Power Ranking Upcoming UFC Title Fights

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Whether you enjoy the anticipation of a five-round war or the exaggerated pre-fight announcements from Bruce Buffer, UFC Championship fights are always something to look forward to. 

They bring out the best in fighters and really separate the men from the boys.  If you want to become a true UFC legend, you must always perform well in the fights that matter the most. 

Here’s a ranking of the upcoming UFC title fights.  

7. Dominick Cruz vs. Demetrious Johnson

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I feel this is easily the most lopsided title fight coming up. 

I personally like “Mighty Mouse” Johnson and respect his hand speed and overall agility as one of the best in MMA.  I even would go as far as saying Johnson is the only fighter in the Bantamweight Division who is faster than Dominick Cruz is.  

Having said that, though, Cruz will be able to use his height advantage to determine the distance and pace of this fight.  His experience in main events will also serve as a huge advantage for Cruz and will ultimately lead to his victory.

 

Prediction:  Cruz via Unanimous Decision

6. Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami

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You know Yushin Okami is the real deal when Dana White calls him, “The Best Japanese Fighter Ever”. 

He is also the last fighter to defeat Silva, even if it was because Silva threw an illegal kick that disqualified him. 

Okami says that he is going to end Silva’s winning streak, but we all know that’s not going to happen. Yushin Okami is a very talented fighter, but he’s not on Anderson Silva’s level. 

Silva is one of the best fighters in MMA history and will prove that once again when he knocks out Okami at UFC 134. 

 

Prediction:  Silva via Knockout

5. Jose Aldo vs. Kenny Florian

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Kenny Florian is known as one of the best fighters in UFC history never to hold a title belt. 

He has fallen just short many times, including his losses for the Lightweight Championship to Sean Sherk and then B.J. Penn. 

Luckily for him, the UFC added the Featherweight Division, which Florian was able to quickly climb to the top of and earn a title shot.

Unfortunately for him, Jose Aldo sits on top of that division and has proven to be one of the fiercest strikers in MMA.  He has a career record of 19-1 and will soon add Florian to his list of knockout victims.

 

Prediction:  Aldo via Knockout

4. Georges St-Pierre vs. Nick Diaz

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Georges St-Pierre is the No. 1 Pound-For-Pound fighter in MMA for a reason.  He is great at every single style of fighting and is also the best-conditioned fighter in the sport. 

Diaz does provide some challenges for St-Pierre, though, because of his excellent boxing skills. 

He has quicker hands than any of his previous opponents and will also make this a more up-tempo fight than St-Pierre has ever fought in before. 

Georges is too skilled of a boxer himself, though, to let Diaz knock him out and will dominate all five rounds to win this fight by a unanimous decision. 

 

Prediction:  St-Pierre via Unanimous Decision

3. Jon “Bones” Jones vs. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson

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This is the fight I’m personally most looking forward to seeing. 

You can already see the bad blood between these two fighters, which usually leads to an entertaining fight.  The pre-fight war of words is an advantage for Rampage, who has proven to be a scary man when provoked and fully motivated. 

I think Jones’ reach advantage will wind up be the determining factor in this fight.  If he can keep his distance and attack Rampage at all the crazy angles he likes to use, he will get his first successful title defense. 

If Rampage can get up close to Jones, though, and throw those bombs we’ve seen many times before, he may be putting Bones to sleep for the first time in his young UFC career. 

 

Prediction:  Jones via Knockout

2. Cain Velasquez vs. Junior Dos Santos

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This was an extremely difficult fight for me to predict. 

I love both these fighters and really think this fight could go either way. 

Velasquez is still so early in his career with only eight fights to date, but is already one of the best in the sport.  He is coming off shoulder surgery though for a torn rotator cuff, which he suffered during his win over Brock Lesnar, so we’ll have to see just how comfortable he is back in the octagon for the first time in over a year. 

Dos Santos has also proven to have some of the best hands in the sport and has won multiple Knockout of the Night honors because of them. 

Based on the one-punch knockout power both of these fighters possess, I don’t see any way both these fighters will be able to survive all five rounds.  

 

Prediction:  Velasquez via Knockout

1. Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard

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If you saw the first two fights between these two, you know this one’s going to be a war.  Both fighters still have a bitter taste in their mouth from their draw back at UFC 125 and have been looking forward to this fight for an extra long amount of time because they have both suffered recent injuries. 

I believe these two will put on a potential “Fight of the Year” candidate because they are just so evenly matched. 

Unlike the last fight, this one will have a victor, with Gray Maynard barely winning by Split Decision to give him his second victory over Edgar, the UFC Lightweight Championship belt and keep his undefeated record alive. 

 

Prediction:  Maynard via Split Decision