This has been one of my annual columns for ESPN for a while now, and it’s always fun to look back at the previous year’s list to see which prospective fights, if any, came to fruition.
So, before getting into the MMA fights I want to see in 2022, let’s take a look at last year’s list.
My No. 1 pick was Israel Adesanya vs. Jon Jones, which, alas, was never close to reality. Adesanya might have pressed the issue had he defeated Jan Blachowicz to become a double champion back in March, but once he lost that light heavyweight title fight and returned to middleweight, the Adesanya-Jones beef was pretty much dead.
My hope for Rose Namajunas vs. Zhang Weili came through — twice, actually. And I for one would say it lived up to expectations. Namajunas’ “I’m the best, I’m the best” mantra in that first title fight in April stands out as one of the best moments of the entire year.
Another matchup that came to fruition was Bellator’s bantamweight title fight between Patricio “Pitbull” Freire and A.J. McKee — and what a result that one produced. The reason I loved that fight so much was that it had hints of Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor. It was a well-established champion against a brash, dynamic, fast-rising title challenger. It really forced you to take a side. The guy who had been there versus the guy who looked like he belonged there. And just like in Aldo-McGregor, the new guy won in dominant fashion.
Two of my other picks for 2021 — Jorge Masvidal vs. Colby Covington and Dominick Cruz vs. Cory Sandhagen — did not happen this year, but it’s very possible both could happen in 2022. (Spoiler alert: You might even see them on my list again this year.)
Remember, these aren’t necessarily fights I’m predicting will happen. But in a perfect world, I’d love to see them in 2022. Here we go, in order of my preference:
1. Francis Ngannou vs. Jon Jones
This was No. 3 on my list last year. It jumps to No. 1 for 2022. And as is the case with a lot of these fights, certain things…
Source : espn
