The UFC has had a hell of a run when it comes to making big-money fights and that run looks to continue in 2020.
It's not like boxing where various organisations and promoters get involved to ensure fights happen long after they should. In the UFC, fights fans want, generally get made.
In 2020, Conor McGregor is on a path back to the top, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson are finally set to meet and the company has a host of other champions like Israel Adesanya, Amanda Nunes and Jon Jones now making mainstream appeal.
UFC president Dana White has managed to make super fights like Jon Jones vs Daniel Cormier, McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez that led to the Irishman becoming the first two-weight champ in UFC history, Ronda Rousey vs Nunes, Georges St Pierre out of retirement and many, many more notable feats.
Still, what is the one fight White wishes he could have made? The answer is a heavyweight showdown between former UFC champ Brock Lesnar and Fedor Emelianenko.
“The only fight that I wanted to make that was never made was Brock Lesnar vs. Fedor Emelianenko,” he told UFC.com.
“We were going to do it at Texas Stadium. But I couldn’t get a deal done with Fedor, so it never happened,” he added.
Emelianenko is one of the greatest MMA fighters to never appear in UFC but in 2013, White revealed how close they came to signing him.
“We were in deep talks with [Emelianenko]. We were that close to signing him recently, right before his dad died.
"We were right there. When I was talking about doing the big Dallas, Texas, stadium show? It was going to be Brock Lesnar vs [Fedor Emelianenko].
“Remember when I met with him and said it didn’t go well? It actually went well. It went well, and Brock wanted to fight Fedor. Then [Fedor’s] dad died, and he was done.”
Lesnar returned to WWE in mid-2012 when this fight failed to materialise and he has remained with the company ever since, despite threatening to return to UFC on several occasions.
Of course, he fought again in UFC in 2016 at UFC 200 where he was victorious over Mark Hunt. However, that was later overturned after Lesnar tested positive for clomiphene.
Despite talk of a heavyweight bout with Cormier emerging earlier this year, Lesnar has remained with WWE since 2012 and even retired from MMA officially this year.
Emelianenko is still competing under the Bellator banner and defeated Quinton Jackson just last weekend with a first-round knockout at the age of 43.
ncG1vNJzZmiskaG4tLzOq6tnm5%2BifLS8zquraKWdlnx3gY9waGtnlJa7onnWoaCtnV2qs6R5waumnKNdobK0usCrZJ%2BdlKS%2FbrLIoJ%2BtZw%3D%3D