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MMA Champions 2022 🏆


Egg Shen

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Right, as mentioned in another thread and based off the BT Open Mat discussion, who do you feel will me MMA Champions come the end of 2021? 

We can dig this back up at the end of the year and see who could see the future.

Go UFC/Bellator whatever. Just list the division and who you think will end the year as Champions. Add a little context if you like.

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Edited by Egg Shen
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UFC:

HW: Miocic. 

LHW: Izzy.

MW: Izzy. (If Izzy vacates after winning the LHW belt, then I think Whittaker will become a 2-time MW champion)

WW: Usman.

LW: Khabib. (I have a feeling he'll return. Still, none of the current contenders are beating him)

FW: Volkanovski.

BW: Yan.

FW: Figgy.

WBW: Nunes.

WFW: Shevchnko.

WSW: Weili.

Bellator

HW: Bader. 

LHW: Nemkov. (Davis and Anderson are real threats, but I am backing Vadim)

MW: Tokov. (I think Mousasi is very beatable at this stage of his career)

WW: Amosov. (I consider Lima to be massively overrated)

LW: Pitbull.

FW: McKee. 

BW: Horiguchi.

WFW: Cyborg.

WFW: Velasquez.

Edited by jimufctna24
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When it comes to the UFC, the only question marks for me are Lightweight and Heavyweight, solely on the basis of Nurm coming back and Miocic getting older. Everybody else looks unassailable right now, although I know that's asking for it in MMA. But the fact that so many of them are not only on top of their game but comparatively young into the bargain means it's very difficult to envisage any of those outside LW and HW being dethroned.

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Plus Dillashaw is back soon and that’s a big question mark. I know he’s been gone a while and we don’t know if he’ll look any different post-USADA ban but if he’s close to what he was before all that kicked off he’s another player in the mix.

I’ll have a think about this and do mine later. Off the top of my head though it’s probably going to be like Jim’s where pretty much all the current UFC champs still have their gold by the end of 2021. There’s bound to be a surprise here or there though. As great as Volkanovski is, I don’t think many saw Holloway’s title reign at 145 coming to an end when it did. You never know when one of those contenders is going to suddenly level up and rise to the occasion. And some of these divisions are rammed with killers at the top end. 

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UFC:

Heavyweight: Francis Ngannou (i see him beating Stipe, potentially twice. This depends on if Jones actually fights for the belt. I'll go Francis though)

Light Heavyweight: Israel Adesanya 

Middleweight: Israel Adesanya (unless the strip him)

Welterweight: Gilbert Burns 

Lightweight: Conor McGregor (unless Khabib returns)

Featherweight: Alexander Volkanovski

Bantamweight: Petr Yan

Flyweight: Deiveson Figueiredo

Women: No changes. Same as there at the end of 2020.

I'll add Bellator later.

Edited by Egg Shen
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This post contain spoilers from Holloway vs Kattar 

UFC:

Heavyweight: Jon Jones. If he has his contract dispute sorted, I see him fighting for the title at the end of the year and winning it. The UFC just needs to get it off Stipe 'Fights once a year' Miocic to make it a reality.

Light Heavyweight: Israel Adesanya. I can't see Jan beating him and I can't see Jones going back down to 205lbs anytime soon. Glover will unsuccessfully challenge in September time and that's it. Izzy will only fight twice in 2021. Title win, title defence.

Middleweight: Robert Whittaker. I can't see Izzy losing but I also can't see Dana White allowing him to hold up a division. I think Kevin Holland will go on another surge and fight Robert Whittaker for the vacant title where Bobby will come out with the win. I can see Marvin Vettori coming close too.

Welterweight: Usman. I don't see him losing it. He will defend against Burns and Colby and still be champ by the end of the year.

Lightweight: Khabib will return and fight Michael Chandler who earns a shot by smoking Dan Hooker. 

Featherweight: Max Holloway. After his performance against Kattar, there's no stopping him. The only thing standing in his way against a title rematch is if Henry Cejudo comes out of retirement and tries and goes for a 3rd title. I can't see it happening though and I think Holloway gets his shot and wins it.

Bantamweight: Aljo Sterling. This is the hardest one to predict. There are so many variables. TJ Dillashaw returning, Henry Cejudo returning, Figgy going up a weight class, a very impressive looking current champion, an up and comer who looks to have all the tools in Cory Sandhagen. So, so many choices, but i am going with the guy who has a guaranteed title shot making it count when it matters. I am going with Aljo.

Flyweight: Brandon Moreno. He beats figgy in the rematch and beats Cody Garbrandt in his first defence. I love Brandon. Definitely a prediction using my heart.

Women:

Featherweight: Amanda Nunes. Defeats all challengers.

Bantamweight: Amanda Nunes. As above.

Flyweight: Valentina. Defeats all challengers.

Straw weight: Amanda Ribas - It was very tempting to put no change here but I can see Ribas getting hot shotted to a title match come the end of the year. 

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I don't see Pena holding onto the BW belt; she's been far too inconsistent, and let's face it: Nunes' performance really was atypical - she would never have held the belt that long, or have beaten Cyborg for the FW title if that was her regular form.

There aren't many I'm certain of, but Usman holding onto the belt for 2022 seems a pretty safe bet. The only real threat seems to be from Chimaev, and the jury's still out as to his quality at the absolute elite level, ironically because of how dominant he's been at the lower levels: we haven't had long enough to see any other layers from him. He's never got to the third round, and it's probably not wise to face any of the elite without having experienced what it's like to fight in the later frames, when you've burned a load of energy, and/or have to dig deep for that fortitude necessary to get yourself out of trouble. It'll certainly be interesting to see, but I think, even now, Usman's still too early for him.

So pleased for Glover, and I think he probably makes one or two defences before calling it a day, either at the end of 2022, or at the beginning of 2023.

Really would not like to make a bet on Ngannou vs. Gane. Right now, Gane is the only HW I can see being particularly a problem for Ngannou. Big Fran now has that aura of a monster who has smartened up; he showed the world that even a veteran as crafty as Miocic, with all the skills at his disposal, could be put away, because his "lucky" shots are now likelier than ever to hit you. Gane, as you say, wand, fights like no HW we've ever seen, and he could very well be the Fury to Ngannou's Wilder. Plus he's not been beaten yet - he's probably still fearless. The shape of HW title scene in 2022, however, will come down to Plastic Caesar, I think. Despite the UFC's propensity for immediate rematches now, if Ngannou loses, I reckon Dana will do everything he can to make sure a rematch doesn't happen. That's the price of any kind of defiance at all.

Not betting against Volko. That way madness lies. Sheva doesn't look even close to having her reign ended (mind you, we all said that about Pena/Nunes). I'm not convinced about Namajunas having a long reign - she's shown vulnerability against certain styles, hence why she lost the belt the first time. Maybe she's now plugged the holes in her game, but we'll just have to see. Strawweight could end up being a bit of a revolving door.

The lighter men's weights, apart from Volkanovski and Usman, I'm just going to sit back and watch the madness unfold. I do hope Oliveira stays champ for a while, he's earned it. Izzy has never looked bulletproof, even before he lost to Big Jan. Glad for Moreno, and maybe he has Deiveson's number, but there's always someone new showing up. Sadly, I don't think Aljo retains against Yan. I really hope he's used this time to properly learn from the battering he took to develop counter-tactics and strategy against Dirty Petr, but the gap between them might be too wide for him to cover.

Edited by Carbomb
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  • Egg Shen changed the title to MMA Champions 2022 🏆
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Ok, forgot to do my picks last year. Here’s who I see being UFC champs heading into 2023. Apologies in advance, this’ll be a long one. 

Heavyweight: Tough one but I’m gonna say Ciryl Gane.

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I’ve got a feeling he beats Ngannou in a few weeks. The only guy making me doubt this pick is Stipe. I think he could come back and beat whoever the champ is. I’m just not sure how it’s all gonna play out and Ngannou is currently making noises about leaving the UFC anyway, and Dana’s doing his ‘fine, if you don’t wanna be here I’m not bothered’ bit. If Gane beats him at 270, I can see Francis leaving. Obviously if Francis retains the gold, his contract extends. The Heavyweight division could get very messy over the next few months but I think, regardless of all that, we’ll be seeing Gane and Miocic battle it out for the strap in the second half of the year. And that’s a very interesting one. There’s also the x-factor of Jon Jones’ return. Surely this year we’ll finally see his Heavyweight debut? 

Light Heavyweight: I’m gonna say Magomed Ankalaev holds the belt by this time next year.

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But 205 is always up in the air. I’d love to see Glover hold onto the belt for a little bit and get a couple of bigger paydays with the old PPV cut but he’s probably fighting Jiri Prochazka in his first defence and, while I’m certainly not counting Glover out in that fight, I’ve got a feeling Jiri knocks him out. After that, fuck knows? But the two key fights to keep an eye on, in my opinion, are Thiago Santos vs Magomed Ankalaev and Jan Blachowicz vs Aleksandar Rakic. They’re both coming up in March and I think we’re heading for a bit of a changing of the guard. I’ve long felt like Ankalaev is the darkhorse of the division. Even while we were all talking about Johnny Walker and Dominick Reyes, Ankalaev and Aleksandar Rakic were the ones I saw going the furthest long term. They don’t get talked about as much because they’re just not flashy about it like your Prochazkas, Walkers etc. Blachowicz could be back in the mix with a win or two but he’s pushing 40 now and I think this next wave of younger 205ers is about to take over. So yeah, I see the 205 belt continuing to be a hot potato. I think 2022 sees Prochazka win it off Glover and Ankalaev (after beating Santos) take it off Prochazka in the second half of the year. 

Middleweight: Thinking Israel Adesanya keeps his title.

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Despite how their first fight went, I actually think this Whittaker rematch coming up in February is the trickiest hurdle on the immediate horizon for him. I’d like to see Whittaker reclaim the gold there because a) I’m more of a Whittaker fan than an Izzy fan and b) it’d shake up the division and lead to a third fight. But I think Adesanya wins that one again. After that, there’s not a whole lot left that’s interesting when it comes to challengers but I think we see him defend against Derek Brunson again, another rematch but it’s one Brunson has earned. Brunson has to get past Cannonier first and I think he does, but again, I see Izzy going 2-0 there. After that, it seems way too soon to be talking about this but don’t be surprised to see Adesanya vs Alex Pereira 2 by the end of next year if they both keep winning. If Adesanya beats Whittaker and Brunson again he’s almost cleaned out the division. At that point, if the Pereira bubble hasn’t been burst yet, I can definitely see them making that fight just because it’s so easy to hype given their history. Pereira has to get by Bruno Silva first though and I’m not sure he does. 

Welterweight: Still Kamaru Usman for me.

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I reckon we see him successfully defend against Leon Edwards at some point, and maybe even Belal Muhammad. Although I do think Khamzat Chimaev is a legitimate, serious wild card. We just don’t know yet how good he actually is but it feels like ‘22 is the year we find out one way or the other. It sounds mad now with how great Usman is doing but there might also be an outside chance he does a Khabib and walks away on top. He kind of touched on it in an interview before the Covington rematch in November but it never really got much play in the MMA media. We’ll see how it goes.

I’m expecting we’ll see Covington vs Masvidal at some point this year as well, although it’s hard to see either of them getting another title shot while Usman is champ. Could see Burns mixing it up with either of them as well, and he could potentially get back in the convo with one or two more big wins. Looking forward to seeing more of Shavkat Rakhmonov as well. One of the best yet least talked about prospects in the game right now. Hopefully no more Nick Diaz though 😞

Lightweight: It feels like this could go a bunch of ways but it’s Islam Makhachev for me.

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Like 205 with Glover, I’d love to see the belt stay on Oliveira for a bit but I can’t see it. As good as he is, I just don’t feel like it’s gonna be a long reign. He’s pushing to fight Conor McGregor in May, which makes zero sense in terms of the title picture but you know why Oliveira wants that and I can’t even blame him. It’d be a fucking joke if they give McGregor a title shot and I don’t think they will, but you know. If they do I see Oliveira winning that. But beyond that, I think Gaethje is the fight that we’ll actually see and that’s a tough one for Charles. Could see that going either way, to be honest. In the end though, I think Makhachev ends the year on top of the heap at 155. I’m really looking forward to his fight with Dariush. I think he wins that and beats the winner of Oliveira vs Gaethje towards the end of the year. Above all other fights at 155, I really hope we see Oliveira vs Makhachev. For me that’s as good a consolation prize as we’re ever gonna get for that Khabib vs Ferguson fight we lost. 

Elsewhere, I reckon we get Poirier vs McGregor 4 at some point and I see McGregor’s downward spiral continuing. Can see Rafael Fiziev having a big year as well and I think we’ll be talking about him in contender fights by this time next year. He’s angling for a fight with RDA at the moment. A tough fight but a win there could be his entry into the top of the division. The upcoming fight between Arman Tsarukyan and Joel Alvarez could be one to keep tabs on. Two guys I think have serious potential to break out this year. Alvarez needs a nutritionist though or it’s gonna be a change of weight class for him. As always, so much going on at 155. 

Featherweight:

Mens: I know it feels like ‘famous last words’ in light of the recent Pena vs Nunes madness but I just can’t see past Alexander Volkanovski hanging onto the belt another year.

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Someone will beat him eventually, of course, but for now he’s so dialled in and showing no signs of slowing down. As incredible and stacked as the 145 division is, I just don’t see him losing any time soon. The biggest threat is still Max Holloway for me, and Volk’s already 2-0 over him. I think we see Volk vs Holloway 3 at some point this year, maybe next for both, and I see Volk going 3-0. I wouldn’t be shocked to if Max won one back, he’s that good, but I just think Volk has his number. That aside, I see him defending the strap against Giga Chikadze if Chikadze beats Calvin Kattar in a couple of weeks. Wouldn’t rule out a Volko vs Korean Zombie title fight either.

Outside of the title picture, the main things I’m really looking forward to this year are hopefully getting to see Yair Rodriguez vs Brian Ortega (surely that’s next, right?) and seeing how far Ilia Topuria can go. Hopefully Zabit comes back as well. 

Womens: Unless the loss to Pena at 135 has completely mindfucked her to the point she drops off a cliff now, surely Amanda Nunes stays champ at 145 throughout 2022?

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Although, there is Kayla Harrison. I just don’t know with Harrison though. For one she’s not even officially on the UFC roster yet. And even if she signs, she’s undoubtedly got a style that you could see giving Nunes some grief, she’s an interesting challenge for her. But we just haven’t seen enough of her for me to pick her over Nunes. I know the popular opinion now seems to be that Nunes is crap and anyone can beat her but that’s bollocks. She had one bad night. Harrison aside, there’s only about 4 women in the Featherweight division so Nunes should be able to hold onto that belt. Even Felicia Spencer just retired out of the blue so she’s not even an option anymore. It’s a wasteland. 

Bantamweight:

Mens: Bit up in the air this one but I think Petr Yan is the answer.

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As much as I’d like to see Aljamain Sterling beat him and finally solidify himself as the legit champ, looking at that first fight and then Yan’s outstanding performance against Cory Sandhagen, I just see Yan being a bit too much for Aljo. Especially as we don’t know how the neck injury and subsequent layoff will effect Sterling going forward. Plus I just think Yan is on fire at the moment. He’s gonna be a tough nut to crack. Sterling’s been dropping hints recently about the rematch coming in early ‘22 so I’m expecting an announcement for that any day now. It’ll be nice to finally get that settled. But yeah, I reckon Yan gets it done. After that, there’s that cluster of Dillashaw, Aldo, Sandhagen, Font, Cruz etc lurking. I think a few of us said recently that Dillashaw vs Aldo as a #1 contender fight seems logical and I’d love to see that. Maybe even throw it on the same card as Sterling vs Yan 2 

Womens: Might come off as bitterness because I predicted the first fight spectacularly wrong, but I think Amanda Nunes comes back and twats Pena in the inevitable rematch.

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I’ve seen a bit of talk online as if Nunes suddenly can’t beat Pena now and that Pena is a ‘bad matchup’ for her but I’m not having it. Pena fought a great fight at 269, all credit to her. She was the better woman on that night. But that was the best night of her career and maybe Nunes’ worst night ever in her career. And Nunes still had Pena reeling before she faded horribly. Whether it was overhang from COVID, complacency or whatever, I think we see a better Nunes next time and I don’t think Pena gets it done twice. I reckon Nunes wins the belt back in the first quarter of the year but I can’t even think of any defences she could make that’d even be semi-interesting. So I wouldn’t rule out them going straight into a trilogy decider with Pena if they’re 1-1. What else is there? Ketlen Vieira maybe? Irene Aldana? 

Meanwhile, I think we see Miesha Tate sent back into retirement at some point in 2022. Not sure how it’ll happen but I’ve never been fully sold on her comeback and she looked pretty bad against Vieira last time out. Bit of a shot in the dark but I think we see Holm vs Tate 2 at some stage and she gets beat up and either calls it a day there and then or they match her up with a young fighter they wanna build up like Aspen Ladd, Irene Aldana or Jessica Rose Clark or someone like that and she loses again. Aldana especially would fuck her up, I think. It’d be a shame and I like Tate but I just don’t see it ending well for her.

Flyweight:

Mens: I know I’m picking a lot of Russians but here’s another one. I’m fancying Askar Askarov to end the year as champ.

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Might seem an odd choice but I’ve got a good feeling about him. I love Brandon Moreno but I just don’t see his reign lasting that long. I think he beats Figueiredo again at UFC 270, and I think we’ll see Figgy move up to 135 sometime this year, but after that I think it’s gonna get really tricky for him. There’s Alexandre Pantoja lurking and he’s already beat Moreno twice. Then there’s Askarov. He’s undefeated at 14-0-1 with the only blemish being a draw in 2019 against…Brandon Moreno. So there’s history there as well and the first fight was fucking great. I really wanna see the rematch. Just got a feeling Askarov’s gonna give the top Flyweights fits with his wrestling. Moreno’s a wild man and I’m certainly not counting him out, but Askarov is gonna be a serious problem in the title mix for me. Beyond that, I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of Kai Kara France getting a title shot somewhere in there. The way he clobbered Garbrandt turned a lot of heads and he’s been more vocal since then about getting the big fights in ‘22. 

Womens: It’s staying on Valentina Shevchenko isn’t it?

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I know we shouldn’t count our chickens, the Pena vs Nunes thing showed us that. All dominant champs lose eventually. Unless they retire on top like Khabib. But Shevchenko is such a pro, so technically sound and in her prime, I’d be shocked to see any of the current crop dethrone her. Although saying that, there are actually a few potentially intriguing fresh matchups coming up for her. I think we’ll be seeing her defend against Taila Santos next. I’ve been bigging Santos up in my opening posts on here for a while now as the darkhorse of the division. She’s 19-1, only loss was a split decision, and she’s coming off a quick finish over Joanne (Calder) Wood. I still don’t see her beating Shevchenko but I really rate her and she’s certainly a more live underdog than Shevchenko’s recent victims like Murphy, Chookagian and Maia. After that there’s Manon Fiorot who’s 8-1 and looking like a bit of a tank. And Casey O’Neill who’s 8-0 and coming off a TKO over Val’s sister Antonina. It’s too early to be talking about Fiorot and O’Neill as challengers really but at least there’s legit new blood coming through at Flyweight, unlike Featherweight and Bantamweight. And there’s still a real wild card at 125 for me in Tatiana Suarez. She was meant to return at UFC 266 but she’s been absolutely battered by injuries. She looked a beast at Strawweight so I was really looking forward to seeing how she’d look at Flyweight and with her wrestling she brings a completely different test for Shevchenko. But that’s one for the future. We need to see Suarez at 125 first, well back in the cage full stop, before we start talking title shots. It’s been a dead division the last couple of years, with Shevchenko just killing everyone. But if these prospects keep improving and Suarez returns and gets back on track, there’s actually potential for an interesting little title picture there. 

Strawweight: This was actually the toughest for me but fuck it, I’m going with Marina Rodriguez to get it done.

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It’s weird because this time last year I wasn’t fully sold on her but there’s been something about her this year and, while I’m not saying she’s a world beater now, she’s turned a corner in her career and she’s made a believer out of me. First she knocked out Amanda Ribas in a fight most expected her to lose. Then the way she dealt with that absolute nightmare of a fight week in May. The fight was thrown together last minute, she never had a proper camp and she basically stepped off the plane and straight onto the scale, still made weight, then bashed Michelle Waterson for the full 5 rounds the next night. Then in October she beat Mackenzie Dern in another 5 rounder. She’s definitely stepped it up a level and she’s improved in the grappling, as she showed in surviving Dern’s BJJ onslaught. She had to get through some dicey moments in that one and she was able to. It’s a funny mix at the top end of 115 though. Like I’d probably pick Rose Namajunas to beat Rodriguez. But it’s looking like Rose is gonna be defending against Carla Esparza next and I’ve got a feeling Esparza beats her again. Rodriguez is set to fight Yan Xiaonan in March and I think Rodriguez wins that. So logically, that would lead to Esparza vs Rodriguez 2 for the title. Esparza did beat Rodriguez by split decision in 2019 but I think today’s version of Rodriguez beats Esparza. Styles make fights etc. Then there’s still Zhang Weili hovering around. I don’t think she should be in any title shots in the immediate future but that second fight with Rose was mega close so she’s not far off. Don’t know what’s going on with Joanna Jedrzejczyk. She hasn’t fought since the war with Zhang. That’s nearly 2 years ago. I’d love to see her in with Rodriguez or Xiaonan but she doesn’t seem in a hurry to come back. Anyway, I think the title picture in 2022 at Strawweight is gonna consist of a bit of a three way round robin between Namajunas, Esparza and Rodriguez. And I don’t know, I’ve just got a feeling Rodriguez comes out on top. 

 

And that’s that. So if my thinking is right we’ll be seeing a lot of titles changing hands in 2022. Only got Adesanya, Usman, Volkanovski, Nunes (145) and Shevchenko holding onto their gold. 

Edited by wandshogun09
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I think if Usman loses his belt at 170, the only one I see possibly beating him is Chimaev. But that’s IF he turns out to be what he’s being cracked up to be. It feels premature to be talking like that and he might get exposed before he gets there but I can’t envision Edwards or Burns or Muhammad taking the belt off Usman. Covington and Masvidal are already 0-2 down and time is running out for Wonderboy and it doesn’t seem like he’s getting back in the mix now. Chimaev’s the one who might just have the tools to give Usman serious issues. You have to think he’s only a couple of big wins away from a shot too. The way he handled Jingliang was legitimately frightening. I’ll be amazed if they don’t put him in with at least one top name this year. And if he ragdolls one of the names above like he has his last few opponents I could easily see him in a title shot by late ‘22. On his own merit plus the fact that Usman’s beat everyone already, some of them twice. Usman vs Chimaev could well be THE monster fight we’re all clamouring for at 170 by the end of the year. 

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Ok, let's take a stab at this. 

HW: Francis Ngannou. Gane may be the better all round fighter. He has more ways to beat big Francis. Francis is all about that Kill shot, and we all know it doesn't need to be anywhere near perfect. I fail to see him not landing one on Gane at some point. When he lands that, only one man has stood up and that's super hero Stipe. That was the first time and Francis is better than then. Until somebody else shows they can, I'm going to believe they can't. 

I'm not convinced the title will get defended more than once this year though and could still see him being stripped etc. If he loses, I see Francis pursing a boxing fight outside of the UFC and Game Vs Stipe. 

LHW: Jiri Prochazka

We all love Glover, but I think it's hot potato time at LHW, like the late 2000's. 

MW: Israel Adesanya

Whittaker is his biggest threat. If he gets past that I don't see how he loses the title this year. 

WW: Kamaru Usman

There are loads of potentially interesting contenders for Usman. Edwards, Luque, Muhammad, Chimaev. That's not counting a rebuilding Burns. I don't think any of them can beat him though, other than the possibility of Chimaev ending up as good as his potential. That fight may not happen until late in the year though, and I'd still heavily favour Kamaru

LW: Islam Makhachev. 

Hot potato time again. A lot of Charles Oliveira's appeal is how good he his despite people always doubting him. Well I'm going to doubt him again. He's the best in the division. He's skating on thin ice in that division though. He stood up against his biggest criticism, and weathered the storm in his past two fights. Chandler and Poirier brought hurricanes at him and he came through the other side. I don't know if that's a strategy that can always work though. I have Justin Gaethje finishing him and then Islam replaying Khabib Vs Gaethje to take the title.

FW: Max Holloway

I didn't think Volkanovski did enough to beat Max in the second fight. They'll fight this year for a third time. These two men are so good. So good that I don't believe one of them will get a W three times over the other one. 

 Women's FW: Amanda Nunes. Unless Kayla Harrison actually signs, I don't think there's a discussion to be had here. 

Men's BW: Petr Yan. He'll beat Sterling. After that, as good as BW is, who is going to beat him in the coming months? We've seen how Yan Vs Aldo looks. A knocking on the door of 40 TJ and Dom Cruz haven't a chance. And he shut down Sandhagen in their fight. I hope Aldo gets another chance and does it, but I think he needs Sterling to win for that to happen. I can't see broken neck Sterling getting through Petr Yan. Maybe Figgy moves up, but will he get a shot within 2022? Too many contenders in the logjam possibly.

Women's BW: Amanda Nunes. Juliana Pena beating Nunes was a 1 in 100 outcome in my book. If they fight again I'd be absolutely flabbergasted if it doesn't end with Pena out cold. 

Men's 125: Fuck knows. Brandon Moreno could lose it and win it back for all I know. So I'll go with that. Figgy to beat Moreno and Moreno to win the fourth fight 😅

Women's 125: Valentina Shevchenko. Not even going to attempt to make a case for someone else until one of them actually look a threat. Realistically, it's Valentina's belt until she doesn't want it anymore. 

115: Going to piggy back on Wand's suggestion here and go with Marina Rodriguez. Namajunas is the best in the division, but she's clearly not infallible. Like Moreno, she could lose it and get it back this year. I'll predict her to lose the belt and her re-match for the title to be 2023. 

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2 hours ago, WeeAl said:

MW: Israel Adesanya

Whittaker is his biggest threat. If he gets past that I don't see how he loses the title this year.

Thinking more about this, we’ve both said Whittaker is the biggest threat but is he? It’s weird because I definitely think he’s the second best Middleweight as things stand right now. But thinking a bit more into it, style-wise, Derek Brunson might be the trickier challenge for Adesanya. Especially now he seems to have realised where his strengths lie and has gone back to a more wrestling based approach. The first time he fought Adesanya (and Whittaker actually) he was in that phase of trying to strike more and he paid for it badly. Not saying he’d beat either in 2022 but I do think he’s in a better place now in terms of how he’s fighting and him seeming more comfortable with what his style actually is. Whittaker’s looked great since the first Adesanya fight but he’s still predominantly a striker and that’s obviously gonna suit Adesanya. It’s a funny one but I actually think Brunson has a better shot at beating Adesanya than he does of beating Whittaker. But I favour Adesanya over Whittaker quite clearly. 

I’d say there is a very real possibility we see Khamzat Chimaev make the jump up to 185 as well this year. He had a rough time making 170 for the Jingliang fight and as we talked about when he had that grappling match with Jack Hermansson, he’s definitely big enough to match up with 185ers. That’s a style you could see Izzy having serious problems with as well.

2 hours ago, WeeAl said:

LW: Islam Makhachev. 

I have Justin Gaethje finishing him (Oliveira) and then Islam replaying Khabib Vs Gaethje to take the title.

Pretty much. For all my talk of wanting to see Oliveira vs Makhachev, I do have a feeling Gaethje is gonna end Oliveira’s reign before that can happen.

2 hours ago, WeeAl said:

Men's BW: Petr Yan. He'll beat Sterling. After that, as good as BW is, who is going to beat him in the coming months? We've seen how Yan Vs Aldo looks. A knocking on the door of 40 TJ

Hold up, TJ is 35. A year younger than me. I’m NOT knocking on the door of 40.

2 hours ago, WeeAl said:

Men's 125: Fuck knows. Brandon Moreno could lose it and win it back for all I know. So I'll go with that. Figgy to beat Moreno and Moreno to win the fourth fight 😅

Never even considered that. But yeah, either way I don’t think Figgy’s staying at 125 much longer. I think a lot will depend on the outcome of this fight with Moreno in a few weeks. If he wins, they’re tied at 1-1-1 and no doubt go into a fourth fight. If he loses though, and especially if it’s decisive like last time, I think he’ll be off to Bantamweight. At that point he’s lost the series against Moreno and that weight cut is getting tougher for him anyway. I’d actually be really interested to see how Figgy would do at 135. There’s always the questions when a fighter goes up in weight on if their power will come with them but at the same time not having to cut as much weight could give him extra explosion and energy anyway. And imagine all the fresh fights for him at BW? Right away the thought of Figgy vs Aldo has the old balls tingling. 

Edited by wandshogun09
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