Predicting and Previewing the Next Title Fight in All 9 UFC Weight Classes
The first eight months of 2014 haven't been the most stellar for the UFC or its fans.
We were supposed to be greeted into the new year with the return of its bantamweight champion—Dominick Cruz—only to have a groin tear force the former champion out of the bout and his grip off the title. So, yeah, that didn't happen.
We were also supposed to see Jon Jones square off against the only man to challenge him inside of the Octagon in September, only to see Alexander Gustafsson pull out of the fight because of a knee injury. In steps Daniel Cormier to save the day in the one of the most anticipated bouts in recent memory. Of course, it would all be too good to be true—Jones would later pull out of the fight and reschedule it for January of 2015.
That doesn't mean the UFC didn't put on some great title fights, because it did. And it'll continue to do so as we start rubbing elbows with the new year.
Scroll on to preview the next title fight in each UFC weight class.
Flyweight: Demetrious Johnson vs. Chris Cariaso
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You're probably not very excited about this fight, and that's OK.
By most standards, Demetrious Johnson has been on an absolute tear since the UFC created a division that he was seemingly born for. Few fighters can even lay any sort of comparable claim to the dominance he's seen at 125 pounds.
He's already defeated the division's No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, No. 5 and No. 7-ranked fighters. There are still plenty of fighters left to challenge Johnson, but let's be real here—can any of these guys actually do it?
Here comes No. 8 to try.
With only three wins in his last five appearances, few people actually believe Chris Cariaso can pull off the unthinkable. He wasn't necessarily spectacular in his last bout, as he was the benefactor of a close split decision against a younger, faster Louis Smolka.
Johnson may not be younger than Smolka, but he's certainly faster and more athletic.
That's about as much as we need to say about that.
Prediction: Johnson defeats Cariaso via unanimous decision
Women's Bantamweight: Ronda Rousey vs. Bethe Correia
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Sure, there are a few other female fighters who could potentially convince the UFC brass that they're deserving of a chance at battling against the queen.
Cat Zingano is about a month away from making her return to the Octagon. Holly Holm is inching closer and closer to making her UFC debut. Gina Carano's return to fighting is becoming more of a reality as her conversations with Dana White continue to make headlines.
Then there's Bethe Correia, who has had her sights on picking the Four Horsewomen—composed of Rousey, Shayna Baszler, Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir—off one by one. She's already seen her hand raised in bouts against Duke and Baszler. Considering Shafir is still a ways away from stepping foot inside of the UFC cage, Correia is cashing in on her victories in hopes of landing a fight with the top Horsewoman—the champion.
Fighting with an unblemished record through nine appearances, Correia makes for an intriguing opponent against Rousey. She has some heavy strikes with some solid ground grappling. She also has the champ's attention, which, you know, is pretty important these days.
So why not let the Brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt make the jump in competition as she leapfrogs all the other intriguing competitors? All of the fights will likely end the same way, anyway.
Prediction: Rousey defeats Correia via first-round armbar
Bantamweight: TJ Dillashaw vs. Dominick Cruz
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As previously mentioned, we were already supposed to see Dominick Cruz fight for the bantamweight title this year.
He probably still will, except that it probably won't be this year, and it certainly won't be against the same champion.
No, Cruz won't find himself the automatic victor when he makes his return to the Octagon at UFC 178 against Takeya Mizugaki, who'll be looking to mark the sixth notch in his winning streak. But, even with three years of ring rust on his resume, there's little reason to believe Cruz won't be the same fighter that he was before.
He's still the same fighter, dancing around Alliance MMA in Chula Vista, California, as he continues to improve on the can't-hit-me footwork that won him the title in the first place. If there's anything that we learned from Cruz in his absence, it's that this dude is a savant when it comes to analyzing the sport. Three years of mending injury after injury will do that to you.
In those three years came two champions.
The first one was considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet. That was pegged as one of the best matchups the UFC could make.
The second champion dethroned the first one using the same footwork Cruz authored. This one is set to place the lighter weight classes onto the mainstream pedestal.
Cruz was smart to take a warm-up fight as he attempts to take the first steps on the road back to UFC gold—Dillashaw is no easy task for any fighter, marginally speaking.
Prediction: Cruz defeats Dillashaw via split decision
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Featherweight: Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes
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Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes got this all started in 2012. Aldo was the featherweight king, and Mendes was the second Team Alpha Male fighter to try and knock the Nova Uniao fighter from his pedestal.
Aldo got the first-round knockout, effectively sending Mendes back to the bottom of the featherweight barrel. The challenger would need five straight victories before he could convince Aldo and the UFC of his worthiness as a contender for the unstoppable champion.
Two years later and here we are, a few weeks away from the rematch at UFC 179 in October.
Aldo has since defeated the likes of Frankie Edgar, Chan Sung Jung and Ricardo Lamas. Mendes, while technically unchallenged in his winning streak, hasn't faced the same level of competition. That's no fault of his own, though—he just couldn't figure out a way to see his opponent remain healthy in the weeks leading up to the fight.
This rematch should prove more exciting than the original fight for two reasons:
- Aldo and Mendes have some bad blood brewing between them.
- It's in Rio de Janeiro...again.
This one will prove to be a bit more back-and-forth than the first, but with thousands of his countrymen cheering his name, it's unlikely that Aldo lets go of his crown.
Prediction: Aldo defeats Mendes via third-round TKO
Lightweight: Anthony Pettis vs. Gilbert Melendez
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No, this fight doesn't have the same sort of genuine bad blood that Rousey vs. Correia or Aldo vs. Mendes do. It doesn't even have the same sort of compelling comeback story that Dillashaw vs. Cruz does. It doesn't matter—there's no way any MMA fan willingly misses this one.
You have Anthony Pettis and his off-the-wall kicks standing in the red corner. You have Gilbert Melendez's high-octane striking game and solid chin in the blue corner. You also have a season's worth of televised interaction on the 20th season of The Ultimate Fighter in the months before the fight. So, yeah, you really shouldn't miss this one.
Melendez's brawl-first style will play right into Pettis' technical striking game plan. But considering Melendez has yet to earn an "L" by TKO or submission, it's unlikely Pettis manages to be the first.
It'll be a close one. It'll be a great one.
Prediction: Pettis defeats Melendez via split decision
Welterweight: Johny Hendricks vs. Robbie Lawler
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Their first fight was an absolute gem for the UFC in what turned out to be a relatively uneventful 2014.
Hendricks claims he wasn't completely healthy in the first fight, citing a torn bicep that prevented him from getting the dominant win. One of two things will happen in the sequel: Hendricks comes in healthier than he did last time, or he'll let us know about it in the post-fight press conference.
Hendricks is coming off bicep surgery to defend his welterweight title for the first time as he attempts to become one of the division's all-time greats.
Lawler is coming off two victories since his loss to Hendricks to prove that he's more than capable of bouncing back. It's as if he has a chip on his shoulder and won't be satisfied until he can replace it with UFC gold.
You can almost guarantee that both of these guys will work harder than ever to prove dominance over each other. That should be plenty to get your juices flowing.
Prediction: Lawler defeats Hendricks via unanimous decision
Middleweight: Chris Weidman vs. Vitor Belfort
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I'll be the first to admit early criticisms of Chris Weidman.
He silenced an overly confident Anderson Silva but encouraged his critics to voice their opinions on the newly crowned champion. He stepped into the Octagon again to prove to the world that he authored no fluke victory, only to see the former pound-for-pound best snap his shin off of a checked leg kick—his critics were no more silenced than before.
Then he stepped in to fight the resurgent Lyoto Machida. The ever-elusive former light heavyweight champion would finally be the guy to prove all of Weidman's supporters wrong; his striking abilities and use of distance would prove too much for the young fighter. Except that didn't happen.
As incredible as it may seem, Weidman steps into the Octagon at UFC 181 on Dec. 6 to defend his title for the third time. He won't be fighting against a counterstriker this time, though—he'll be fighting against the strike-first, ask-questions-later Vitor Belfort.
At least, that was the Belfort that we got used to seeing during his last three fights that saw him knock out Michael Bisping, Luke Rockhold and Dan Henderson by head kick. Coincidentally enough, they all came at a time that saw the aging 37-year-old reaping the benefits of TRT. The therapy has since been outlawed in the UFC, which begs the question: How will Belfort look post-TRT?
The prediction? Not well.
Prediction: Weidman defeats Belfort via third-round arm triangle
Light Heavyweight: Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier
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Much of the public dragged Jon Jones through the mud when he refused to sign on to fight against Alexander Gustafsson. In a sport filled with fighters who'll simply nod at any opponent, so long as the promotion deems them worthy, Jones seemed choosy—and nobody likes choosy.
Alas, the contracts were signed, and the rematch was all but set. An injury to the challenger would eventually prevent the world from seeing the sequel to the greatest light heavyweight title fight in UFC history.
The world would have zero time to be sad, though—considering the UFC simultaneously announced that while Gustafsson was out, Daniel Cormier was in. Even prior to all of the shenanigans, this was a fight that many—including the champion—wanted to see.
Then came the shenanigans.
There was some throat-grabbing, some Sholler-shoving, some shoe-throwing and some smack-talking. But, amid all the chaos, Jones admitted something in an interview with Fox Sports 1: He believes Cormier will land a few takedowns in the bout.
Let that sink in for a second. Most of us probably assumed Cormier stood the greatest chance at accomplishing this on a consistent basis during a five-round fight, but who knew the champion believed his takedown armor would be pierced by the Olympic-level wrestler.
That's not to say Jones thinks himself vulnerable to a loss against Cormier; he obviously doesn't. Neither do I.
Prediction: Jones defeats Cormier via unanimous decision
Heavyweight: Cain Velasquez vs. Fabricio Werdum
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Raise your hand if you thought Fabricio Werdum would defeat Travis Browne at UFC on Fox 11 back in April. OK, now put your band back down, you liar.
By most accounts, Browne was supposed to demolish the slower, older Werdum much like he did Gabriel Gonzaga, Alistair Overeem (after the initial storm) and Josh Barnett in his previous three outings. It would have been his previous seven outings if not for a knee injury suffered during his bout against Antonio Silva.
But something peculiar happened ever since Werdum returned to the UFC—he's become twice the fighter that most of us got used to seeing. No longer was he the awkward striker who was folded like a lawn chair against Junior dos Santos. No longer was he the underwhelming fighter who spent 15 minutes on his back as he tried luring Alistair Overeem onto the mat.
He's a complete fighter who outstruck an elusive "Hapa" Browne for five rounds and submitted the greatest heavyweight submission artist in Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Coming full circle by earning his stripes as a bona fide heavyweight striker earned him a ticket to fight for UFC gold.
There's just one problem: he's stepping in to fight the baddest man on the planet.
Save for one knockout loss to Dos Santos—a loss that he's avenged on two separate, absolutely dominant occasions, mind you—Velasquez has been virtually unstoppable. Even an improved heavyweight in Werdum who's as comfortable on his feet as he is on his back might not be enough to unseat the reigning heavyweight king.
Prediction: Velasquez defeats Werdum via fourth-round TKO
Kristian Ibarra is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report. He also serves as the sports editor at San Diego State University's student-run newspaper, The Daily Aztec. Follow him on Twitter at @Kristian_Ibarra for all things MMA.
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