’s clear which way the promotion would like this fight to go, but if Whittaker were to win, denying him a third crack at ‘The Last Stylebender’ would also be impossible.
Overall, it’s a great fight to look forward to.
#4. UFC light-heavyweight bout: Jan Blachowicz vs. Alex Pereira
UFC 291 stands as the final event of July, and in its co-main event, former middleweight champion Alex Pereira is set to move to 205lbs for the first time.
Usually, when a fighter moves up in weight, they’re given a relatively soft opponent to welcome them to their new division. That isn’t the case with ‘Poatan’.
The Brazilian kickboxing legend has instead been matched with a former titleholder in the form of Jan Blachowicz.
In some ways, this fight does appear to favour Pereira. He hits probably as hard as any man in the promotion right now, and Blachowicz turned 40 years old in February. More importantly, he didn’t look great in his last fight and hasn’t really shone since early 2021.
Of course, his last great performance came against Pereira’s great rival – Israel Adesanya – and so that only adds to the magnitude of this one.
Naturally, the pressure is on both men here. Blachowicz needs to prove he’s still relevant, while Pereira needs to bounce back from his loss to ‘The Last Stylebender’ and prove he can make a mark at 205lbs.
Basically, either ‘Poatan’ will knock Blachowicz out and become a top contender at 205lbs, or the Polish fighter will send him back to 185lbs with his tail tucked – just as he did to Adesanya. This is a fight not to be missed either way.
#3. UFC flyweight title: Brandon Moreno vs. Alexandre Pantoja
The first UFC title bout of July will see Brandon Moreno finally defend his flyweight title against someone other than Deiveson Figueiredo, and to say that he has a tricky task ahead of him is an understatement.
Not only is top contender Alexandre Pantoja on a three-fight win streak, but he also holds two victories over ‘The Assassin Baby’ in the past, including one via rear naked choke.
‘The Cannibal’ is a lot like Figueiredo in many ways. He holds nasty knockout power and a slick submission game, but he’s also more adept at cutting to 125lbs, and is younger, too.
In many ways, this looks like a near-impossible task for Moreno. However, the Mexican has improved dramatically since his first two clashes with Pantoja, and he’s been proving his doubters wrong for a long, long time now.
While this title bout won’t excite the casual fans quite like the other two in July, it’s still one of the best fights the promotion has put together in a while, and is definitely a must-see affair.
#2. UFC BMF title: Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje
Sure, the BMF title is an utter gimmick that doesn’t really mean a lot in the bigger picture, but UFC 291’s main event between Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje is still an absolutely brilliant fight to look forward to.
The two lightweight contenders threw down back in April 2018 in what was an instant classic. That fight saw ‘The Diamond’ soak up a ton of punishment to deploy his pressure-boxing game, eventually forcing Gaethje to wilt and fall to a fourth round TKO.
Since then, it’s arguable that both men have improved, despite suffering a number of defeats along the way.
‘The Highlight’ is a more technical fighter than he was back then, but he still holds the savage knockout power and leg kicks that he always did.
Poirier, meanwhile, hasn’t changed too much, but he fights with a swagger that he didn’t used to have now, and that makes him more dangerous than ever.
Without going into too much depth, the fact is that this fight could definitely produce the best clash of 2023 point blank, and that makes it an absolute must-see affair – as well as one of July’s best fights.
#1. UFC featherweight title: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez
The best fight on tap for July is undoubtedly the centrepiece of International Fight Week at UFC 290. It pits reigning featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski against interim champ Yair Rodriguez, and it should be an absolute barnburner.
On paper at least, Volkanovski should be favoured. ‘Alexander the Great’ has never lost at 145lbs, he has no discernible weaknesses there, and he holds wins over Max Holloway, Brian Ortega, Jose Aldo and Chan Sung Jung.
Rodriguez is a flashy and dangerous finisher in his own right, and he has great wins over the likes of Jung and Josh Emmett.
However, he’s also never beaten someone on the level of Volkanovski, as he fell to Holloway in a close call in their 2021 bout.
Despite this, it’s impossible to count ‘El Pantera’ out. He’s an inventive and wild fighter who can finish his foe at seemingly any moment, often from crazy and unorthodox moves.
More importantly, Volkanovski is coming off the first loss of his UFC career, and while it came to Islam Makhachev in a lightweight title bout, his mental state might be questionable after it.
Therefore, while there’s a clear favourite here, the bout also feels ripe for an upset. Essentially, this one could be a classic, and no true MMA fan can afford to miss it.
