Predicting Each UFC Champion By The End Of 2017

Mixed martial arts (MMA) is highly unpredictable and championship level MMA shares this sentiment. Simply put, anything can happen in a fight and we learned that throughout 2016, especially in the UFC, the world’s largest mixed martial arts promotion. Specifically regarding title fights, we saw 10 new champions crowned in the UFC last year and

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Mixed martial arts (MMA) is highly unpredictable and championship level MMA shares this sentiment. Simply put, anything can happen in a fight and we learned that throughout 2016, especially in the UFC, the world’s largest mixed martial arts promotion.

Specifically regarding title fights, we saw 10 new champions crowned in the UFC last year and that’s not including the crowning of two interim titleholders. We have seen titles tossed around like hot potatoes and fighters that we never expected to reach the pinnacle with belts around their waists.

It’s certainly an interesting time in the sport of mixed martial arts and 2017 could potentially bring more of the same as the sport continues to evolve and the competition continues to elevate.

With that being said, take a look at who we predicted to be wearing each UFC title by the end of the year below:

Joanna Champ

Women’s Strawweight: Joanna Jedrzejczyk

Reigning UFC women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk has formed a tight grip on the 115-pound division and in the process she has become one of the promotion’s most dominant champions. The Polish striker has defended her title four consecutive times over the likes of Jessica Penne, Valerie Letourneau, Claudia Gadelha and Karolina Kowalkiewicz, which is second most only behind longtime flyweight king Demetrious Johnson.

While Jedrzejczyk did face some adversity in her most recent fight against Kowalkiewicz at Nov. 12, 2016’s UFC 205, she has been relatively dominant throughout her title reign and she has appeared to improve each and every time out. She doesn’t have her next fight scheduled as of now, but I expect her to continue to improve on her dangerous skill set and end off 2017 with the strap still around her waist.

The post Predicting Each UFC Champion By The End Of 2017 appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Check Out Fuel TV’s First Original Series ‘UFC Champion’s Roundtable’

(Video courtesy of IronForgesIron)

When FUEL TV stated that it will be dedicating a lion’s share of its programming to UFC-related shows as a result of its parent company Fox’s new multi-year contract with the promotion, most of us wondered what the quality of said shows would be like.

If this UFC Champions Roundtable special is any indication, it’s going to be pretty decent.

Hosted by Jay Glazer, the half-hour program that debuted during FUEL’s 24-hour New Year’s UFC marathon, featured a handful of UFC champs — past and present — who reflected on the early days in the sport and how far it’s come since Bonnar fought Griffin on SPIKE TV back in 2006.

Some highlights after the jump.


(Video courtesy of IronForgesIron)

When FUEL TV stated that it will be dedicating a lion’s share of its programming to UFC-related shows as a result of its parent company Fox’s new multi-year contract with the promotion, most of us wondered what the quality of said shows would be like.

If this UFC Champion’s Roundtable special is any indication, it’s going to be pretty decent.

Hosted by Jay Glazer, the half-hour program that debuted during FUEL’s 24-hour New Year’s UFC marathon, featured a handful of UFC champs — past and present — who reflected on the early days in the sport and how far it’s come since Bonnar fought Griffin on SPIKE TV back in 2006.

Some highlights:

• Before TUF Chuck Liddell was barely recognized while he was out

• Forrest Griffin thought UFC was stupid when he first watched it

Frank Mir still had to work full time when he was a UFC champ for the first time

• Jon Jones points to Chuck as one of the fighters who influenced him to fight

• Chuck explains that being a fighter also means changing your sleep schedule to have you at your peak come fight time at 10:00 pm

• Mir criticizes every performance including his title wins

• Chuck called everyone who helped him when he won the strap from high school wrestling coaches and youth karate coaches to family members