Jon “Bones” Jones may very well be the most talented fighter to have ever entered the cage. He may be the reigning pound-for-pound king, and may own the most UFC light heavyweight title defenses of all-time. For all of his successes, however, Jones has endured just as many hardships and struggles outside of the cage.
Jon “Bones” Jones may very well be the most talented fighter to have ever entered the cage. He may be the reigning pound-for-pound king, and may own the most UFC light heavyweight title defenses of all-time.
For all of his successes, however, Jones has endured just as many hardships and struggles outside of the cage.
The most notable of his troubles came last April when Jones was arrested on felony hit and run charges in New Mexico, forcing the UFC to suspend him indefinitely, and strip him of his long-held 205-pound strap.
Now just over a month away from his highly anticipated return against champion Daniel Cormier at April 23’s UFC 197, Jones admits that his latest fiasco was the tip of the iceberg that led him to realize what he was throwing away:
“Everyone’s life, we’re all on different journeys. Some people mature faster than others. Sometimes it takes people a few more mistakes to realize what they have and what they’re messing up. For me I felt this last situation brought me to my knees,” Jones said recently at the “UFC Unstoppable” press conference.
“I lost respect nationwide. I lost my endorsements. I lost my job. I lost so much and for me this was rock bottom.”
Could it be that the pressures of being champion were just too much for “Bones”? Or perhaps he was just another young superstar with boatloads of cash and endless opportunities for mishap staring him in the eye.
Whatever it was, it appears as if Jones needed some time away, some time to himself.
One year later, the pound-for-pound king is ready and motivated to take his belt back from his most bitter rival:
“Over the last year I’ve had the chance to be alone and work on my character outside of being an athlete,” Jones said. “Today I stand here five months sober, feeling amazing, feeling rejuvenated and I’m excited to get back in here, get on the right track and put on some exciting fights for you fans.”
Will Jones be back on top of the throne after his rematch with Cormier next month?
MMAmania.com resident fighter analyst — and aspiring professional fighter — Andrew Richardson breaks down the mixed martial arts (MMA) game of UFC Fight Night 85 headliner Mark Hunt, who looks to extend his win streak this Saturday (March …
MMAmania.com resident fighter analyst — and aspiring professional fighter — Andrew Richardson breaks down the mixed martial arts (MMA) game of UFC Fight Night 85 headliner Mark Hunt, who looks to extend his win streak this Saturday (March 19, 2016) inside Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, Australia.
Former K-1 Grand Prix champion, Mark Hunt, is set to battle with former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight kingpin, Frank Mir, this Saturday (March 19, 2016) inside Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, Australia.
His recent record may not be pretty, but Hunt has proven himself to be one of the best Heavyweights in the world. The striking specialist has grown tremendously over the recent years, which primed him for his late career revival that allowed him to challenge for the title in 2014.
However, Hunt’s future is unclear. He followed up that title loss with a disappointing showing opposite Stipe Miocic — who is at least a top contender — before getting back in shape and knocking out Antonio Silva in quick fashion. Now, Hunt will look to make another run toward the top.
Let’s take a look at the “Super Samoan’s” skills in depth:
Striking
Much of Hunt’s career renaissance has been thanks to his development as a striker in addition to fixing up his grappling game. Early on, Hunt was a brick-chinned brawler, and while that power and toughness still remains, Hunt is now a far more patient and tactical fighter.
Inside UFC, Hunt has largely operated as a counter striker, which has a few benefits. For one, Hunt’s shorter reach is less of an issue, as one of the best ways to overcome a reach advantage is to force the longer man to reach. Plus, counter striking allows Hunt to stay tight defensively, both in terms of avoiding the takedown and his opponent’s punches.
Hunt’s primary weapon is his counter left hook (GIF). Each time his opponent attempts to keep him at bay with a jab or long cross, Hunt will look to come over the top with his slick check hook. Hunt usually turns his hand all the way over on this punch, landing with his bottom knuckles.
Much of the time Hunt is looking to counter, he’s stalking his opponent and standing within their boxing range. Once his opponent commits to a strike, Hunt will slip or parry the blow and return his left hand. It’s an aggressive form of counter punching, and it helps ensure that Hunt isn’t forced to trade jabs with a longer opponent.
Hunt may look to counter often, but it’s not like the New Zealand-native is afraid to lead. In fact, Hunt likes to lead with his left hook as well. If his opponent is backing away or there’s simply a fair amount of distance between them, Hunt makes good use of the lunging hook (GIF).
It’s now taken a back seat to his left hook, but Hunt still attacks with his long right hand pretty commonly. Every once in a while, Hunt will charge his opponent with a big right hand, but he usually mixes it into combinations well or attempts to counter his opponent’s jab with the strike. In his most recent bout, Hunt did a nice job of herding Antonio Silva into his right hand, as “Bigfoot” had prior experience with Hunt’s left hook and was looking to avoid it again.
Most of Hunt’s combinations are a mix of left hooks and right hands. Since the left hook goes around his opponent’s guard while his right hand — usually thrown as a straight or overhand — goes straight through his opponent’s defenses, it’s difficult to properly defend against both strikes. If his opponent’s defense is poorly timed or he adjusts too much to either strike, he’ll be left wide open to absorb a powerful shot (GIF).
Hunt has been using his kicks a bit more often as well. Hunt has some nasty low kicks and will even occasionally mix in a kick to the body. Either way, Hunt’s kicks can be very effective, and he should consider relying on them more.
Thanks to his improved takedown defense, Hunt has been able to punish his opponents for trying to drag him to the mat. If his opponent takes a shot from far out or repeatedly ducks down, Hunt will shovel an uppercut straight into his jaw (GIF).
Defensively, Hunt is no longer lunging forward, so he’s much safer overall. Basically, he’s not likely to run straight into a knockout punch like the one Melvin Manhoef delivered many years ago. However, Hunt does have a problem absorbing low kicks, as his stance is not great for checking/avoiding and he simply cannot counter effectively from that range.
Wrestling
Hunt has become a very solid wrestler, greatly aided by his physical strength and low center of gravity. Most Heavyweights simply aren’t slick enough to get in on his hips effectively, with Stipe Miocic being the only consistent exception.
While Hunt usually doesn’t look to take down his opponent, he’s proven to be opportunistic when his opponent forces the issue. For example, Hunt hit a very slick foot sweep on Stefan Struve when the lanky Dutchman kept trying to force his way into the clinch (GIF). Additionally, Hunt used underhooks to gain top position against both Fabricio Werdum and Ben Rothwell when the two repeatedly shoot for long range double legs with little set up.
The most important example of Hunt’s offensive wrestling came in his first fight with “Bigfoot,” as Hunt was getting battered on his feet for the first two rounds. First, he caught one of Silva’s low kicks and blasted him off his feet with a tackle. Next, Hunt shot for a double against the fence. When “Bigfoot” stepped out of the double, Hunt reshot from an angle, which knocked Silva onto his back.
The technique may not have been pure wrestling, but speed and power will always go a long way in finishing the shot.
Opponents that shoot straight in on Hunt with simple single or double legs are in for a rough night. Again, his low center of gravity and balanced kickboxing make it very difficult to get in on his hips. Plus, Hunt is usually ready to sprawl or jam an uppercut up the middle at any moment, which makes shooting a difficult task.
Hunt is also a difficult man to wrestle with inside the clinch. Now that he really knows how to wrestle, Hunt is able to effectively fight for underhooks and circle off the fence pretty easily. This was first noticeable in his bout with Cheick Kongo. When the Parisian attempted to employ his standard game plan of holding his opponent against the fence and kneeing his opponent’s thigh/groin, Hunt easily circled Kongo around and pushed him away.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Hunt may have been submitted a fairly shocking six times, but it’s not solely because of poor technique. Though a lack of grappling experience certainly didn’t help, Hunt has always been a risk taker on the ground. While it’s allowed him to find unexpected success now, it was costly earlier in his career.
The kickboxer’s general fearlessness in the ring nearly carried him to one of the strangest upsets of all time. After miraculously rolling out of Fedor Emelianenko’s arm bar, Hunt landed on top and in side control. Almost immediately, Hunt attacked with an Americana, deciding to trade submissions with the Combat Sambo master just two years into his professional career.
It didn’t work out for him, but Hunt legitimately threatened “Last Emperor” with the shoulder lock.
A bit more recently, Hunt attempted to take Ben Rothwell’s arm home with him. After Rothwell gassed terribly, Hunt found himself in the mount. When Rothwell raised his arms up to defend from strikes, Hunt moved into the technical mount. From that position, he laced up his opponent’s arm and fell back. Time ran out before Hunt could break his opponent’s grip, but he likely would’ve finished the hold.
Yes, Hunt almost arm-barred the fighter who handed Josh Barnett his sole submission loss (GIF). Heavyweight MMA gets weird.
In another dangerous moment, Hunt choose to dive into Werdum’s guard after defending a takedown. That’s a risky proposition for any Heavyweight, but Hunt kept himself safe by keeping good head position and driving his opponent into the fence. Before Werdum could really open up or get anything going, Hunt then returned to his feet.
Despite all that improvement, Hunt’s bottom game is fairly weak. He simply doesn’t have the body type to play any type of guard, and that’s a very difficult strategy for most Heavyweights. He still hasn’t been submitted in a few years, but Miocic had little trouble wrecking Hunt’s face with ground strikes.
Conclusion
Mark Hunt is legitimately one of the Top 10 fighters in the world, and there’s really no denying it. However, the question of how much time he has left must be asked, as Hunt may not compete more than a couple more times. In that case, every fight is extremely important for Hunt, as he cannot afford any more setbacks if he’s to make one last title run.
*****
Andrew Richardson, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu purple belt, is an undefeated amateur fighter who trains at Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, California. In addition to learning alongside world-class talent, Andrew has scouted opponents and developed winning strategies for several of the sport’s most elite fighters.
Justin Gaethje has been disciplined for his trademark celebration following WSOF 29. World Series of Fighting Lightweight Champion Justin Gaethje has been suspended indefinitely for unsportsmanlike conduct. The suspension was handed out afte…
Justin Gaethje has been disciplined for his trademark celebration following WSOF 29.
World Series of Fighting Lightweight Champion Justin Gaethje has been suspended indefinitely for unsportsmanlike conduct. The suspension was handed out after Gaethje’s first round TKO win over Brain Foster at WSOF 29.
After the fight, Gaethje celebrated in his usual fashion by climbing on top of the cage and backflipping off of it. The Colorado State Boxing Commission was not impressed with Gaethje’s post fight conduct. Gaethje was warned before the fight to not backflip off of the cage, according to TheMMAReport.
Similar suspensions for unsportsmanlike conduct have ranged from 30 days to two years, depending on the severity of the conduct. Johnny Eduardo was suspended for 30 days after throwing his mouthpiece into the crowd following his win over Eddie Wineland.
Gaethje’s opponent, Brain Foster, has been medically suspended for 180 days following the loss that saw his leg take serious punishment. He can be cleared earlier than the allotted time with a doctor’s approval.
Sorry cry babies! Kid Nate + Eugene S Robinson are back with the infamous & patented Care/Don’t Care Preview for UFC Brisbane featuring Mark Hunt vs. Frank Mir.
Sorry cry babies! Kid Nate + Eugene S Robinson are back with the infamous & patented Care/Don’t Care Preview for UFC Brisbane featuring Mark Hunt vs. Frank Mir.
ONE: “Global Rivals” is set for the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila on April 15th and the full fight card was released this week (see it) with two of the organization’s top flyweights to collide in the main event as Geje Eustaquio faces Gianni …
ONE: “Global Rivals” is set for the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila on April 15th and the full fight card was released this week (see it) with two of the organization’s top flyweights to collide in the main event as Geje Eustaquio faces Gianni Subba.
Eustaquio (7-4) is coming off an impressive first round KO win while Subba (7-1) has won his last four fights and a victory for the Malaysian could be enough to secure a shot at the newly crowned ONE flyweight champion Kairat Akhmetov.
Another man hoping for a 2016 title shot is Lowen Tynanes (8-0) and he will be taking on Japanese lightweight Koji Ando (12-4-2). The latter has already challenged unsuccessfully for the belt once but Shinya Aoki remains the only man to ever beat him in the ONE cage.
Two of the organization’s best bantamweight prospects will go head to head when Reece McLaren (8-3) faces Muin Gafurov (10-0). The former scored a surprise submission win over Mark Striegl in this venue last year while the latter is just 19 years old.
Timofey Nastyukhin (9-2) returns to the venue where he knocked out Eduard Folayang in 2014 and will be hoping to take out another local fan favourite when he faces Eric Kelly (12-2). The Filipino will be fighting in Manila for the first time since 2013.
All fighters will be required to compete at their normal walk around weight under the new ONE regulations. Weight categories have yet to be announced for this show but the main event will be a welterweight title fight with Ben Askren defending his belt against Nikolay Aleksakhin.
2015 was a bad year to be a reigning UFC champion. Like, really bad.
Holly Holm picked apart woman’s bantamweight juggernaut Ronda Rousey, who lost for the first time in her MMA career. A single punch courtesy of the braggadocious Conor…
2015 was a bad year to be a reigning UFC champion. Like, really bad.
Holly Holm picked apart woman’s bantamweight juggernaut Ronda Rousey, who lost for the first time in her MMA career. A single punch courtesy of the braggadocious Conor McGregor took down featherweight kingpin Jose Aldo, who hadn’t lost in over 10 years.
But wait, there’s more. Much more.
Fabricio Werdum completely outclassed a man considered by some as the greatest heavyweight fighter of all time in Cain Velasquez. Rafael dos Anjos equally outclassed the always flashy (but lacking durability) Anthony Pettis, who handed over his lightweight crown.
Anderson Silva slayer Chris Weidman finally met his match and then some at middleweight in the form of hulking Luke Rockhold.
Jon Jones didn’t lose his belt inside the cage. But he managed to lose his belt nonetheless. The UFC stripped Jones of the light heavyweight title due to the much-publicized legal quagmire he found himself in. His nemesis Daniel Cormier bested Anthony Johnson to claim the vacated crown.
The trend continued into 2016.
Welterweight stalwart Robbie Lawler faced off against Carlos Condit in January in a fight-of-the-year candidate. While Lawler left the the cage champion status in tow, the majority of those watching their slugfest, including UFC President Dana White, thought Condit had gotten the better of him.
A few weeks later, former bantamweight top dog Dominic Cruz reclaimed the crown he never lost (the UFC stripped him of the title due to not being able to defend it via one injury after another) by outpointing T.J. Dillashaw in another razor-close contest where a vocal minority had Dillashaw winning.
And that brings us up to March, where we just witnessed one of the great title fight finishes in UFC history. Holm, on her way to defending the belt she’d kicked away from Rousey, coughed up her newly captured champ status when Miesha Tate chocked her out with just 90 seconds remaining in their fight.
So, yeah. Holding onto championship status in the UFC is no small feat. Turnover is becoming par for the course. If you look at the above chart, five of the 10 current champs have yet to defend their belts (Werdum, Rockhold, McGregor, Cruz and Tate), while only one champ has defended more than three times (Johnson).
Let’s dust off our crystal ball and prognosticate who’ll be UFC champ in every weight class by end of 2016. Our guess is probably as good as anyone’s, as more parity is starting to creep into mixed martial arts.
Woman’s Strawweight (115 pounds)
Current 115-pound champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk (11-0) looks close to unbeatable. But every dominant champ looks that way until someone like Holly Holm or Chris Weidman comes along and punches the reset button.
There is one woman who pushed her to the limit before she was sporting gold. Claudia Gadelha (13-1) battled Jedrzejczyk back in 2014. She lost via split decision, although, as is the case with many judges’ decisions, there was controversy, as many thought Gadelha had gotten the better of Jedrzejczyk.
The two will rematch this July at The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale after 12 weeks of work as rival coaches. This fight will likely come down to who’s improved more since their first encounter.
We’ll give the edge to champ. If Jedrzejczykcan get past her toughest test ever in Gadelha, look for her to coast through the second half of 2016 and into 2017.
Official prediction:Jedrzejczyk will get byGadelha in what should be a grueling battle and will be the UFC’s strawweight champion at the end of 2016 and very likely for all of 2017, too.
Woman’s Bantamweight (135 pounds)
Ronda Rousey (12-1) was chewing through her competition like a vegan through kale salad. It felt like she would be champion until she retired.
Holly Holm (10-1) was supposed to be just one more challenger. She hadn’t even looked overly impressive in her first two UFC bouts, but when the two met, Holm shut down Rousey‘s hard-charging style and then proceeded to have her way with the champ, finishing the fight with the kick to the face that sent Rousey back to the Stone Age.
And then Holm went and lost to perennial top contender Miesha Tate (18-5); Tate of course has lost twice to Rousey (once in the UFC and once back in Strikeforce).
Conventional wisdom has Tate fighting Rousey later on this year. But we don’t know exactly when Rousey will to return to action; it’s possible Tate and Holmmight rematch before then. So predicting which woman will be holding the belt by year’s end is a bit of a coin flip.
A lot of it has to do with who fights whom and when. It would make sense to book Tate vs. Rousey at UFC 200 in July. But Rousey may not be ready. And while both Tate and Holm may want to rematch at UFC 200, the UFC will likely do everything it can to convince Tate to wait on Rousey.
Official prediction:Rousey fights Tate in the fall of 2016. She beats Tate by submission and enters 2017 as champion and hopefully rematch Holm in the spring.
Flyweight (125 pounds)
No champion holds on forever but Demetrius Johnson (23-2) has been thumping his competition since the fall of 2012, when he bested Joseph Benavidez to become the UFC’s inaugural flyweight champion. He’s gone 7-0 since then, beating Benavidez once again along with beating the formidable John Dodson twice.
Up next for Johnson is former Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo (10-0). Cejudo is youngest American wrestler to ever win an Olympic gold medal in freestyle wrestling and has quickly established himself as one of the best flyweights in MMA. But none of that may matter when he goes up against one of the most complete fighters of all time.
Official prediction: Not only will Johnson be champ through all of 2016 but he’ll likely be be brandishing gold for years to come. At least, he will until his Chris Weidman or Holly Holm finally comes along.
Men’s Bantamweight (135 pounds)
As mentioned above T.J. Dillashaw (12-3) gave way to the triumphant return of Dominick Cruz (21-1). Cruz’s long hard road back to the top is truly one of the great redemption stories in all of sports.
No one can question Cruz’s heart or technical prowess at this point. It’s simply a matter of if the best bantamweight fighter of all time can stay healthy. He’s only fought twice since the fall of 2012 (vs. TakeyaMizugaki in 2014 and then Dillashaw in 2016).
Dillashaw will be gunning to for his revenge. Dodson recently moved up to bantamweight. You’ve also got one of the brightest prospects in the sport in Aljamain Sterling (12-0) who’ll be knocking on the door soon. Up next though Cruz will battle Uriah Faber (33-8) at UFC 199 in June in what will complete their trilogy.
Official prediction: Cruz should be able to get the better of Faber and will likely rematch Dillashaw before the end of 2016. That fight is as close to a coin flip as it gets. But we’ll give the edge to Cruz as he’s still got the more tools in his tool bag.
Featherweight (145 pounds)
Recently minted featherweight champ ConorMcGregor (19-3) tasted defeat for the first time in his UFC career when he moved up in weight and got slapped around by Nate Diaz. He’ll likely lick his wounds, come back to earth, and defend his 145-pound strap vs. Jose Aldo (25-2) in a rematch, or the more deserving Frankie Edgar (20-4).
It’ll be up to McGregor who he picks. He’s already beaten Aldo but that doesn’t mean Aldo can’t get the better of him in a rematch. McGregor may want to avoid Edgar’s combination of wrestling and volume punching. But Edgar has taken a lot of damage in his career and McGregor‘s got that devastating left hand.
McGregor will mostly likely fight one of them at UFC 200 in July, unless he throws us a curveball. And that’ll leave enough time in the 2016 calendar for another featherweight title fight. So we could see McGregor vs. Aldo 2 and then McGregor vs. Edgar. Like at woman’s bantamweight, it’s easy to see any one of three top fighters holding the belt by the end of 2016.
Official prediction: While part of us wants to go with Edgar, we’ll stick with McGregor.
Lightweight (155 pounds)
Current champ Rafael dos Anjos (25-7) was supposed to face featherweight champ ConorMcGregor at UFC 196 but he suffered a foot injury that forced him to pull out. In the aftermath of McGregor‘s loss to Nate Diaz, the Irishman is talking about going back down to featherweight to defend his belt while dos Anjos has proposed a superfight with welterweight champ Robbie Lawler. Got all that?
Whether or not dos Anjos does move up to fight Lawler is irrelevant to this article as we’re interested in who will be holding the lightweight strap at the end of the year.
Dos Anjos will at some point fight the winner of KhabibNurmagomedov (22-0) vs. Tony Ferguson (20-3).
That No. 1 contender’s fight will is taking place at UFC on Fox 19 in April. Whoever emerges from that fight will likely get the next title shot. Unless the UFC decides to go with Eddie Alvarez (who recently edged out former champ Anthony Pettis.
Official prediction:KhabibNurmagomedov. This is going out on a limb of course. Many have felt for years now that Nurmagomedov would eventually go on to be champ but injury after injury has hampered his progress. But if he can stay healthy, and get by a tough Ferguson, he’s got the inside track. He already holds a win over dos Anjos; his last fight actually from April of 2014.
Welterweight
Georges St-Pierre (25-2) once owned this division, holding the belt for over 2,000 days, before deciding to take what may end up being a permanent break from the sport. Johnny Hendricks (17-4) beat Robbie Lawler (27-10) to claim the vacated belt only to hand it over to Lawler in a rematch.
Lawler has looked pretty formidable since, beating Rory MacDonald and then Carlos Condit (30-9).
Welterweight is up in the air as of now. Will the UFC book Lawler vs. dos Anjos at UFC 200? Will Georges St-Pierre make his long awaited return at UFC 200? Will the UFC book a rematch between Lawler and Condit?
Official prediction: With so much yet to be determined, we’ll play it safe and stick with Lawler. But if Steven Thompson (12-1) get by MacDonald at Fight Night 89 in June, there’s a very good chance he’ll get a title shot vs. Lawler before the end of 2016. If that’s the case, we’ll officially switch our pick to Wonderboy.
Middleweight
After finishing the great Anderson Silva twice, and then following up those performances with stoppage wins over LyotoMachida and VitorBelfort, it looked like Chris Weidman (13-1) might be poised for a long run as the 185-pound champ. Luke Rockhold (15-2) was hearing none of that.
Their title fight at UC 194 was a close affair before Rockhold caught a lazy kick from Weidman, took him down and beat the stuffing out of him. Weidman‘s coach claimed his fighter came into the fight with a fractured foot. They’ll rematch at UFC 199 in June. Will a healthy Weidman turn the tables on Rockhold?
Official prediction: We don’t know if Weidman actually had a broken foot or not. If he did, that’s obviously a huge factor. Rockhold looks quite sinister between his stand up and ground game. We’ll go with the current champ but wouldn’t be surprised in the least if Weidman evens things up.
Light Heavyweight
Jon Jones (21-1) is officially back. And he thinks Daniel Cormier (17-1) has just been keeping his seat warm in his absence. Cormier is one of the best fighters in all of mixed martial arts. Unlucky for him he happens to compete in the same weight class as Jones.
Jones already holds a win over Cormier, and it’s hard to see a rematch going much differently. If anything it feels like a beefed up and totally focused Jones might actually get a finish over Cormier at UFC 197 in April.
If he gets his belt back, look for Jones to defend it against Anthony Johnson (21-5) in the second half of 2016. Johnson is an absolute terror in the striking department, but often fades as the fight goes on. He’ll have to T(KO) Jones in the first round to get the job done.
Official prediction: Jon Jones will be your light heavyweight champion until he decides to vacate it. He’ll eventually move up to heavyweight, and like ConorMcGregor, may try and keep his main belt while chasing after a second belt in a weight class up.
Heavyweight
Who could have predicted that at ripe old age of 38-years-old Fabricio Werdum (20-5-1) would be your UFC heavyweight champion? Just about no one is the correct answer. But Werdum had been coming into his own as a complete mixed martial artist over the last few years—all culminating in the fall of 2015 when he unseated long reigning champ Cain Velasquez (13-2) is dramatic fashion.
He was supposed to rematch Velasquez in February, but the perpetually injured former champ was forced to pull out and in stepped surging contender StipeMioic (14-2). Those two will do battle in May at UFC 198. That’ll mean there will likely be one more UFC heavyweight title fight in 2016.
Will Werdum look as good against Mioic as he did against Velasquez? Will the younger fighter be able to out-box and out-clinch the champ? If Werdum holds onto his belt he’ll likely either be facing the winner of Ben Rothwell vs. Junior dos Anjos or Alistair Overeem vs. Andrei Alrovski (those fights are scheduled for April and May respectively). If Overeem (40-14) is victorious look for him to get the call over the Rothwell-JDS winner. Werdum-Overeem would be a rematch of their 2011 fight in Strikeforce.
Official prediction: You never know when age will catch up with a fighter. Just ask Anderson Silva. Werdum is looking like a man possessed. So we’ll stick with him to finish out 2016 as champ.
Looking over our predictions, they’re not so bold. All told, we’re only predicting two new champs by the end of 2016: Rousey (woman’s bantamweight) and Nurmagomedov (lightweight). And those are shaky picks for obvious reasons (can Rousey get back to her previous form and can Nurmagomedov stay healthy).
Chances are we’re not predicting enough upsets though.
Weidman and Dillashaw could easily get his belt back. Mioic could prove to be stylistic kryptonite for a much older Werdum. Lawler and McGregor are certainly beatable fighters. Even Jedrzejczyk is vulnerable in her next match up. About the only two locks feel like Jones and Johnson but their both facing two of the top contenders in the sport.
If 2016 finishes up as chaotic as 2015/the first quarter of 2016, then MMA fans are in for a wild ride and the sport as a whole will most certainly be in the grips of it’s greatest parity to date.
2015 was a bad year to be a reigning UFC champion. 
