UFC: Building the Perfect Game Plan to Defeat Each Current Champion

The UFC currently has eight champions. 

Although each one brings a different style to the Octagon, they have all looked nearly unstoppable. 

But, as we all know, it only takes one punch or one bad night for an MMA fighter to become a former UFC champion of the world. 

Although sometimes it takes luck, having the best possible game plan can make a champion's night rough. 

Here's a look at what it would take to defeat each current UFC champion.

Dominick Cruz: Stop Him from Dancing

Bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz has one of the most unique fighting styles in the world. 

He has great conditioning, decent boxing and wrestling and is always moving. 

Because of his movements, Cruz is hard to hit and get a hold of. 

But that may be what it takes to defeat him. 

If somebody can get a hold of him and take him to the ground, keeping the pressure on Cruz and possibly submitting him will be the best bet a fighter has. 

There's always a puncher's chance as well, but keeping the pressure on Cruz will keep him from dancing. 

Jose Aldo: Be an Elusive Striker

Featherweight champ Jose Aldo has it all: excellent striking, great wrestling defense and an underrated ground game. 

Nobody has really been able to throw Aldo off of his game. 

Aldo's worst enemy would be himself if he has a bad weight cut. 

Because of this, perhaps the best way to defeat Aldo is to have a hit-and-dash attack. 

You may not be able to take him down and you won't be able to out-strike him by playing his game. 

But, if you can come up with a more defensive attack, you may stand a chance of winning the fight in the judges' eyes. 

Frankie Edgar: Keep the Pressure on Him

Frankie Edgar may have more heart than anybody in MMA today. 

Edgar was knocked down in both of his last fights, but found a way to get back to his feet. 

Edgar has a ton of energy, great wrestling and top-notch boxing. 

But, although he has a ton of heart, if you put enough pressure on him, he can be stopped. 

Gray Maynard defeated Edgar by out-wrestling him in their first fight. In the second fight between the two, Maynard nearly stopped him by knockout, but ran out of gas.

In order to defeat Edgar, you must be relentless in applying pressure to him.

You must also be prepared to go a full five rounds with him because he will not go away easily. 

Edgar will face perhaps his toughest challenge when he takes on Benson Henderson at UFC 144 this weekend. 

Georges St-Pierre: Confuse and Pressure Him

Georges St-Pierre may be the best game-planner in MMA history. 

St-Pierre has a way of exploiting an opponent's weaknesses without playing into his strengths. 

St-Pierre does have two losses in his career. One was to Matt Hughes when he was still very young in his career, and the other was to Matt Serra. Both losses ended in the first round. 

St-Pierre is one of the best-conditioned fighters in MMA history. So, odds are you're not going to beat him in a five-round fight. 

The one thing you could try to do, though, is change-up how you usually go into a fight. 

If you're a submission expert like Serra and Jake Shields, odds are you won't get St-Pierre down to the ground. So, your best bet is to try to strike with him. 

If you're a great striker, St-Pierre will just take the fight to the ground and pressure you. So, stepping up your jiu-jitsu game and working off of your back will be your best bet in surprising St-Pierre. 

Of course, there's no easy way to prepare for St-Pierre. But being unpredictable may be your best chance against him. 

Carlos Condit: Be Careful and Aggressive

Carlos Condit may only have an interim UFC championship, but he still makes the list. 

Condit is currently on a five-fight winning streak that includes wins over Nick Diaz, Dan Hardy and Jake Ellenberger.  

What makes Condit so dangerous is his striking, as well as his submission game. 

In his last fight, he also proved that he could stick to a game plan. 

Despite being good, Condit has proved in the past that you can keep the fight close with him. 

If Diaz and Ellenberger had been a bit more aggressive against Condit, they could have won their fights against him. 

Rory MacDonald nearly had Condit beat, but got caught in the later rounds of the fight. 

If someone can have the perfect balance of aggressive striking, a killer instinct and not leaving himself open, a fighter could defeat Condit. 

Anderson Silva: Out-Wrestle Him and Pray He Has an off Night

Let's face it, there has only been one time inside the Octagon that Anderson Silva has truly looked like he was going to lose. 

And that came against Chael Sonnen. 

Sonnen beat Silva to the punch for much of their match, and he put on a wrestling clinic against Silva. 

Of course, it was later discovered that Silva was hurt and Sonnen had high levels of testosterone before the match. 

But Sonnen may have come up with the perfect game plan to defeat Silva. 

The Sonnen fight wasn't the first time Silva has been taken down, and it may not be the last time. 

If there is any way to take out Silva, it will be through wrestling and defending his attacks from the ground. 

Silva is just as good off of his back as he is in the striking department. So, keeping him grounded may be the only hope a fighter has. 

Jon Jones: Stay Elusive or out-Wrestle Him

The UFC’s youngest champion looked like its most unstoppable one in 2011.

While injuries plagued almost every UFC champion last year, Jones fought four times.

Three of his fights were against former champions. Jones ended each one by TKO or submission.

Jones has unorthodox striking, great submission skills and a strong wrestling base. He also has size and length on his side, which make it difficult for his opponents to get inside on him. 

Lyoto Machida gave Jones some trouble during the first round of their fight by staying elusive and getting his shots in. 

If someone if going to defeat Jones, that fighter will either have to have a similar game plan to Machida's, or out-wrestle Jones. 

Furthermore, an ambitious opponent should seek to capitalize on Jones' youth by taking him out of his element and hopefully hindering his confidence and frustrating him. 

Junior dos Santos: Rope-a-Dope Without Getting Hit

Although heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos has yet to defend his title, many believe he could hold the title for a long time.

Dos Santos is currently on a nine-fight winning streak, which includes wins over Fabricio Werdum, Shane Carwin and Cain Velasquez.

Dos Santos has explosive power in his hands, a great chin and fairly good wrestling defense.

So, if you’re going to take out dos Santos, odds are you're going to have to take him past three rounds.

Dos Santos has never gone into the championship rounds, and he has shown signs of slowing down in the later rounds of fights.

With his power, though, he could still be dangerous late in fights.

The best way to take out dos Santos is to tire him out and keep pressure on him. Don’t let him get into a rhythm and leave yourself open for him.  

If you can tire out dos Santos in the first three rounds, you may be able to pick him apart later on in the fight.