Top Five UFC Fights To Look Forward To In July

Derrick Lewis v Tallison Teixeira

When: Sunday, July 13, SA time

Top-15 heavyweights headline the first of three events in July at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. This is set to be a tense and explosive battle of behemoths with both men being lethal finishers.

Lewis is the UFC’s all-time knockout king with 15 KO victories and is a former title challenger. “The Black Beast” is beloved by fans and heads into his 10th main event.

Teixeira is a new threat in the heavyweight division and primed for his maiden main event. The Brazilian giant is unbeaten and boasts a 100% first-round finishing rate, so don’t blink.

Max Holloway v Dustin Poirier

When: Sunday, July 20, SA time

If there’s one fight you can’t afford to miss it’s UFC 318’s main event showdown for the BMF title as Holloway defends against Poirier at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.

Local hero Poirier will be making his final walk to the Octagon in the much-anticipated third meeting between the legendary pair and looks to sweep the trilogy and add the BMF belt to the interim lightweight title he won in 2019.

For Holloway, it’s a chance to defend the championship he won with arguably the greatest knockout of all time against Justin Gaethje last April and finally get one over “The Diamond.”

Marvin Vettori v Brendan Allen

When: Sunday, July 20, SA time

Top-15 middleweights meet in a grudge match in UFC 318’s co-headliner.

The pair were originally set to square off at UFC Vegas 90, but Vettori was forced to pull out weeks before the bout because of injury. This added fuel to the fire between the two rivals and tensions boiled over four months later when their heated trash talk erupted into a brawl at a Florida casino.

Now they’ll finally do battle inside the Octagon with both combatants seeking to stop a two-fight skid.

Robert Whittaker v Reinier de Ridder

When: Saturday, July 26, SA time

Former middleweight champion Whittaker faces a rising threat in the marquee matchup of UFC Abu Dhabi at the Etihad Arena.

One of the greatest 185-pound fighters in history, “The Reaper” aims to bounce back from a brutal submission loss to the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev last October.

A submission ace from the Netherlands and former two-division champ in ONE Championship. De Ridder has won all three of his fights in the UFC by finish, including bouncing Bo Nickal from the ranks of the unbeaten.

Will the UFC legend rise again, or will “The Dutch Night” break into the top five? We’ll find out in the desert.

Movsar Evloev v Aaron Pico

When: Saturday, July 26, SA time

The co-main event of the Abu Dhabi card is a pivotal fight in the featherweight division, where the undefeated Evloev can clinch a title shot, while promotional newcomer Pico can immediately establish himself as a contender.

Evloev is a perfect 19-0 in his over decade-long career, with nine of his wins coming inside the Octagon. UFC president Dana White has confirmed one more victory will earn the dominant Russian a shot at champion Alexander Volkanovski.

Standing in his way is former Bellator star Pico, an explosive striker who is 9-1 in his past 10 fights and was in line for a title shot when the promotion was absorbed by the PFL earlier this year.