6 stories to watch as the UFC closes out 2016
Even after one of the most profitable nine-month stretches in company history, it looks like the UFC is just getting warmed up.
The promotion finds itself on a rare break after eight straight weekends filled with fights (which would have been nine were it not for their Manila card being canceled), so now is as good a time as any to glance ahead at what MMA fans have to look forward to in the final quarter of 2016.
McGregor takes Manhattan
With the Octagon touching down in Madison Square Garden for the first time ever, the UFC is determined to make the most of the historical occasion. After all, this is the same building that hosted Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier and the first-ever WrestleMania. It will take a lot for UFC 205 to live up to those lofty precedents.
Heading into late September, the UFC had scheduled a pair of title fights for the Nov. 12 card along with several marquee matches featuring the likes of Chris Weidman, Miesha Tate, and Frankie Edgar. But it was still missing a blockbuster headliner.
Then Conor McGregor came along.
Six months ago, it looked like the featherweight champion would be excluded from the New York event as punishment for a dispute with the UFC. However, they changed their tune quickly after McGregor's rematch with Nate Diaz at UFC 202 shattered the promotion's box-office records.
Now McGregor is in the main event and on the hunt for lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez. If McGregor wins and becomes the first fighter to hold two UFC belts simultaneously, that would be an image worthy of "The World's Most Famous Arena."
Dos Anjos vs. Ferguson
Tony Ferguson has been chasing a title shot for months, but he'll have to settle for a meeting with recently deposed lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos. The two meet in the main event of UFC Fight Night 98 on Nov. 5 in Mexico City.
It's a pivotal matchup in the 155-pound division, with Dos Anjos aiming to bounce back after being knocked out by Eddie Alvarez in July, and Ferguson hoping that a ninth straight win is enough to earn him a championship bout.
A November double-dip
If the UFC is concerned about over-saturation, they're certainly not showing it.
Nov. 19 sees the promotion putting together two cards on the same day, with trips to Belfast, Northern Ireland, and Sao Paulo, Brazil. Presumably, the events will be scheduled in such a way as to avoid overlap, so fans can buckle up for 10+ hours of UFC programming.
Rockhold vs. Jacare 2
Luke Rockhold and Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza first battled five years ago in a bout that Rockhold won by unanimous decision to take Souza's Strikeforce middleweight championship. The Brazilian gets a shot at revenge when they rematch at UFC Fight Night 101 in Melbourne, Australia.
The no. 3-ranked "Jacare" has won six of his past seven bouts and is on the cusp of a title shot. Rockhold will look to redeem himself after being on the wrong end of one of the year's biggest upsets when Michael Bisping knocked him out at UFC 199 and claimed Rockhold's UFC belt.
'Mighty Mouse' goes for nine straight defenses
Not to take anything away from the winner of the 24th season of "The Ultimate Fighter," but its hard to see anyone beating Demetrious Johnson, much less an opponent plucked from a reality show.
Nevertheless, that's the next challenge for "Mighty Mouse" as the "TUF 24" tournament champion will receive an immediate flyweight title shot on Dec. 3 in Las Vegas. Johnson has been nigh invincible, so the most intriguing storyline going into that event will be whether he can record his ninth consecutive title defense. The feat would tie him with Georges St-Pierre for the second-best championship defense streak in UFC history.
Will GSP and Rousey return?
The UFC has been making money hand over fist with McGregor. If Georges St-Pierre and Ronda Rousey come back, the company coffers will be overflowing.
GSP has been rumored to be facing Anderson Silva at UFC 206 in Toronto on Dec. 10. Regardless of the fact that both men are past their primes, this is a dream booking that will have St-Pierre's loyal Canadian fan base roaring in support of his return after a three-year hiatus.
As for Rousey, she's been mentioned in connection with the UFC's year-end show on Dec. 30. Several appealing possibilities await her, including a challenge of women's bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes, a revenge match against Holly Holm, and a long-shot clash with Cris Cyborg. The latter would arguably be the biggest highlight of what has been a banner year for the UFC.