5 explosive striker vs. striker fights to make in the UFC

At UFC 287 earlier this month, striking savants Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya locked horns for the fourth time in their legendary rivalry. Adesanya came out on top this time around, knocking out the man who had finished him twice previously across combat sports.

It's truly a sight to behold when two world-class strikers start trading limbs inside the octagon. The level of striking in MMA reaches new levels with every passing year, and it remains to be seen how the stand-up aspect of the sport continues to evolve.

With that said, here are five explosive striker vs. striker matchups the UFC should look to put together.

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#5. Marlon Vera vs. Petr Yan

Both Marlon Vera and Petr Yan suffered disappointing five-round beatdowns last month, coming up short against Cory Sandhagen and Merab Dvalishvili respectively. With both fighters eager to return to title contention, a fight between the two makes a lot of sense.

Moreover, it's a sensational clash of styles.

Marlon Vera saw his four-fight win streak come to a screeching halt at the hands of Cory Sandhagen at UFC San Antonio and likely needs one or two wins to re-insert himself into the title picture. Perhaps more importantly, 'Chito' needs to address his bad habit of starting slow and his unreliable style of chasing late knockouts.

Petr Yan, on the other hand, has endured one of the most unexpected falls from grace we've ever seen. Once touted as the best bantamweight in the world, 'No Mercy' is now on a three-fight skid and hasn't won a fight in two years.

Vera vs. Yan is an intriguing matchup, pitting the Ecuadorian's long-range attacks against the Russian's crisp boxing. Both fighters have never been finished either, which should make for a fun back-and-forth clash.

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#4. Jack Della Maddalena vs. Vicente Luque

Apart from the two championship bouts atop the UFC 284 line-up in Australia earlier this year, all eyes were on Perth native Jack Della Maddalena at the blockbuster pay-per-view.

The Dana White's Contender Series graduate racked up three first-round knockouts last year to kick off his UFC career in style. He was then dealt a tricky matchup in Randy Brown, but passed that test with flying colors, submitting 'Rude Boy' in just over two minutes to pick up his fourth win inside the octagon.

Sky's the limit for Jack Della Maddalena. The 26-year-old Australian is arguably the best welterweight outside the divisional top 10, and with four quick finishes already under his belt in the UFC, a shot at a higher-ranked contender is warranted.

The ideal next opponent for Della Maddalena would be perennial 170-pound contender Vicente Luque, who has been with the promotion for nearly a decade. Luque currently occupies the No.10 spot in the rankings and will prove to be a real test of Della Maddalena's potential.

Luque is coming off back-to-back losses to top-ranked welterweights Belal Muhammad and Geoff Neal, and will likely have to fight a lower-ranked contender in his next outing. When he's firing on all cylinders, 'The Silent Assassin' is as well-rounded and dangerous as they come.

Given Luque's experience and diverse skillset, this will definitely prove to be a tough matchup for Della Maddalena. A win here would see him break into the upper echelons of the 170-pound division, and if he gets another finish, we could well have a future champion on our hands.

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#3. Rafael Fiziev vs. Jalin Turner

The UFC lightweight division is ubiquitously considered the deepest weight class across combat sports. There are no easy fights at 155 pounds and contenders in the division have to overcome a murderers' row just to break into the title mix.

Rafael Fiziev and Jalin Turner came into 2023 as surging lightweights on the rise, but suffered decision losses to Justin Gaethje and Mateusz Gamrot respectively. Both fighters came up short against more experienced competitors, which should benefit them in the long run.

Still just 30 and 27, Rafael Fiziev and Jalin Turner have ample time to improve their skillsets and return to the top of the division. A fight between the two promising contenders seems to make sense for all parties involved.

Fiziev is among the most credentialled strikers in the division. The Muay Thai and kickboxing phenom is well-versed in the striking arts, but was somewhat surprisingly undone by Justin Gaethje's boxing last time out. Meanwhile, Turner was just outwrestled by Mateusz Gamrot in his last outing, but still held his own.

Fiziev vs. Turner pits No.6 against No.10 in the lightweight division. This is an explosive matchup every way you look at it and is a no-brainer from the matchmakers' point of view.

Jalin Turner vs. Rafael Fiziev [Images via @thetarantula & @rafael_ataman_fiziev on Instagram]

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#2. Alex Pereira vs. Volkan Oezdemir

As discussed in the introduction, Alex Pereira was knocked out by former foe Israel Adesanya at UFC 287. Now 1-1 in MMA, many expected the rubber match to be next, but it appears as though both the UFC and Pereira have other plans.

'Poatan' now looks set to move up to the light heavyweight division.

Alex Pereira has always been massive for the middleweight division and a move to the 205-pound bracket has always been on the horizon. The towering Brazilian will obviously be much bigger when he competes at light heavyweight, but perhaps more crucially, his chin will hold up and he won't be drained out.

An immediate shot at light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill isn't warranted, considering Pereira just got finished. He will likely be given a top-ranked contender, and knowing the UFC, he'll probably be given a favorable matchup as well.

The ideal next opponent for Pereira is former title challenger and No.8-ranked light heavyweight Volkan Oezdemir, who recently called him out. Oezdemir is also known for his power, so if this one comes to fruition, someone's going to sleep, guaranteed.

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#1. Jamahal Hill vs. Jiri Prochazka – UFC light heavyweight title bout

Jiri Prochazka graciously opted to vacate his light heavyweight strap when he sustained an injury last year. Jamahal Hill subsequently won the title a month later in Brazil. The two light heavyweights now appear to be on a collision course, and we can't wait for it.

Both Jiri Prochazka and Jamahal Hill have never been in a boring fight. The prospect of these two benemoths throwing down inside the octagon is all but guaranteed to produce fireworks and no other fight makes sense atop the 205-pound bracket.

No.2-ranked Magomed Ankalaev and No.3-ranked Jan Blachowicz are coming off a lackluster majority draw, so neither fighter warrants a shot at gold. The only stumbling block ahead of this matchup is Prochazka's fitness and whether he's fully healed from the shoulder injury that forced him to vacate the belt.

If Prochazka is healthy and ready to go by this summer, this is the fight to make.