Two days ago Francis Ngannou's groundbreaking deal with the PFL broke headlines all over the MMA/sports world. That same day the UFC couldn't handle ESPN's other MMA promotion grabbing all the spotlight, so Dana White went live on all social media platforms and announced the card for UFC 291. There's not even a title on the line, but it has the potential to be card of the year. It feels like you can say that about a lot of cards booked these days, but UFC 291 has seven fights on the card so far and every one of them has at least one huge name. Every fight feels like a main card fight. The main event is going to be the highly anticipated rematch between Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje. They fought in 2018 and it was the main event of a Fight Night that included Adesanya vs Vettori 1. Poirier and Gaethje bring the fireworks. They are now the second and third-ranked Lightweights in the UFC while Dustin is 13th on the pound-for-pound rankings. This is a mega fight and deserves the five rounds it is getting. Dana also added a bonus for this fight, the winner is the new "baddest mother-fucker" in the UFC and will win the BMF championship. Honestly, I can do without the fake belt that Dana is gonna wrap around the winner. It's really not an extra selling point, plus Gilbert Burns should probably have that "title" even after his loss to Belal because he fought three times already this year and is going to fight a fourth before 2024. I'm not downplaying Poirier vs Gaethje 2 because I can't wait for that, but the belt is nonsensical.
The co-main event is going to be another absolute slobber-knocker. Alex Pereira vs Jan Blachowicz. This is a super exciting matchup because Jan is the third-ranked Light Heavyweight fighter in the UFC while Alex Pereira is the former Middleweight Champ making his Light Heavyweight debut against the only other UFC fighter to ever defeat Israel Adesanya. Jan has been in a few wars since defeating Adesanya, he is looking to gain another title opportunity and a win over Poatan would certainly bring him closer. Meanwhile, this is a really quick turnaround for Alex, he fought in April at UFC 287 and got brutally knocked out via getting caught with a blow to the cerebellum. Knockouts like that can be career-changing. I can see both guys winning this bout. Alex is an absolute powerhouse and his leg kicks have seemed to be able to neutralize grappling, but Jan is a big man. Jan kicked Magomed Ankalaev's legs off to call their bout in December a draw. Expect a lot of leg kicks in this one, I also expect a decision in this one as of right now, but we'll see as we get closer.
The rest of the card is loaded with names so far, and you can really order the rest of the card however you want. Paulo Costa vs Ikram Aliskerov (185lbs), Tony Ferguson vs Bobby Green (155lbs), Kevin Holland vs Michael Chiesa (170lbs), Stephen Thompson vs Michel Pereira (170lbs), and Derrick Lewis vs Marcos Rogerio De Lima (225-265lbs). Every single fight on this card has the capability of bringing home performance bonuses. Stephen Thompson vs Michel Pereira is going to be super fun with both of their unique stand-up styles. It's also about time Chiesa steps back out from the ESPN booth and back into the octagon, however, I see Kevin Holland delivering him a can of whoop-ass. If Costa loses to Aliskerov, expect Aliskerov to get fast-tracked to the title, if he loses expect him to get fed to Bo Nickal. I hope Tony Ferguson can turn his career around, but based on his four-fight losing streak, I have a bad feeling Tony is gonna get dropped. As for the Heavyweight bout, I expect Lewis to win, but whatever you do don't blink, because this fight isn't going into the second round regardless of the winner. All in all, this is a major announcement by the UFC and I can not wait for this mega card. UFC 291 in Salt Lake is going to be the closest that modern human civilization will ever get to what occurred in the Coliseum of Rome thousands of years ago!
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