🏟️The UFC just announced Madison Square Garden for this year and there’s still no any event added. So let’s see our options for the main and co-main event. OPTION 1 🎟️ One opportunity is to book Islam Makhachev vs Carlos Prates as main event. Prates said Hunter Campbell promised him a title shot and Islam wants to fight one time before the year ends. As a co-main to that I would def add the BMF fight between Charles Oliveira and Diego Lopes. Both great finishers, both marching forward and going for a ki**. OPTION 2 🎫 The long waited rematch between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane. I think Tom is fully recovered now and Gane has no damage after the Alex Pereira fight. We need to settle this one asap and MSG would be a perfect time. As a co-main without a doubt would book Alex Pereira vs Josh Hokit. Those two guys has short but heated history and would be an interesting to see can Josh Hokit really prove it or Alex will make him eat his words and his left hand. #islammakhachev #carlosprates #cirylgane #tomaspinall #charlesoliveira
The UFC has confirmed Madison Square Garden as a destination on this year's calendar, but no event has been officially slotted in yet — and fans and analysts are already speculating about which fights could headline the iconic New York venue.
Two distinct card scenarios have emerged in the discussion. The first centers on lightweight champion Islam Makhachev defending his title against welterweight contender Carlos Prates. Prates has publicly stated that UFC executive Hunter Campbell promised him a title shot, while Makhachev has expressed a desire to compete at least once more before the year closes. Makhachev, 34, carries a 29-1-0 record and holds the pound-for-pound number-one ranking. The Russian southpaw averages 3.22 takedowns per 15 minutes and connects on 58 percent of his significant strikes. Prates, 33, is ranked second in the welterweight division and brings a 24-7-0 mark and a 78-inch reach. "The Nightmare" is one of the most active strikers in the division at 3.77 significant strikes landed per minute.
The proposed co-main under that scenario would pit Charles Oliveira against Diego Lopes in a BMF-style matchup. Oliveira, 36, sits third in the lightweight rankings with a 37-11-0 record and a 74-inch reach. He averages 2.6 submission attempts per 15 minutes — one of the highest rates in the division — while also landing 3.35 significant strikes per minute at 54 percent accuracy.
The second option floated is a long-awaited rematch between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane at heavyweight, with speculation that both men are healthy and that MSG would provide the right stage to finally settle their unfinished business. Paired with that, a light heavyweight bout between Alex Pereira and Josh Hokit is also mentioned, with the two said to share a brief but heated public history.
Why it matters
- Makhachev is seeking one more title defense before year's end, and Prates has claimed a title shot was promised to him
- An Aspinall-Gane rematch would clarify the heavyweight title picture after lingering questions from their first meeting
- Both card concepts feature high-stakes divisional matchups suited for one of boxing and MMA's most prominent arenas
- None of these bouts are confirmed — all remain in the realm of speculation and reported conversations
