10 Biggest UFC Fights Taking Place Before 2017
The world's biggest MMA organisation is ending the year on a high.
Filled with both triumphs and adversity, 2016 has been a huge transitional year for those at Ultimate Fighting Championship. From the implementation of USADA testing and the company changing hands, to huge scandals, best laid plans going awry, and the organisation's leading lights facing setbacks, Dana White and his team have had a lot to contend with for one calendar year.
In spite of its broadly tumultuous nature, matchmakers Sean Shelby and the soon-to-be departing Joe Silva have excelled themselves, lining up countless high-profile fights which will ensure that the year is brought to a close on a high note.
Featuring stylistic dream matches, contender-eliminating bouts, the resurgence of superstars, and long awaited title clashes, there are ten cards scheduled to take place between now and the beginning of next year and many of the contests will redefine the landscape as we enter 2017. Spanning from November 5's Fight Night to UFC 207 on the December 30, these are the 10 huge fights that the MMA world is most excited about.
10. Luke Rockhold Vs Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza
The upcoming Fight Night card in Melbourne, Australia may be broadly populated with competitive match-ups that don't hold any bearing on the company's zeitgeist going forward, but one scheduled bout uplifts the importance placed on the entire card.
Once standing tall at the top of the middleweight mountain after stopping Chris Weidman at UFC 194 and beginning a short-lived spell as champion, the elation that Luke Rockhold felt after finally adding a UFC title to his list of accolades was left in tatters after a shocking defeat at the hands of veteran Michael Bisping.
Five months removed from what was one of the most whirlwind chapters in his career, the American Kickboxing Academy fighter will return to competition against Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza - the versatile Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist that is also unfettered by the prospect of a stand-up battle.
Sure to be a hard-fought fight between two well-traveled bastions of the sport, this middleweight bout will go a long way in providing some clarity to the muddled middleweight title contenders picture and could lead Rockhold towards a rubber match with the Manchester-born champion who ended his title reign.