UFC fans have had a great year enjoying the MMA action so far. Now, with two months remaining in 2023, there’s still plenty to come. The world’s premier MMA promotion kicks off this weekend in Sao Paulo, Brazil and there are many exciting fights coming. So let’s have a look at five exciting and biggest UFC fights taking place in November 2023.
5. Jessica Andrade vs. Mackenzie Dern
Mackenzie Dern began her UFC career in 2018 and since then, she has been stellar in the promotion. Her striking has improved so much since the past and she looks ready to take on one of the best fighters in her division. Dern will fight against former strawweight queen Jessica Andrade at the upcoming pay-per-view on November 12 (Sunday).
Jessica Andrade is a dangerous matchup for Dern. She has a strong takedown defense at 115 pounds as well as a heavy punch. Mackenzie will have her work cut out for her if she wants to apply her grappling potential. Andrade is currently at No. 5 in the strawweight rankings, while Dern is two spots behind her at No. 7. Their match will be a classic striker vs. grappler. Jessica had not had her best performances recently, losing her last three bouts via stoppages. This is an opportunity for Dern to score a massive win against the out-of-form former champion.
4. Jailton Almeida vs. Derrick Lewis
The Brazilian fighter Jailton Almeida will face UFC veteran Derrick Lewis on November 5 in the main event of the UFC. Almeida was initially expected to face Curtis Blaydes, which was a very interesting matchup, as Blades is probably the best wrestler in the Heavyweight division right now. But Curtis got injured and then Derrick Lewis stepped in, making for a less interesting but more explosive bout.
Almeida is undefeated in the UFC till now and he has won his last 14 bouts within two rounds. His 12 out of 19 victories have come via submission, so it will be interesting to see how the upcoming battle goes. Lewis is a bigger and perhaps the most powerful hitter in UFC history. “Malhadinho” will have to take a big risk to close the distance. Looking at both fighters’ past few fights, it is simply not possible for this battle to last all five rounds.
3. Brendan Allen vs. Paul Craig
The fight between Brendan Allen and Paul Craig will take place on November 19 at the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas, and this will be the final UFC fight of November 2023. Both fighters are trying to get closer to the divisional championship. Brendan Allen has been in amazing form as he continues a five-fight win streak, which includes four wins via submissions. He is currently ranked No. 10 in the middleweight rankings and will be eager to perform in his first UFC main event.
Paul Craig had a tumultuous run at light heavyweight before falling to middleweight earlier this year, allowing Andre Muniz to break into the top 15. “Bear Jew” is one of the deadliest grapplers in MMA, making an interesting matchup opposite “All In”. Allen and Craig are unique fighters, and this interesting matchup will definitely deliver entertainment to the fans. It will be interesting to see whether Brendan will achieve his sixth consecutive win or not.
2. Sergei Pavlovich vs. Tom Aspinall – Heavyweight title
After the Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic fight fell through just three weeks before the UFC 295 pay-per-view in New York City, the promotion quickly opted to put that matchup on hold for a later date next year and made another setup. Now the UFC Heavyweight title will be on the line, with Sergei Pavlovich and Tom Aspinall set to compete.
Sergei Pavlovich was already confirmed as the backup fighter for the original pay-per-view match, so he was already preparing for the bout. Tom Aspinall, on the other hand, took this fight on short notice, having competed just a few months ago. “Two Beers” returned to action after a year-long injury layoff in London earlier this year and scored a win against Marcin Tybura via knockout. Aspinall has 10 of his 13 wins via knockout. Notably, Pavlovich also has 15 out of his 18 wins via knockout and he defeated his last six opponents through knockouts in the first round.
1. Jiri Prochazka vs. Alex Pereira – Light Heavyweight Title
The new UFC 295 main event will see former champions Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka fight for the vacant light heavyweight title. This matchup is guaranteed to produce big entertainment. This is the most exciting matchup to take place in November 2023. Prochazka won the light heavyweight title in a spectacular way last year, defeating Glover Teixeira via submission in Singapore. He later had to vacate the championship due to a shoulder injury, but now he will try to regain it on November 11 in New York City.
On the other hand, Alex Pereira broke into the top tier of the light heavyweight division with a decision win over Jan Blachowicz earlier this year. “Poatan” is clearly more suited to a higher weight class, where he is more powerful and durable. Both fighters are pro knockout artists, with Periera known for his signature left hook and Prochazka being one of the most dangerous strikers in MMA. The Czech fighter is probably a far better grappler than Pereira, but given his fighting style, takedowns from the Brazilian are unlikely.
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