Three extremely underrated fights on the May MMA calendar

There a lot of big fights on the MMA horizon.

Stipe Miocic and Junior Dos Santos will rematch for heavyweight gold in the main event of UFC 211 this May 13. On the same night, Joanna Jedrzejczyk will attempt to defend her UFC strawweight title for a fifth time against the dangerous Jessica Andrade, while Demian Maia and Jorge Masvidal will battle for the welterweight number-one-contender spot.

Less than a week later, we’ll see Rory MacDonald make his long-awaited Bellator debut against destructive British striker Paul Daley.

Several weeks thereafter, we’ll see Alexander Gustafsson and Glover Teixeira battle in an arguable light heavyweight number-one-contender fight in the main event of UFC Stockholm. On the same card, Misha Cirkunov and Volkan Oezdemir will battle in a clash of sorely-needed light heavyweight prospects.

Looking further ahead on the calendar, there are massive fights to look forward to in Cody Garbrandt and TJ Dillashaw’s long awaited bantamweight title showdown, Fabricio Werdum and Alistair Overeem’s trilogy fight, and Robbie Lawler and Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone’s veritable bloodletting, all of which occur on UFC 213.

While these are the fights that are currently dominating fan attention, however, there are some excellent and wickedly under appreciated fights coming up this May.

Consider this your reminder that they’re happening! Click “next” to see them!

1. Jason Knight vs. Chas Skelly

On the undercard of UFC 211 on May 13, fearsome featherweight finishers Jason Knight and Chas Skelly will collide in a bout that screams “Performance of the Night.” With all the big names on this card, it’s an easy fight to forget, but it could well be the best fight of the night.

2. Emil Meek vs. Nordine Taleb

Riding high on defeats of Rousimar Palhares and Jordan Mein, Emil Meek is one of the hottest prospects at welterweight. On May 28, on the main card of the UFC’s return to Stockholm, Sweden, Meek will take on talented French Canadian fighter Nordine Taleb.

3. Liam McGeary vs. Linton Vassell 

Liam McGeary and Linton Vassell – who both hail from the UK – are two of the best light heavyweights on the Bellator MMA roster. On May 19, they collide on their home turf, with national pride and Bellator light heavyweight title implications on the line. Don’t miss it!

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 4/30/2017.