5 intriguing veteran vs. veteran fights to book in the UFC

#4. Cub Swanson vs. Urijah Faber – UFC featherweight bout

Cub Swanson has been a staple in the UFC featherweight division for over a decade. He joined the promotion as part of the UFC's abroption of the WEC roster back in 2011 and was a top contender at 145 pounds for a very long time. However, a shot at gold always eluded the Californian.

Swanson will turn 39 later this year and has seemingly accepted that he is nearing the end of his professional MMA career. He knows he's a long way off a championship opportunity and is looking for matchups that motivate him.

After his recent win over Darren Elkins, 'Killer' Cub called for a fight against fellow WEC veteran Urijah Faber. Faber initially retired back in 2016 but came back for two more bouts in 2019 – beating Ricky Simon before losing to Petr Yan. He hasn't fought since and has fully embraced his coaching role at the Team Alpha Male gym in Sacramento.

'The California Kid' is a former KOTC and WEC featherweight champion. While he hasn't competed in over two years, the 42-year-old has always left the door open for one final fight if the right offer is on the table. He seemed to like Swanson's idea of an all-California clash between the two former WEC fighters, admitting that it would be "a lot of fun."

With both fighters seeking the right matchup for their return to the octagon, a potential Cub Swanson vs. Urijah Faber bout appears to make sense for all parties involved. The fight will have to happen somewhere in California, allowing both legends one final hurrah among their fans, friends and family. It's now up to the UFC to put this no-brainer together.

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#3. Derek Brunson vs. Chris Weidman – UFC middleweight bout

Since losing the middleweight championship to Luke Rockhold back in 2015, Chris Weidman has endured a tumultuous run in the UFC. He ruled the division for over two years before being dethroned and hasn't looked quite like himself ever since.

The NCAA Division 1 All-American turned the MMA world on its head in 2013 when he knocked out long-reigning 185-pound king Anderson Silva. In his subsequent rematch with 'The Spider', the bout came to an abrupt end as Silva broke his leg in the second round after one of his kicks got checked.

Somewhat bizarrely, the same thing happened to Weidman at UFC 261 last year.

Weidman's reaction to the devastating injury has been commendable. While going through the motions of his recovery, a fire appears to have been lit under him. It's been over a year since the incident and he's already made a full recovery.

The former titleholder has vowed to return stronger than ever in pursuit of UFC gold. He's even discussed how a potential fight between himself and reigning middleweight champion Israel Adesanya would play out, asserting that he would emerge victorious over 'The Last Stylebender'.

However, as a result of being sidelined, Weidman has dropped out of the middleweight rankings. Before he can think about fighting Adesanya, he will have to beat a top contender first. A fight against Derek Brunson appears to be the ideal route.

Brunson is coming off a TKO loss to Jared Cannonier and has publicly stated that he wants just one more bout.

Israel Adesanya doesn't have too many fresh contenders on the rise at 185 pounds. He's already beaten most of the top-ranked middleweights and the promotion will be looking to elevate more potential challengers for the reigning titleholder, as they're currently doing with Alex Pereira.

A potential Derek Brunson vs. Chris Weidman fight offers both fighters exactly what they want, if they win, of course. Brunson will be eager to end his UFC career on a high while Weidman can put himself in a very good position in the middleweight title picture with a win over a ranked contender.

It's a fascinating matchup and could shake things up in the fairly stagnant 185-pound weight class.