Top Five UFC Fights To Look Forward To In November

November promises to be nothing but epic when it comes to Octagon action, writes Quintin van Jaarsveld as he highlights the five most-anticipated UFC fights of the month.

Brandon Moreno v Amir Albazi

Sunday, 3 November SA time

Headlining the first of the month’s four cards is an exciting and pivotal flyweight fight between former two-time champion Moreno and surging contender Albazi at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta.  

The pair finds themselves at a crossroads. Moreno is determined to course correct following two split decision losses to Alexandre Pantoja and Brandon Royval, the former ending his second reign as 125-pound champion.

Albazi, on the other hand, is coming off of a split decision victory over former title challenger Kai Kara-France, which extended his win streak to six. Unbeaten in the UFC, he can put himself next in line for a title shot with a win over “The Assassin Baby.”

Erin Blanchfield v Rose Namajunas

Sunday, 3 November SA time

Former two-time strawweight queen Namajunas looks to make it a hat-trick of wins in 2024 against fellow top flyweight contender Blanchfield in the co-main event of UFC Edmonton.

A future Hall of Famer, Namajunas has found her groove in her new weight class this year, picking up victories over Amanda Ribas and Tracy Cortez. If she can get past “Cold Blooded”, she’ll make a strong case to fight for the championship next.

Blanchfield is coming off her first UFC loss. After winning six straight fights in the promotion, she dropped a decision to Manon Fiorot last time out and faces another stiff challenge here. Pass the test against “Thug” and she’ll be right back in title contention. 

Jon Jones v Stipe Miocic

Sunday, 17 November SA time

The dream match finally goes down as Jones defends his undisputed heavyweight title for the first time against Miocic in the main event of UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden.

The biggest fight in UFC heavyweight history was first slated for last November only for Jones to suffer a horrific injury in training that’s kept him out until now.

Jones is as close to an unbeatable fighter as they come. The consensus greatest mixed martial arts fighter of all time, the former long-time ruler of the light heavyweight division made it look easy when he submitted Cyril Gane in just over two minutes to capture the vacant heavyweight title last March and has never legitimately lost. 

Miocic, meanwhile, is the best heavyweight ever. A former two-time champion, he holds a number of divisional records and is the type of complete, hard-hitting fighter who could finally defeat Jones.

Charles Oliveira v Michael Chandler

Sunday, 17 November SA time

The co-headliner of UFC 309 is a mouth-watering five-round rematch between two of the leading and most lethal lightweights in the world.

The pair first met in a thrilling championship bout three-and-a-half years ago when Oliveira rallied to knockout Chandler to clinch the vacant crown. “Do Bronx” went on to defend his belt once and is looking to get back on track after losing two of his last three fights to current champion Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan.

Meanwhile, Chandler’s set to compete for the first time since his submission loss to Dustin Poirier two years ago. Since then, “Iron” coached opposite Conor McGregor on The Ultimate Fighter and was set to fight the Irish superstar at UFC 303 before an injury to McGregor delayed the matchup even further.

No longer willing to wait for “The Notorious”, he’s betting on himself to avenge his loss to Oliveira and punch his ticket to either another title shot or a money fight against McGregor. One thing is for sure – this will be a barnburner for as long as it lasts.

Petr Yan v Deiveson Figueiredo

Saturday, 23 November SA time

Former champions collide in China as ex-bantamweight king Yan faces former flyweight ruler Figueiredo in the main event of UFC Macau. 

Yan, who surrendered the title to Aljamain Sterling in a rare loss by disqualification in 2021, dropped three fights in a row from April 2022 to March 2023, before recording a much-needed win over Song Yadong in March, after which he underwent ACL surgery. 

The Russian is a ruthless boxer eager to get back to the top and is happy to use his decorated Brazilian opponent as a springboard. Similarly, Figueiredo plans to use Yan as the final step on his journey to a bantamweight title shot.

Unbeaten since moving up to 135 pounds late last year, “Deus da Guerra” has designs on winning a belt in a second weight class and hopes to make it four in a row following wins over Rob Font, Cody Garbrandt and Marlon Vera.