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

At UFC 281 last month, Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira, two striking savants, engaged in a memorable clash. The former kickboxing rivals represent the best of the striking arts in MMA, as do many fighters in the UFC.

At UFC Orlando this weekend, Stephen Thompson will pit his elusive karate skills against the unorthodox Kung Fu stylings of Kevin Holland, in a bout that is expected to largely play out on the feet.

The level of striking in MMA reaches new levels with every passing year. Fans are often treated to stand-up slugfests inside the octagon, especially when two high-level fighters lock horns.

On that note, here are five explosive striker vs. striker fights to book in the UFC.

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#5. Sean O'Malley vs. Marlon Vera 2

Sean O'Malley edged out an incredibly narrow split decision win over former champion Petr Yan at UFC 280 to make a massive leap up the rankings. Despite being a sizable betting underdog heading into the bout, 'Sugar' stood toe-to-toe with Yan and proved that he belongs among the elite at 135 pounds.

While Dana White initially claimed that the winner would fight for the belt next, his comments at the post-fight presser were far from encouraging. Given that many believe Yan deserved the judges' nod, White teased a potential fight between current titleholder Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo instead of teeing up a title shot for O'Malley.

O'Malley could find himself in a title eliminator bout in his next outing, and the only logical opponent for the budding superstar is Marlon Vera, especially considering their history. The bantamweight duo initially fought back in 2020, when Vera claimed a first-round TKO victory after O'Malley suffered an unfortunate and rare injury.

'Sugar' has never acknowledged the result as a loss and with their bout ending in an anti-climactic fashion, there's an unresolved tension between them. Additionally, both fighters have stated that they're open to a rematch down the line, making this matchup a no-brainer for the UFC matchmakers.

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#4. Ciryl Gane vs. Tom Aspinall

French heavyweight Ciryl Gane suffered the first loss of his professional career earlier this year when he came up short against Francis Ngannou in his maiden shot at undisputed UFC gold. 'Bon Gamin' emphatically returned to winning ways with a knockout victory over Tai Tuivasa in Paris and looks set to return next year.

The heavyweight title picture is quite convoluted at the moment. With reigning champion Francis Ngannou recovering from injury, Jon Jones awaiting his much-anticipated return, and Stipe Miocic seemingly in the discussion as well, Gane will need another high-profile win to make a case for a title shot.

A fight against Tom Aspinall appears to make sense for all parties involved. Aspinall's stellar ascent up the heavyweight rankings was halted when he picked up an injury in the first round of his UFC London headliner against Curtis Blaydes. The Englishman will look to bounce back in 2023.

Gane vs. Aspinall is a sensational stylistic matchup. With Gane's silky smooth Muay Thai and Aspinall's crisp boxing, this has all the makings of a barnburner. The France vs. England parody adds to the drama and this could ideally headline the next UFC event in Paris.

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#3. Justin Gaethje vs. Rafael Fiziev

Justin Gaethje came up short in his second shot at undisputed lightweight gold earlier this year, losing to Charles Oliveira at UFC 274.

At 33, Gaethje's time atop the 155-pound ranks is limited and he needs some big wins if he is to re-enter the title mix. A matchup that makes sense for 'The Highlight' would be No.6-ranked Rafael Fiziev, who has certainly made a strong case for a top-ranked opponent in his next outing.

Rafael Fiziev is coming off back-to-back knockout victories over Brad Riddell and Rafael dos Anjos. A win over Justin Gaethje would move 'Ataman' one step closer to a shot at gold.

Gaethje has revealed that he is targeting a fight on the undercard of his teammate Kamaru Usman's trilogy bout against Leon Edwards, expected to go down in the U.K. next year. A fight against Fiziev would be a sensational addition to the growing potential fight card.

Gaethje vs. Fiziev is among the most explosive matchups the promotion can put together at the moment. Both hard-hitting lightweights have a penchant for vicious knockouts, and the convergence of their marauding styles will undoubtedly set off fireworks.

Justin Gaethje vs. Rafael Fiziev fan-made poster [Image via @needingart on Instagram]

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#2. Zhang Weili vs. Valentina Shevchenko – UFC women's flyweight title fight

Zhang Weili re-claimed her UFC strawweight title in style at UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden, dominating and finishing Carla Esparza. The Chinese phenom is now a two-time champion and has emerged as one of the most well-rounded fighters on the roster.

While she was primarily known for her striking when she initially joined the promotion, Zhang Weili's obvious improvements in the grappling department are hard to ignore. 'Magnum' could likely take on top-ranked strawweight Amanda Lemos or former foe Rose Namajunas in her next outing, but there's another interesting option on the table.

With dominant flyweight queen, Valentina Shevchenko seemingly running out of contenders for her belt, a champion vs. champion bout between the duo is quite intriguing. Both fighters are high-level strikers with solid grappling skills, which should make for an exciting and competitive matchup.

Weili has already revealed her desire to fight 'Bullet' at some point down the line. A fight between the two champions is very marketable and offers an injection of life and excitement into the flyweight division.

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#1. Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya 2 – UFC middleweight title fight

Israel Adesanya has only been finished on two occasions across his storied combat sports career, with both knockout losses coming against Alex Pereira. 'Poatan' has now beaten Adesanya three times across kickboxing and MMA, but that doesn't tell the full story.

Their first kickboxing bout was a closely contested decision that many believed Adesanya should've won. The rematch saw Pereira win via knockout after being dominated in the previous rounds. Their recent MMA championship clash went down similarly, with 'Poatan' coming away with a fifth-round TKO win, despite struggling early on.

Considering Israel Adesanya's accomplishments in the UFC thus far, a rematch is warranted. 'The Last Stylebender' was looking to defend his middleweight title for the sixth time when he took on Alex Pereira, and with their ever-growing storyline, this is an easy fight to book.

Adesanya's legacy will be on the line heading into the rematch. While he is acknowledged as one of the greatest UFC champions ever, the Nigerian-born Kiwi's dominance at middleweight will be overshadowed if he loses to the same fighter once again.

With his undeniable fight-ending power, Pereira may just prove to be the boogeyman of Adesanya's career. It's now up to 'The Last Stylebender' to exact his revenge.