I'm gonna try to predict the next UFC Champ in every weight class. No pick for W FW because obvious. Organized by level of confidence.
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1
- Weili Zhang
- "Magnum"
- 25-3-0
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Lock. Will be interesting to see if Rose/Marina/anyone else can beat her.
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2
- Erin Blanchfield
- "Cold Blooded"
- 12-2-0
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Gonna take a grappler to beat Valentina. Fiorot and O'Neill are also live if the belt becomes available through Valentina retiring.
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3
- Ciryl Gane
- "Bon Gamin"
- 12-2-0
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Near lock.
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4
- Alex Pereira
- "Poatan"
- 10-2-0
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Going for three-peat.
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5
- Mateusz Gamrot
- "Gamer"
- 24-2-0, 1 NC
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I consider Oliveira the current champ, so I went with Gamrot because I think he might be the best grappler in the divison. Needs to work on striking though. Honestly, take your pick at Lightweight
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6
- Magomed Ankalaev
- 19-1-1, 1 NC
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Dagestan.
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7
- Alexandre Pantoja
- "The Cannibal"
- 28-5-0
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Either him or Moreno.
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8
- Khamzat Chimaev
- "Borz"
- 13-0-0
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Got Leon in the rubber match. Then either Borz or Nomad. I think Nomad beats Borz in a head-to-head, but we're at least a year and a half out from that (if not much longer).
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9
- Petr Yan
- "No Mercy"
- 17-5-0
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Either him or Chito Vera.
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10
- Ilia Topuria
- "El Matador"
- 15-0-0
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Volk will hold onto this belt for a while.
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11
- Ketlen Vieira
- "Fenômeno" | 14-3-0
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Doubt she'll beat Nunes but she can grab it afterwards. Aldana also has a shot. Holm and Pennington are too old.
My Summary