“Many want to see Chimaev in the main event. It’s going to be fun! Stay tuned for Tuesday.” Dana White stated this at the UFC 314 post-fight presser, hyping everyone with the possible superfight. Moreover, Chimaev also cemented the chances by posting “Good News” on X immediately after the head honcho’s subtle tease. From the beginning, we knew just how massive a clash between Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev could’ve been. Now, with International Fight Week approaching at the speed of light, ‘Stillknocks’ might finally get his wish. But here’s the kicker: As hyped as this fight is, it still hasn’t been made official. Why? Because the fight game is unpredictable. Anything can happen!

Jinxing a high-profile UFC fight? Yeah, that’s nothing new. It’s practically a tradition at this point. The number times has the promotion had to reschedule or completely overhaul a main event? Honestly, it’s endless. Take UFC 317, for example. The expected headliners are already walking on a tightrope. Remember what happened before UFC 293? Du Plessis suffered a foot injury just weeks out. That single injury flipped the entire middleweight division as he missed his title shot at Israel Adesanya after dispatching Robert Whittaker at UFC 290. If he hadn’t pulled out, Strickland might never have become champion.

Talk about UFC 311 and how Islam Makhachev’s main event title defense against Arman Tsarukyan got shelved at the last minute. Now look at Chimaev! He’s just as prone to bad timing, if not more. His outings with Leon Edwards got shelved multiple times. And let’s not forget the illness that pulled him from the Robert Whittaker fight. That bout was originally set for UFC’s first event in Saudi Arabia in June 2024 but got pushed to UFC 308 after his health deteriorated. And owing to these omens, former middleweight champion Michael Bisping has a gut feeling that something might go wrong. Though he hopes it doesn’t. He has hinted at a big solution that could save the day if things fall apart.

The Brit took to his YouTube channel and said, “Speaking of international fight week. This is not based on any insider knowledge from the UFC. I’ve got a feeling that we’re going to see Khamzat Chimaev against Dricus Du Plessis. Of course, Khamzat, an unbelievable force of nature, the way he took out Robert Whittaker. He’s undefeated. He hasn’t been too busy lately, but the way he destroyed Robert Whittaker, that stamp that he put on that fight, crushing his teeth out! Of course, give the man a title fight. Give him Dricus Du Plessis at the International Fight Week. That’s a close fight. Dricus Du Plessis will be by far the toughest fight. That sounded stupid, because he’s the champion.”

He further added, “But, Khamzat has blown through most people alright, there was Usman on a very short notice, there was also Gilbert Burns. And of course, the title fight is a 5-rounder, so I would favor Dricus Du Plessis in that match-up. That’s a perfect fight for International Fight Week. And also, Caio Borralho was talking to Daniel Cormier, and he said that he’s fighting Imavov. Now, the beauty of that match-up in the International fight week is that, if Dricus fights Khamzat and somebody gets injured (in the process), then they automatically get a short-notice replacement. On the card, ready to go.”

If what Bisping is saying turns out to be true, we’re in for a wild ride at UFC 317. The main card is already heating up with Manel Kape vs. Brandon Royval locked in. Add in Caio Borralho vs. Nassourdine Imavov, and you’ve got a night packed with fireworks. Credit where it’s due! Du Plessis might’ve helped make this happen. At the UFC 312 post-fight presser, he mentioned that this matchup makes perfect sense for the middleweight division. Both Borralho and Imavov are hungry, rising contenders, ready to prove they belong in the title picture.

But that’s not the only fight Michael Bisping wanted to see at International Fight Week. He also had his eyes on another high-profile matchup, one that, sadly, seems unlikely to happen anytime soon. Still, if that fight somehow made its way onto the card, we’d be looking at one of the greatest UFC events ever. It could easily rival the star-studded UFC 300 lineup.

Michael Bisping wanted to see Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria at UFC 317

International Fight Week is one of the best things to ever happen to combat sports. Just look at last year—Conor McGregor was this close to returning against Michael Chandler at UFC 303. And when that fell through, Alex Pereira stepped up and saved the show. Why does that matter? Because it proves the scale of this event. Something massive always goes down. Every year. That’s exactly why Michael Bisping hoped to see one of the most talked-about superfights on the card, Ilia Topuria vs. Islam Makhachev.

Bisping, in his YouTube video while talking about Islam Makhachev’s head coach, Javier Mendez, recognizing Paddy Pimblett as a worthy contender, said, “I think the fight to make is Ilia Topuria. I think that’s a huge fight. One of the biggest fights that the UFC could put on right now. And, I’m still hopeful that would be the headliner of International Fight Week. What an incredible match-up that would be!”

We all wanted to see that fight. But right now, things are a bit complicated for Ilia Topuria. He doesn’t seem certain about who he’ll face next. According to a recent graphic leak from the Spanish broadcast of UFC Vegas 105, it’s looking more and more likely that ‘La Leyenda’ will go up against Charles Oliveira. As for Bisping’s dream card for International Fight Week, it’s ambitious, and honestly, pretty commendable. What do you think the UFC 317 card should look like? Drop your predictions and dream matchups in the comments below!