5 big fights that the UFC should avoid booking in 2022

#2. UFC lightweight title: Charles Oliveira vs. Conor McGregor

The UFC should not sacrifice sporting credibility by awarding Conor McGregor a lightweight title shot in 2022

Based on what has been said recently by UFC President Dana White, it seems like the next UFC lightweight title bout is set. Seemingly, it will see champion Charles Oliveira defend his title against former interim champion Justin Gaethje in early 2022.

For the most part, this booking makes perfect sense. Gaethje is a great fighter to watch and is coming off a huge win over Michael Chandler.

However, in recent weeks, there have been a few hints that the UFC might head in a different direction. Namely, the promotion may well end up booking a title bout between Oliveira and former UFC lightweight champ Conor McGregor.

To put it simply, this would be an absolute folly. If the UFC were to deny ‘The Highlight’ a shot at the title in favour of Islam Makhachev, who is on a lengthy win streak, then Gaethje would probably be aggrieved, but the decision could be justified.

However, to remove him in favour of McGregor, who has won just one fight in the octagon since 2016 and has just one win as a lightweight in the UFC, period, would be ridiculous.

Sure, Oliveira vs. McGregor might draw far more money than Oliveira vs. Gaethje, but the fact is that the UFC simply can’t book this fight if it wants to retain any semblance of credibility from a sporting perspective.

So while McGregor has stated that he wants the bout, and Oliveira seems to have welcomed it too – largely because it’d give him a huge payout – the UFC should look to ignore the pleas of both men and continue on the path that makes more sporting sense.

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#1. Boxing match: Jake Paul vs. Jorge Masvidal

The UFC would be better off ignoring Jake Paul than attempting to book a fight with him in 2022

The biggest bout that the UFC should absolutely avoid in 2022 is a boxing match between YouTube star Jake Paul and former UFC welterweight title challenger Jorge Masvidal. In fact, the promotion should avoid doing any kind of business with Paul point blank.

Given that ‘The Problem Child’ seems to be at constant loggerheads with UFC president Dana White and has criticised his business practices on numerous occasions, it seems unlikely that the two parties could come to an agreement anyway.

However, Paul draws money on pay-per-view – recent rematch with Tyron Woodley notwithstanding – and as everyone knows, drawing money has always been the biggest driving factor for the UFC.

So given that they came to an agreement to allow then-UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor to step into the boxing ring against Floyd Mayweather, there’s definitely a chance that a similar agreement could be drawn up to match Paul against Masvidal or another current UFC star.

Unfortunately, if this were to happen, it’d be a huge mistake on the part of the UFC, even if it might make them money.

Given that it’s unlikely that he’d want to fight an opponent his own size – around 195lbs – ‘The Problem Child’ would probably have to be matched with a fighter like Masvidal or Nate Diaz. When you then add in the differences between the sports of boxing and MMA, as well as Paul’s recent victory over Woodley, it’s probably safe to say there’s a chance that the YouTuber could actually win.

When Mayweather defeated McGregor in the squared circle, there was certainly no shame in the Irishman losing to one of the greatest boxers of all time – and so the UFC’s credibility wasn’t harmed at all.

However, if one of their current stars were to lose to Paul, who is still seen as a YouTuber masquerading as a fighter by some, then that credibility would almost certainly be damaged. And that damage could well leave a more lasting mark than the money generated from such a fight.

Essentially, the UFC would be better off not only avoiding any kind of deal with Jake Paul, but also simply ignoring him altogether.