UFC 229 will take place in the T-Mobile arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 6th and while it appears as if Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor Mcgregor will steal all the headlines, there are other notable bouts rumoured to be taking place on the night which could give it a “fight card of the year” potential.
A new weight division for men has been mooted by chief Dana White and UFC 229 could be the event where a new title is created for 165lbs (75kg). American Kevin Lee has been extremely vocal about potentially fighting Canadian Georges St-Pierre for a newly created belt. At a recent event in Sinagapore he is quoted as saying:
“The 155lb and 170lb (divisions) are so messed up right now. You’ve got three titles between the two divisions already, so they’ve got to add another weight class. I think me and Georges for the 165lb title makes the most amount of sense.”
Elsewhere on the potential fight card for UFC 229, Rafael Dos Anjos could be taking on the much talked about “Nigerian Nightmare” Kamaru Usman in the welterweight division. Dos Anjos is coming off a loss to Colby Covington for the interim welterweight title at UFC 225 while Usman remains undefeated (8-0) following a demolition of Demian Maia in May. A high-profile win for Kamaru would see him vault into the reckoning for a title shot in early 2019 and no doubt Rafael Dos Anjos will see this as an opportunity to remind everywhere he is a legitimate contender after his first loss at 170lbs to Covington.
“Sugar” Shaun O’Malley has also been outspoken in targeting a return to action at UFC 229. The rising star of the bantamweight division has not been seen since injuring his foot at UFC 222 but posted an Instagram video back in late May containing one of his knockout wins simply entitled “Co-main event October 6th Las Vegas #sugarshow” and has continued to promote the idea since, despite not specifically calling out a preferred opponent.
“I think next fight is going to be October 6th in Vegas, the pay-per-view but after that, hopefully headline my own. I’d like to fight two more times before the end of the year so I’m hoping October 6th and then maybe November, December.”
Although it is wishful thinking that he would be allowed co-main event alongside Khabib vs. McGregor, it is not unheard of for Dana White to promote different talent when one match will guarantee pay per view buys, so this could be a marketing strategy for the UFC 229 fight card.
