The biggest UFC events still to come in 2022

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) continues to grow in popularity. This, in part, is due to the continuous stream of exciting events that are on the calendar.

In this guide, we’ll take a look at some of the biggest events yet to come in 2022 as well as some of the fighters involved. But first, let’s take a brief look at how the UFC works.

 

How does the UFC work?

The UFC is the leading organization and promoter of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fights and events in the world. While many of its fights take place in the USA, it has in recent years branched out to other parts of the globe, hosting events in locations such as the UK and Abu Dhabi.

Each event usually includes a number of fights, or bouts, with there being one headline fight, sometimes with a title on the line.

There are currently 12 different weight divisions in the UFC for men and women. Some of them are:

●      Strawweight

●      Flyweight

●      Bantamweight

●      Featherweight

●      Lightweight

●      Middleweight

●      Heavyweight

Similar to boxing, fights take place in a canvas-covered octagon, surrounded by a cage. Fights are made up of a number of rounds, often three, with each one lasting five minutes.

If you’re interested in betting on the UFC, many sportsbooks offer deals and special odds and offers for many of the events we’ll discuss below. You can learn more about UFC events and predictions here.

What UFC events are still to come in 2022

We’re just over halfway through the year and there have been some tremendous bouts so far, such as Luque vs Muhammad 2 and Ngannou vs Gane.

It doesn’t look as if it’s slowing down anytime soon either, as there is a packed calendar for the second half of 2022.

Let’s take a look at what’s to come.

UFC 277

UFC 277 takes place on July 30th and features the long-awaited rematch between Julianna Pena and the legendary Amanda Nunes.

In their first bout, against all odds, Pena managed to force Nunes into submission in the second round. Nunes lost her bantamweight title in the process and now she’s looking to take it back.

Nunes is regarded as one of the best female fighters ever, having held both the women’s featherweight title and the bantamweight title and successfully defended both.

With 10 years of experience behind her, Nunes will be keen to rectify what happened in the last fight with Pena. However, the bright up-and-comer has already proven she’s got what it takes to be a champion and she’ll give no quarter against the veteran from Brazil.

Also fighting on the UFC 277 bill are Ankalaev and Smith in the light heavyweight division. Ankalaev has lost just once so far in his career.

Similarly, Pantoja and Perez in the flyweight division looks to be an interesting bout, with both fighters matched pound for pound and record for record.

Vera vs Cruz

On August 13th, Marlon Vera and Dominick Cruz face off in the bantamweight division. While this isn’t a title fight, the two fighters are closely matched, with Vera shaping up to be an interesting opponent for former two-time UFC champion, Cruz.

Cruz, also known as The Dominator, has an impressive record, winning 24 fights and losing just three. Vera, in contrast, has lost seven and won 19. He does, however, pack more of a punch than Cruz, but the former champ is more of a grappling specialist than his opponent from Ecuador.

Also fighting on the same bill are Grasso and Araujo in the flyweight division, both of whom are closely matched.

Oliveira vs Makhachev

Towards the end of the year, Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev are slated to slug it out for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 280, which is taking place in Abu Dhabi.

Tipped as one of the most highly anticipated fights of the year, both fighters have been in incredible form.

Oliveira is undefeated in his past 11 bouts, a run that stretches all the way back to 2018. Out of those 11 fights, he’s stopped his opponent in 10 of them. Making up that number were Dustin Poirier, Michael Chandler and Justin Gaethje, none of whom are pushovers.

He should arguably be the champion of the division right now, but the belt was vacated when Oliveira missed a weigh-in before his fight with Gaethje.

Makhachev, on the other hand, is on a 10-fight win streak and recently knocked out Bobby Green.

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