5 big UFC fights to look forward to this summer

#2. Israel Adesanya vs. Jared Cannonier – UFC 276

Is Jared Cannonier the man to finally dethrone Israel Adesanya?

There’s no disputing the idea that Israel Adesanya is the best middleweight on the planet right now, as he’s made four successful defenses of his UFC title since winning it in October 2019. However, what he hasn’t done recently is produce a classic fight.

In fact, the last time ‘The Last Stylebender’ really delivered the goods with a violent finish was in his clash with Paulo Costa back in September 2020. While he outclassed both Marvin Vettori and Robert Whittaker, both bouts went the distance, with the Whittaker fight being a close affair.

Adesanya will undoubtedly want to change that when he faces Jared Cannonier in the main event of UFC 276. Cannonier earned his shot by beating Kelvin Gastelum and Derek Brunson, with the latter being finished with some brutal elbows in February.

However, ‘The Killa Gorilla’ also uses a straight-ahead style that could play into Adesanya’s hands, and ‘The Last Stylebender’ will probably be confident of scoring a big finish if that remains the case. If he can do that, then he’ll be positioned back where he was after the Costa fight – as one of the promotion’s greatest stars.

This fight should definitely produce some fireworks either way, and so it stands to reason that it’s one of the better fights on tap for the fans this summer.

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#1. Julianna Pena vs. Amanda Nunes 2 – UFC 277

Julianna Pena's rematch with Amanda Nunes could be the summer's biggest fight

2021 saw some genuinely earth-shattering fights in the UFC, from Conor McGregor’s two losses to Dustin Poirier to the rise of Charles Oliveira in the lightweight division. However, it’s arguable that the craziest moment came in December, when Julianna Pena handed Amanda Nunes her first loss since 2014, taking her bantamweight title away in the process.

With that considered, then it’s clear that the biggest fight of the summer will take place at UFC 277, as the two women do battle again, with Pena now acting as the defending champion.

‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ came into the first clash as a huge underdog, but after the way she performed in the first fight, nobody will be counting her out this time. More importantly, she’ll come in with more confidence than ever before.

For Nunes, meanwhile, everything is on the line here. If she can reclaim her title, then it’ll be like the first loss never happened – but if she fails, then given her age and prior accomplishments it’ll probably be fair to question whether she should carry on.

With a season of The Ultimate Fighter currently airing to build the intensity before their fight, it’s safe to say that this could be the most anticipated women’s bout in the UFC for years. It’s a can’t miss clash that is definitely the biggest fight in the upcoming months.