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It won’t be much longer before the light mixed martial arts schedule comes to an end and events are flying at us every week. It’s not a bold prediction to suggest 2023 will be an eventful year in the world of MMA, given that’s just the nature of the sport with a steady stream of major fights and frequent changings of the guard. In a year that promises to be significant for many in the combat sports universe, these are the individuals for whom the upcoming year looms largest.
Alexander Volkanovski
Some athletes are destined to never get the recognition that they deserve, whether it’s because they play in a smaller city or they don’t possess a flashy style or they’re introverted and prefer to stay out of the limelight. Perhaps Volkanovski will forever be one of those competitors. Despite an unbeaten streak that’s lasted nearly a full decade and a title run that’s entering its fourth year, Volkanovski is respected but hardly celebrated at the level of his talent.
This is the year that could finally change. Kamaru Usman and Israel Adesanya lost, leaving Volkanovski at the top of the pound-for-pound list. He beat Max Holloway again and this time so clearly that the doubt about which fighter is better has been snuffed out for good. Finally, he’s taking up an audacious challenge that could prove the defining moment of his career if he is successful.
Volkanovski is not exactly a massive featherweight. Thick and stocky, he ends up looking up at most opponents even if he has a deceptively long reach. Now he’s moving up to the deepest weight class in the sport to take on a 23-1 champion who has been one of the most avoided fighters in the game. Islam Makhachev doesn’t have the sort of notoriety to where a Volkanovski win would capture the greater public imagination, but it will mean a ton to those who know the sport well. Of course, there’s a reason it will mean that much and that’s because of the difficulty of the task.
Jon Jones
As we approach three years since Jon Jones last fought and then Jones’ 36th birthday, we are running out of time when we can reasonably expect to see “Bones” to perform at something close to his peak performance. Given his struggles against Thiago Santos and Dominick Reyes, who haven’t exactly dominated since, there’s already skepticism about where he stands. At some point we’ll reach the point where Jones’ return is perceived as more of a novelty than a grave threat to the elite of the heavyweight division.
It’s a shame it has come to this point but UFC’s pay-per-view guarantees from ESPN has made it even less apt to capitulate to lofty salary requests than it was before. As such, Jones has been in limbo and we have thus far missed out on some of the most intriguing matchups in the sport, like Jones vs. Francis Ngannou. That fight may be out of reach at the moment, but there are plenty of other big fights involving Jones.
This is the year this needs to get done, for Jones’ wallet and legacy. Negotiations got hotter late last year and he has been actively teasing his return on social media in the New Year. How Jones performs upon his return will go a long way towards his claim to being the GOAT. A world title in a second weight class would affirm the greatness he demonstrated throughout much of his dominant career. On the other hand, he could look even more human than he did in recent fights against bigger men who have been competing much more actively. Jones has a lot to gain and perhaps even more to lose in 2023.