5 UFC fights to look forward to in the second quarter of 2022

With February already upon us, the UFC are now well into the first quarter of 2022. A number of big fights have already been scheduled for the second quarter, with many events planned for June 4.

Fight announcements have been coming in thick and fast recently, with some big names set to compete. In the second quarter of 2022 alone, there are already four important title fights that have been scheduled at the big PPV events in April and May.

There is more to come, as we are yet to learn the fights which will take place at the June PPV. There are a wealth of fight night matches to look forward to with some very important bouts in the main events.

With so much on the platter, here are five interesting UFC fights you can watch in the second quarter of 2022:

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#5. Vicente Luque vs. Belal Muhammad II - UFC fight night 204

Belal Muhammad will face Vicente Luque on April 16th

While these two might somewhat be new faces to the welterweight top five, now that they are there, this fight has become incredibly important. The no. 4 and no. 5 ranked fighters will meet on April 16 in what will surprisingly be the first main event of Vicente Luque's career.

With Kamaru Usman expected to take on Leon Edwards for the title next, the two will become the highest-ranked fighters in the division not to have faced the champion. Admittedly, there is a fairly substantial threat that Khamzat Chimaev could leapfrog these men should he get another win next time out.

This could make both men even more keen to deliver a statement victory. While Muhammad's style is typically attritional, Luque has been incredibly fun to watch in recent times. Given the stakes on the line here, this one has the potential to steal the show.

#4. Alexander Volkanovski vs. Chan Sung Jung - UFC 273

Chan Sung Jung will challenge Alexander Volkanovski for his feaatherweight title

The UFC had initially scheduled a title bout between Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway before the latter had to withdraw due to injury. In stepped 'The Korean Zombie', although we have now learned that Holloway has been cleared and is keen to be the alternate for this bout.

If we had got Volkanovski vs. Holloway III, this fight would surely have ranked far higher. While Chan Sung Jung was not undeserving of the opportunity, he recently suffered a one-sided loss to Brian Ortega, who was then out-struck by Volkanovski. This recent history somewhat reduces interest in this bout.

While Volkanovski will likely be a favorite, it will be fun to see 'The Korean Zombie' get a second shot at the featherweight title, after having come up short back in 2013. This fight may seem a little underwhelming at present, but you can be confident it will still be plenty of fun once fight week rolls around.

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#3. Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan - UFC 273

Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling II will take place on April 9

While it might seem a little odd to have this fight ranked above the previous entry, the wealth of unknowns in this one has made it quite intriguing. The fight is, of course, a rematch of the first bout between the pair that resulted in Aljamain Sterling winning the belt via DQ after an illegal strike from Petr Yan.

Yan was winning the first fight up until that point and will presumably be a heavy favorite in the rematch. Sterling has not fought since then and it will be interesting to see how his previously injured neck holds up, particularly as some of his peers have speculated he may never return.

While the odds are against Sterling, he does hold a dominant victory over the highly-ranked Cory Sandhagen, who Petr Yan had a much tougher time dealing with. The fact both men entered this bout carrying gold adds another fun element to the bout and it will be incredibly interesting to see how this one plays out.

#2. Glover Teixeira vs. Jiri Prochazka - UFC 274

Glover Teixeira will defend the light heavyweight title against Jiri Prochazka

The oldest champion in the UFC, Glover Teixeira, will attempt to secure his first successful title defense when he takes on Jiri Prochazka. While the bout may not currently hold a ton of hype, seeing Teixeira attempt to overcome the odds will once again be entertaining to watch.

Sadly, there no longer appears to be a chance that this would take place in Teixeira's home nation of Brazil. That would've ensured an amazing atmosphere for the champion's homecoming that might've carried him to an unlikely victory.

Prochazka is likely to be one of the favorites heading into the bout. But given his entertaining recent performances and Teixeira's success as an underdog, it will still be a nail-biting match indeed.

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#1. Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje - UFC 274

Justin Gaethje will challenge Charles Oliveira for the lightweight title

Not too long ago, you might've expected Justin Gaethje to be the heavy favorite heading into this one. However, Charles Oliveira proved everyone wrong. In his match against Dustin Poirier, he was able to overcome an opponent with a striking advantage and ultimately secure the win rather comfortably.

Given that Gaethje had no answers to the elite grappling skills of Khabib Nurmagomedov in his last title fight, he could easily have suffered a similar fate. With that being said, 'The Highlight' typically turns any of his fights, regardless of the result, into a must-watch event and you'd imagine this will be no different.

This one has the potential to be fascinating and will likely come down to whether Gaethje can find the big strike he needs to negate Oliveira's smothering offense. At least on paper, this is likely the closest title fight listed here. Given the ridiculous talent that exists in the UFC lightweight division, it's not something you'll want to miss.