Predicting All 10 UFC Champions at the End of 2015
2014 did not see a lot of title changes in the UFC. The 12 pounds of gold will have only been wrapped around five new waists by the end of the year.
Johny Hendricks won the vacant welterweight belt at the beginning of the year, but Robbie Lawler took the belt away from him at the beginning of December. T.J. Dillashaw upset Renan Barao to claim the bantamweight belt, and Fabricio Werdum took home the interim heavyweight title at UFC 180. This Friday, a belt will be awarded to the inaugural women's strawweight champion.
Will 2015 see the belt exchange hands more often?
Champions typically defend their titles two or three times per year. That will put the total for title defenses between 20-30 for the upcoming year. The challengers will have to step their game up because the current slate of champions are some of the best in UFC history.
Let's have a look at the current champions, their potential opponents and who will end up holding gold when 2015 comes to an end.
Strawweight
1 of 10
Current Champion: Vacant
Top Contenders: Carla Esparza, Jessica Penne, Rose Namajunas, Randa Markos, Claudia Gadelha, Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Wednesday night will clarify who will fight for the inaugural strawweight championship Friday. Esparza vs. Penne and Namajunas vs. Markos are the two semifinals for The Ultimate Fighter. Whomever comes out of the show as the champion will have a tough road in 2015.
The first contender for the belt will likely be the winner of Gadelha vs. Jedrzejczyk, which takes place Saturday. The winner of that fight may even be favored over the champion. Stylistically, they both pose incredible difficulties for the fighters coming off TUF.
Also waiting in the wings is World Series of Fighting champion Jessica Aguilar. She is not yet a member of the UFC roster, but there is a distinct possibility she ends up inside the Octagon in 2015.
This is a deep and exciting division. There is not a big drop in competition between the potential contenders. It will come down to whoever has the best game plan in the individual matchups. But pound-for-pound, I have to lean towards Gadelha, who possesses a strong striking game with quality wrestling and dominating top control. She'll dethrone the inaugural champion and lead the division in 2015.
Predicted Champion: Claudia Gadelha
Flyweight
2 of 10
Current Champion: Demetrious Johnson
Top Contenders: John Dodson, Joseph Benavidez, Ian McCall, John Lineker
Johnson may be the current pound-for-pound best in the UFC. He certainly has a case to make. He has defended his championship in every way. Mighty Mouse has shown off knockout power, excellent jiu-jitsu, lightning-quick takedowns and everything in between.
He has already defeated most of his serious challengers, but one offers Johnson his toughest task: John Dodson.
Dodson is coming off a knee injury, which may hurt him in a rematch with Johnson. Dodson is every bit as quick as Johnson, has more knockout power and nearly stopped the bout with strikes in their first fight.
If Dodson can't get it done, I don't see anyone else defeating Johnson for the foreseeable future. I will go out on a limb and pick Dodson to stun the champion in their upcoming 2015 rematch when he gets healthy.
Predicted Champion: John Dodson
Bantamweight
3 of 10
Current Champion: T.J. Dillashaw
Top Contenders: Renan Barao, Dominick Cruz, Urijah Faber, Raphael Assuncao
When Dillashaw upset Barao in May 2014, he made the bantamweight division very interesting. Add in the return of Cruz, and it suddenly became a division with many contenders.
Dillashaw's first opponent of 2015 will be Cruz. I was skeptical of how Cruz would look when he came back after multiple surgeries and more than two years away from the cage, but he looked better than ever. That is terrible news for Dillashaw.
Cruz is a bad matchup for most in the division.
Look for the former champion to reclaim the belt he never lost and carry that gold through the end of the year.
Predicted Champion: Dominick Cruz
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Women's Bantamweight
4 of 10
Current Champion: Ronda Rousey
Top Contenders: Cat Zingano, Sara McMann, Miesha Tate, Bethe Correia
Rousey is the most dominant champion in the UFC. Period.
She has beaten almost everyone in the Top 10, and after their fight in February, Rousey will likely scratch Cat Zingano's name off her list as well.
Many fans are excited for the signing of Holly Holm, but she is still an unproven commodity. She ran through lackluster competition on the regional circuit. She will likely need two impressive wins before challenging for the belt, and it doesn't seem she'll get the bout against Rousey in 2015.
Zingano has the best chance to beat Rousey, but I wouldn't bet on that happening. Rousey is simply the best.
Predicted Champion: Ronda Rousey
Featherweight
5 of 10
Current Champion: Jose Aldo
Top Contenders: Chad Mendes, Frankie Edgar, Ricardo Lamas, Conor McGregor
Another pound-for-pound great is Jose Aldo. He has held the featherweight championship since he won it at WEC 44 in 2009. He is great in every facet of the game.
His next two title challengers look to be McGregor and Edgar in whatever order the UFC chooses.
The champion nearly lost his title to Edgar when they met in 2013. It was a narrow escape. A rematch will not be any easier. Aldo holds a decided edge over McGregor, but it isn't a runaway win anymore. Why are both of these fights difficult? Aldo is starting to trend downward.
He is becoming more hittable. The wear and tear on his body is catching up to him. That makes him susceptible to an upset. I just cannot bet on that happening yet. Regardless of skill regression, I'll pick Aldo, like I used to do with Anderson Silva before him, until someone proves they can beat him.
But one thing is clear—the rest of the division is closing in.
Predicted Champion: Jose Aldo
Lightweight
6 of 10
Current Champion: Anthony Pettis
Top Contenders: Khabib Nurmagomedov, Gilbert Melendez, Rafael dos Anjos, Benson Henderson
Pettis defended his lightweight championship at UFC 181 for the first time, and he looked spectacular.
Pettis' improvements with his grappling and submissions have been fascinating to watch. He is more than just the "Showtime Kick" now. It is not as simple as walking into the cage and trying to grind on him for five rounds, but that is still the best bet for opponents.
Of the top contenders, only one stands out as a significant threat to his reign: Nurmagomedov.
He is a relentless takedown artist who is hard to stop. He has quietly worked his way up to the top contender position and could be next in line for a shot at the championship. Pettis may be working on becoming the best lightweight we've ever seen, but I believe Nurmagomedov throws a wrench into those plans.
Before he can work on a run of title defenses, the talented Russian upsets him.
Predicted Champion: Khabib Nurmagomedov
Welterweight
7 of 10
Current Champion: Robbie Lawler
Top Contenders: Rory MacDonald, Johny Hendricks, Carlos Condit, Hector Lombard
Lawler walked away from UFC 181 as the new champion of the division after a split-decision win over Hendricks. It was the second time they met in 2014, and a trilogy matchup could be in the cards for 2015.
The first challenger may be MacDonald. He, too, was on the wrong end of a split decision to Lawler.
Lawler's story is one of the best in MMA history. His start at a young age, subsequent fall and then ascension to championship status is a great tale of perseverance. He also became the first UFC champion from the storied American Top Team camp. But it will be very difficult to retain that gold all the way through the next 12 months.
In rematches, MacDonald and Hendricks are likely to be favored. Lawler will likely drop one of the two bouts should they happen. I think MacDonald gets the first try, and he will defeat Lawler. That will set up a MacDonald-Hendricks bout for late 2015.
I am going to side with Hendricks in that bout or in a third fight with Lawler. Either way, he gets his belt back.
But all of this could be for naught if a certain former Canadian champion decides to return to the welterweight field.
Predicted Champion: Johny Hendricks
Middleweight
8 of 10
Current Champion: Chris Weidman
Top Contenders: Vitor Belfort, Jacare Souza, Lyoto Machida, Luke Rockhold
Weidman had a potential Fight of the Year against Machida in 2014, and he will defend his belt against Belfort to start 2015.
There are a lot of contenders beneath him waiting for a shot at the championship, but the matchups all favor the champion. He will be a significant favorite in every bout no matter who the challenger is.
Weidman will defeat Belfort and look toward better fights the rest of the year. The trouble is there may not be any. The star power in the division is not very bright. This is going to be another year of the American dominating his competition inside the Octagon.
I don't foresee a tough challenge to his belt.
Predicted Champion: Chris Weidman
Light Heavyweight
9 of 10
Current Champion: Jon Jones
Top Contenders: Daniel Cormier, Alexander Gustafsson, Anthony Johnson, Rashad Evans
Jones' UFC run has been spectacular. He went from relative unknown to being the greatest light heavyweight of all time in a short span. His biggest challenge came at the hands of Gustafsson, but a rematch has yet to happen.
His toughest test will be his January fight against Cormier. It may also be the biggest fight the UFC will have all year long. The heat between the two has made it the most anticipated bout on the schedule. The biggest question will be the health of Cormier's knee.
I firmly believe Cormier is the only light heavyweight who can beat Jones. I just don't know if he can do it at less than 100 percent. I'll take Jones for that reason, but don't be surprised if Cormier tosses Jones around the cage and gets a TKO stoppage.
Predicted Champion: Jon Jones
Heavyweight
10 of 10
Current Champion: Cain Velasquez, Fabricio Werdum (interim)
Top Contenders: Junior Dos Santos, Stipe Miocic, Mark Hunt, Travis Browne
The future of this division is up in the air because of Velasquez's injury. UFC President Dana White said that the winner of the interim title tilt, which would be Werdum, could be promoted as the singular champion if Velasquez has more setbacks.
If Velasquez is back, he will beat Werdum. He will beat anyone that challenges him afterwards. Dos Santos is the second-best heavyweight in the world, and Velasquez has shown that he will beat him soundly in a fight on two occasions.
However, if Werdum remains champion due to Velasquez's injury issues, then I can see Dos Santos taking the gold from him in 2015. But expect Velasquez to return and make this a non-issue.
Velasquez is an amazing fighter and the best heavyweight in the world by a wide margin.
Predicted Champion: Cain Velasquez
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