November has no shortage of epic UFC encounters to look forward to, including the biggest fight in women’s mixed martial arts history, writes Quintin van Jaarsveld.
These are the five fights you can’t afford to miss next month:
Gabriel Bonfim vs Sean Brady
Sunday, November 8, SA time
UFC Vegas 124’s headliner is a crunch clash between elite welterweights.
One of the dynamic new breed of fighters taking the division by storm, Bonfim is on a six-fight win streak and put on a clinic when he beat former champion Belal Muhammad last time out.
Brady, meanwhile, is a staple in the welterweight top 10 and rebounded from his stoppage loss to Michael Morales with a dominant victory over Joaquin Buckley in May.
This promises to be a top-class scramble at the Meta APEX.
Ciryl Gane vs Josh Hokit
Sunday, November 15, SA time
The heavyweight championship of the world will be on the line in the main event of UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden.
Ciryl Gane won the interim title with a knockout victory over Alex Pereira earlier this year, and was elevated to undisputed champion after Tom Aspinall vacated the championship because of ongoing eye issues stemming from his previous no-contest against Gane.
The heavyweight division’s fastest-rising and most controversial contender, Josh Hokit has not one but several cringe-worthy WWE-esque characters that he portrays on the mic, but the man can fight.
He has a perfect 10-0 record, including a decision win over Curtis Blaydes in an all-time classic war and a knockout of former two-time title challenger Derrick Lewis earlier this year.
The unfiltered American will take the fight to the French champion, and only one can leave the World’s Most Famous arena as the heavyweight king.
Kayla Harrison vs Amanda Nunes
Sunday, November 15, SA time
It doesn’t get any bigger than UFC 334’s co-main event blockbuster between bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison and returning legend Amanda Nunes.
A freak of nature and a two-time Olympic gold medal-winning judo machine, Harrison defeated Julianna Pena by submission last June to become the champion and heads to New York City for the ultimate test.
The greatest women’s mixed martial arts fighter of all time, Nunes retired as a two-division champion in 2023. The prospect of facing a once-in-a-lifetime athlete like Harrison has awoken “The Lioness” from her slumber, and she’s eager to show that she’s still the best.
Jiri Prochazka vs Navajo Stirling
Saturday, November 21, SA time
Don’t blink when former light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka squares off against rising force Navajo Sterling in the marquee matchup of UFC Qatar at the ABHA Arena.
The Samurai-like Prochazka let a golden opportunity slip to become a two-time champion when he showed mercy to and was promptly knocked out by Carlos Ulberg in their bout for the vacant belt in April.
Now he’ll face another lethal New Zealander in Stirling, who’s fresh off knocking out former champion Jan Blachowicz.
Dan Hooker vs Brian Ortega
Saturday, November 21, SA time
These are two savage stalwarts desperate to fight their way out of their respective funks.
Both men are perennial contenders who have fallen on hard times. Hooker has lost three fights in a row, while a run of one win in his last five bouts sees former featherweight title challenger Ortega move up to lightweight.
Two fan-friendly battlers, it’ll be the deadly striking of “The Hangman” against the dangerous jiu-jitsu skills of “T-City”.
Quintin van Jaarsveld is a former MDDA-Sanlam SA Local Sports Journalist of the Year and a former three-time Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal Sports Journalist of the Year. Formerly the sports editor and Outstanding Journalist of the Year award winner at The Fever Media Group, deputy editor at eHowzit, editor at SARugby.com and senior staff writer at Rugby365.com, he boasts over 20 years of experience.
