It looked to be a slow week regarding new fights, but the UFC tacked on numerous bouts late in the week to help flesh out some of the upcoming fight cards.
The one that captured the most headlines was the UFC's announcement of a 2016 main event, but we will tackle that later. Here are the fights the leader in MMA made this week for their upcoming events.
UFC Fight Night 77, November 7
- Thomas Almeida vs. Anthony Birchak
Top bantamweight prospect Thomas Almeida returns to the Octagon to take on Anthony Birchak in Brazil. Almeida remains undefeated with a perfect professional record of 19-0, but he will be tested against the hard-hitting Birchak. Almeida is currently ranked No. 10 in the official UFC rankings, and with a shallow pool of contenders, another impressive performance should put him in the spotlight.
UFC Fight Night 79, November 28
- Jake Collier vs. Dongi Yang
- Hyun Gyu Lim vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos
- Tae Hyun Bang vs. Leo Kuntz
The event in Seoul, South Korea, continues to fill out with interesting bouts. This trio of fights quickly adds to the depth of the event.
Jake Collier and Dongi Yang look to keep their winning ways going when they meet in the middleweight division. Collier edged out Ricardo Abreu in his last outing, and Yang has won back-to-back fights in the UFC. Meanwhile, Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos and Hyun Gyu Lim will try to get back in the win column at 170 pounds, as will lightweights Tae Hyun Bang and Leo Kuntz.
The three additional bouts will assist in making this an exciting event.
The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale, December 11
- Mirsad Bektic vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri
- Justin Scoggins vs. Joby Sanchez
The Ultimate Fighter's latest season just got underway, but the UFC is in the process of building up the fight card with two more strong fights.
Justin Scoggins and Joby Sanchez will duke it out in the flyweight division, but the fight between Mirsad Bektic and Tatsuya Kawajiri is the real story here. That is a great fight for the fans that could easily steal Fight of the Night.
The UFC will have cards on December 10, 11 and 12, but do not let Bektic vs. Kawajiri fly under the radar amid all the hype.
UFC on Fox 17, December 19
- Sarah Kaufman vs. Germaine de Randamie
Sarah Kaufman is ranked No. 5 in the division, but she has had a hard time getting premiere fights. Stylistically, she will take on like-minded Germaine de Randamie in Orlando. Do not expect this to hit the canvas.
Kaufman needs a decisive victory to re-enter the field of title contenders, but De Randamie can earn her biggest win to date with an upset. Keep an eye on this fight, as it has a lot of meaning in the bantamweight division.
TBA, January 17
- T.J. Dillashaw vs. Dominick Cruz
The fight does not have a city, venue or Fight Night number just yet, but it does have a date. On January 17, 2016, we get the title fight we've been waiting for in the bantamweight division when Dominick Cruz returns to action against reigning champion T.J. Dillashaw. The fight will be on Fox Sports 1 after the NFC Championship Game.
Cruz never lost his title, but injuries forced the UFC's hand in stripping him of the gold. He returned to destroy Takeya Mizugaki in September 2014, but was again sidelined by injury. Ariel Helwani reported on UFC Tonight that Cruz was cleared to start training, and confirmed the title fight later in the show.
Here's to hoping everyone remains healthy en route to January 17!
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