Predict the UFC champions at the end of 2023

[pistolpete11]

Better luck this year, everybody.

Click to read more...

 

[m9]

I need to give this some thought, but the first thing I see is that this is really tough this year. All of HW/LHW/MW/WW right at the top are difficult to figure out.

 

[I am not exposed]

I'll give it a go:

HW - Jones (if he actually fights). If not, Ngannou.
LHW - Ankalaev
MW - Adesanya. He finally beats Pereira and becomes somehow even more unbearable.
WW - Chimaev if he makes weight! If not, Usman.
LW - Makhachev
FW - Volkanovski (loses a tough close fight to Islam at lightweight but comes down and continues to dominate FW)
BW - Sterling
FW - Whoever wins Moreno vs. Fig part 118. Going for Fig.
WFW - Nunes (does this division even still exist?)
WBW - Nunes
WFW - Shevchenko
WSW - Andrade

 

[pistolpete11]

This year might be even worse. Feels like there is a lot of uncertainty.

HW : Who f***ing knows, man? Will Francis be back? Will Jones actually fight? If either of them win the belt in spring or so, will they fight again before the end of the year? Seems like another year where we only see 1 HW title fight. If they're both out of the picture, I feel like Gane, Stipe (if he ever fights again), Blaydes, and Pavlovich are all in the mix and it depends on matchup styles and timing. If I have to make a definitive pick, I'll say Francis....no, Gane.....wait.....Jones.....Francis, final answer.

LHW : What a mess, but with Jiri likely out most of the year and questionable if he'll be the same when he comes back, I think Ankalaev is the best of the bunch. So I'll say him.

MW : I'm gonna say Izzy. He was the better fighter through 4.5 rounds, but I'm also kind of hedging here. Even if Pereira beats him again, I still have questions about his wrestling if he were to face Whittaker, Brunson, Vettori, maybe Chimaev. So a rematch is a toss up to me, but I think Izzy has a better chance to hang on to the belt.

WW : Chimaev. I think the UFC will/should make him take 1 more fight to prove he can make weight no problem, but assuming he can, I think he's a nightmare matchup for everyone in the division.

LW : Islam. It's a lot of MMA Math, but he stomped Oliveira who finished most of the other top contenders and is the closest thing to Khabib who also finished a bunch of the top contenders. As usual, though, LW is full of hammers.

FW : I don't like Volk's chances against Islam, so I think he will come back to FW after that. I think he's on another level compared to the rest of the division, especially after what he did to Max, and will have something to prove if he loses to Islam.

BW : I'm gonna say Sterling. Sounds like Sterling-Cejudo is next. That's a close fight in my mind, but I lean Sterling. Then, I think they will have O'Malley sit out for the next shot and I think Sterling/Cejudo both beat him. Then just kind of banking on running out of time in 2023 because Yan is still a hammer, Chito is the real deal, Merab could be a problem for some of those guys, wouldn't totally count Sandhagen out.

FLW : Moreno? I doubted Fig due to his age last time, but eventually that's gotta be true, right? I think they've both showed they are a cut above the rest.

WFW : If there's still a division, Nunes.

WBW : There's only 1 fight that matters. Nunes-Valentina. I'm gonna say Valentina because I feel like win or lose, Nunes might retire. I think Valentina would at least stick around for a title defense or 2.

WFLW : Valentina. She might vacate if she goes back to BW, but I wouldn't have any idea who else to pick.

WSW : Weili. Other than the Rose fights (and I think there's a case she won the rematch), she's looked fantastic. She can do it all. She can thump, she's got submissions, she's strong as hell, she can go 5 rounds, she's a dog. What's her weakness?

 

[CDJ]

Pink Whitney influenced:

HW- Blaydes
LHW- Pereira KO’s Hill after Hill KO’s Glover
MW- Khamzat (if he can’t make WW, if he can he’s champ there instead and Izzy is champ at MW)
WW- Usman
LW- Islam
FW- Volk
BW- Vera out toughs everybody in the division
FlyW- God of War

WFW- Nunes
WBW- Nunes
WFW- Valentina (I think Blanchfield is the next champ though)
WSW- Weili zhang

 

[m9]

HW : When I really don't know what to do, I'm just going to go with the guy winning fights so my vote will be Sergei Pavlovich. Gane/Jones/Ngannou/Blaydes are probably all better answers, but I have no idea who is actually going to fight.

LHW : Going with Jiri here. My thought process would be that he comes back next summer/fall for a title fight and that's the final title of the year.

MW : Pereira. Not confident at all, but playing it a bit safe here.

WW : I look at this as if there will be two title fights next year and Usman is the only guy I feel confident will be in the 2nd fight. So, goign Usman.

LW : Islam.

FW : Volk.

BW : Sterling.

FLW : Throwing a flyer out here and going Alex Pantoja.

WFW : Nunes.

WBW : Nunes.

WFLW : Shevchenko.

WSW : Weili.

 

[pistolpete11]

Pink Whitney influenced:

HW- Blaydes
LHW- Pereira KO’s Hill after Hill KO’s Glover
MW- Khamzat (if he can’t make WW, if he can he’s champ there instead and Izzy is champ at MW)
WW- Usman
LW- Islam
FW- Volk
BW- Vera out toughs everybody in the division
FlyW- God of War

WFW- Nunes
WBW- Nunes
WFW- Valentina (I think Blanchfield is the next champ though)
WSW- Weili zhang

You think they'd give Pereira a LHW title shot so soon? I imagine he rematches Izzy, but even if he wins, there's so many fresh matchups for him at MW.

HW : When I really don't know what to do, I'm just going to go with the guy winning fights so my vote will be Sergei Pavlovich. Gane/Jones/Ngannou/Blaydes are probably all better answers, but I have no idea who is actually going to fight.

LHW : Going with Jiri here. My thought process would be that he comes back next summer/fall for a title fight and that's the final title of the year.

MW : Pereira. Not confident at all, but playing it a bit safe here.

WW : I look at this as if there will be two title fights next year and Usman is the only guy I feel confident will be in the 2nd fight. So, goign Usman.

LW : Islam.

FW : Volk.

BW : Sterling.

FLW : Throwing a flyer out here and going Alex Pantoja.

WFW : Nunes.

WBW : Nunes.

WFLW : Shevchenko.

WSW : Weili.

Pavlovich has made me a believer. I think he could beat anyone. I just question if he will be given a chance.

Didn't they say Jiri is out for a year?

 

[CDJ]

You think they'd give Pereira a LHW title shot so soon? I imagine he rematches Izzy, but even if he wins, there's so many fresh matchups for him at MW.


Pavlovich has made me a believer. I think he could beat anyone. I just question if he will be given a chance.

Didn't they say Jiri is out for a year?

I think the weight cut is brutal for him and I question how much longer he’s going to want to do it for- if he sees somebody spark his friend into retirement then I could see him going up to 205 and getting his revenge. Especially against a guy like Hill, where I think it’s a good matchup for him. Would be much easier on his body and without Glover or any comparable grappler in the division I could see him doing really well. He’d have to worry about Ankalaev’s wrestling (which is good but not great) at 205 and that’s about it.


Pavlovich is so long and has so much power, he can beat anybody on any night

 

[pistolpete11]

I think the weight cut is brutal for him and I question how much longer he’s going to want to do it for- if he sees somebody spark his friend into retirement then I could see him going up to 205 and getting his revenge. Especially against a guy like Hill, where I think it’s a good matchup for him. Would be much easier on his body and without Glover or any comparable grappler in the division I could see him doing really well. He’d have to worry about Ankalaev’s wrestling (which is good but not great) at 205 and that’s about it.


Pavlovich is so long and has so much power, he can beat anybody on any night

I'm not even considering how he'd do at LHW. I don't think he would be given a title shot any time soon. He's not a big enough star, his resume isn't long enough at MW, there'd be fresh matchups for him at MW, and there are fresh matchups at LHW, too.

I do think he could struggle at both LHW and MW, though, depending on matchups. He struggled with Izzy's wrestling who struggled with Jan's wrestling who struggled with Ankalaev's wrestling. In a kickboxing match? Yeah, he probably beats everybody with the possible exception of Izzy. But it is MMA.



Agree on Pavlovich, but again, there's a chance he doesn't even get into a title fight this year. I think ultimately, Francis re-signs and as part of that deal, fights Jones. Regardless of who wins, are they going to want their next fight to be Sergei Pavlovich? I think both would rather fight Stipe. Either it's another trilogy to determine the GHWOAT or it's GOAT vs. GHWOAT. Both Francis and Jones have their issues with pay as well, so they might not even fight again in 2023.

If Francis and Jones fall through, though, there is a path for him. Shit, he might even be put directly into the vacant title fight with Gane or something. I just think Francis will be back.

 

[m9]

Pavlovich has made me a believer. I think he could beat anyone. I just question if he will be given a chance.

Didn't they say Jiri is out for a year?

I don't think Jiri is out for a year. My path with this prediction would be either Jiri is ready to fight the Hill/Glover winner in the summer or if he's out longer then he'll be back for November/December. But, obviously a reach.

Agree on Pavlovich, but again, there's a chance he doesn't even get into a title fight this year. I think ultimately, Francis re-signs and as part of that deal, fights Jones. Regardless of who wins, are they going to want their next fight to be Sergei Pavlovich? I think both would rather fight Stipe. Either it's another trilogy to determine the GHWOAT or it's GOAT vs. GHWOAT. Both Francis and Jones have their issues with pay as well, so they might not even fight again in 2023.

If Francis and Jones fall through, though, there is a path for him. Shit, he might even be put directly into the vacant title fight with Gane or something. I just think Francis will be back.

I think it's a mess with Ngannou/Jones//Blaydes/Gane and Pavlovich is the guy on the outside.

The problem is at this point I can't bet on Jones actually fighting and other thing is I'm not really that confident in Jones. He was trending down at 205 and now has had this long of a layoff? There are enough questions there for me where I'm not going to pick him.

I'm not going with Ngannou simply because if he doesn't re-sign I don't want my pick killed off at the beginning of the year. If he was signed, he would be my pick. ,And alternatively, I'm not going Blaydes because if Ngannou does come back I don't think he gets a title shot. I think that's a bit true for Gane, too.

So I think we're left with scenarios where Pavlovich falls into a a title fight sooner than later. I don't really know how he does in that title fight, but who knows.

 

[pistolpete11]

I don't think Jiri is out for a year. My path with this prediction would be either Jiri is ready to fight the Hill/Glover winner in the summer or if he's out longer then he'll be back for November/December. But, obviously a reach.

UFC's Prochazka vacates light heavyweight title

UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka has vacated his 205-pound championship after suffering a severe shoulder injury, UFC president Dana White told ESPN on Wednesday.

www.espn.com

Prochazka said he will need surgery and will be out of action for at least six months, but his estimated timeframe for recovery is upward of one year.

So I guess 6-12 months is the official word. I probably heard someone say it was going to be a year because "it's the worst injury of its kind they've seen" or whatever the exact quote was.

I think it's a mess with Ngannou/Jones//Blaydes/Gane and Pavlovich is the guy on the outside.

The problem is at this point I can't bet on Jones actually fighting and other thing is I'm not really that confident in Jones. He was trending down at 205 and now has had this long of a layoff? There are enough questions there for me where I'm not going to pick him.

I'm not going with Ngannou simply because if he doesn't re-sign I don't want my pick killed off at the beginning of the year. If he was signed, he would be my pick. ,And alternatively, I'm not going Blaydes because if Ngannou does come back I don't think he gets a title shot. I think that's a bit true for Gane, too.

So I think we're left with scenarios where Pavlovich falls into a a title fight sooner than later. I don't really know how he does in that title fight, but who knows.

Yeah, there's a way it could break right for him.

I dunno. I've never really bought into the whole Francis-Fury stuff, though, so I expect Francis back.

 

[16Skippy]

HW: Big Francis. Just hope he doesn't f*** around with boxing.
LWH: Jiri but who knows how he'll look after his surgery.
MW: Bobby Knuckles. Rock paper scissors with him, Izzy, and Poatan
WW: Edwards. Really tempted to pick Chimiev but I'm not sure he can make weight consistently.
LW: Islam
FW: Topuria
BW: Yan. Two super close losses but he'll be back.
FLW: Moreno. Honestly toss up between him and Figgy.

WFW: cut
WBM: Nunes
WFLW: Santos
WSW: Weili

I'll give it a go:

HW - Jones (if he actually fights). If not, Ngannou.
LHW - Ankalaev
MW - Adesanya. He finally beats Pereira and becomes somehow even more unbearable.
WW - Chimaev if he makes weight! If not, Usman.
LW - Makhachev
FW - Volkanovski (loses a tough close fight to Islam at lightweight but comes down and continues to dominate FW)
BW - Sterling
FW - Whoever wins Moreno vs. Fig part 118. Going for Fig.
WFW - Nunes (does this division even still exist?)
WBW - Nunes
WFW - Shevchenko
WSW - Andrade

That's a good call but I don't know which weight class she wants to stick with.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

I couldn't be worse than last years predictions so here we go I'm just pulling these out of my you know what:

HW: Jones... no real thought process behind this one lol.
LHW: Ankalaev... if Jiri comes back this year I would say him but I do think Ankalaev is probably the best 205 guy out there. This is such a bad division.
MW: Whittaker... Pereira wins his rematch vs Izzy and Rob beats costa giving him a fall title shot and he takes it.
WW: Chimaev... I just wanted to pick him for one belt I don't know if he can make 170 consistently enough but whatever.
LW: Islam... I'm gonna be boring here and FW
FW: Volk
BW: Cejudo... this whole division is pretty tough to judge. I'm 50/50 on Aljo vs CCC I do think if Aljo does lose he's going to move up to 145.
FW: Moreno... I think him and figgy are the clear top dogs of the division... but then again how do I know they've only fought each other the last 2 years lol.

 

[CDJ]

3 fighters have 20+ UFC fights without being knocked down

1. Jon Jones (champion)
2. Max Holloway (champion)
3. ?



That ? Is in Rarified air. This is a guy built for main events and title fights too and he’s only just recently made it there to that level. Marlon Vera is flying under the radar and I believe he has the skillset to beat anybody in the bantamweight division in a 5 round fight. When the clock hits 12:00 AM on January 1st 2023 the year of his career will begin. He will defeat whoever he gets next and he will win the title this summer before losing it in 2024

 

[Taytro]

I'll throw my hat into the ring since I didn't participate last year. Please note it's 5am and I generally just enjoy chaos. I know there won't be as many belts changing hands as I predict but that's kind of the fun of it. Also how did making safe bets work out for everyone in 2022?

HW - Gane - I think he learns from his mistakes and is a little bit more offensive in his next fight with Francis.

LHW - Ankalaev - Time permitting he dominates Hill/Glover and gets a Jiri matchup in December 2023.

MW - Whittaker - He deserves it. That's all.

WW - COLBY CHAOS COVINGTON - I think he beats Leon but his activity level is what will cause him problems. 5 people will get a title shot before Colby's next fight. Also Chimaev gets hospitalized on his nest WW weight cut, so he isn't in the convo here.

LW - Volk!!! - Only guy I can reasonably see beating Islam. Volk has out toughed everyone in that division. Until someone shows me that they can beat him, I've gotta take Volk. I think his compact build and strength will help him a ton in the grappling vs Islam.

FW - Arnold Allen - Regardless of the Volk/Islam outcome, I don't see Volk getting back to FW in 2023. Emmett beats Yair, Allen beats Emmett. Holloway beats Allen ... In 2024. Can't wait for the day when I can put Topuria here.

BW - Chito - he's just a dog but will eventually get lay n prayed by someone (Merab). Hopefully not before he gets a belt.

FW - Ooo Pantoja? Moreno beats Figgy, Pantoja has beaten Moreno, so maybe he'll do it again.

WFW - N/A - Abolish this useless division please.

WBW - Ketlen Viera? I don't think she is that good but she beats Pennington then gets a fight for the vacant belt when Nunes retires.

WFW - Shevchenko obviously. If she retires or moves up then Blanchfield has this division for a long time.

WSW - Weili - The only person who has her number is Rose and I don't know if they do a third fight. Especially with Rose only fighting once a year now.

 

[MMC]

HW: Pavlovich
LHW: Prochazka
MW: Adesanya
WW: Usman
LW: Makhachev
FW: Volkanovski
BW: Vera
FLW: Figueriedo
WFW: Nunes
WBW: Nunes
WFLW: Shevchenko
WSW: Weili

 

[m9]

Wanted to re-visit this one a few months in. Already see some that aren't going to happen..

HW : When I really don't know what to do, I'm just going to go with the guy winning fights so my vote will be Sergei Pavlovich. Gane/Jones/Ngannou/Blaydes are probably all better answers, but I have no idea who is actually going to fight.

Pavlovich is unlikely. There's a remote path where Jones retires and maybe Pavlovich beats someone for a title later this year. I do feel fine with this pick though, might just get a bit unlucky or a bit early.

LHW : Going with Jiri here. My thought process would be that he comes back next summer/fall for a title fight and that's the final title of the year.

This one seems on track, though honestly with how good Hill has looked recently I will probably pick Hill to beat Jiri.

MW : Pereira. Not confident at all, but playing it a bit safe here.

WW : I look at this as if there will be two title fights next year and Usman is the only guy I feel confident will be in the 2nd fight. So, goign Usman.

Wrong and wrong.

LW : Islam.

FW : Volk.

BW : Sterling.

So far, so good.

FLW : Throwing a flyer out here and going Alex Pantoja.

I mean, we got a title shot here so who knows?

WFW : Nunes.

WBW : Nunes.

Who cares?

WFLW : Shevchenko.

Guessing we'll see a rematch, but either way I did not see her losing even once.

WSW : Weili.

Can't lose if you don't fight.

 

[pistolpete11]

HW: Francis - Welp...
LHW: Ankalaev - Probably not possible with how slow this division is moving.
MW: Izzy - Feel pretty good about this one now that he got past Pereira.
WW: Chimaev - Can't be champ if you can't make weight.
LW: Islam - Feel pretty good about this one.
FW: Volk - Feel pretty good about this one.
BW: Sterling - Feel pretty good about this one.
FLW: Moreno - Feel pretty good about this one now that he got past Fig.
WFW: Who cares
WBW: Valentina - Won't get the shot now that she lost to Grasso.
WFLW: Valentina - I gave Grasso a shot in the first one. She got it done and looked better than I think a lot of people were expecting, but Valentina was still on her way to winning that fight before the sub. I think she'll win the rematch, but I don't feel super confident. Could be Edwards-Usman all over again.
WSW: Weili - Feel pretty good about this one, although Yan did impress against Andrade.

 

[CDJ]

Lol I said Blaydes

 

[pistolpete11]

Bump, since @I am not exposed mentioned it in another thread.

I got Islam, Volk, and Weili.

If I'm being generous to myself, 0.5 point for Francis since he never lost and 0.5 point for Nunes at 145lb.

 

[m9]

Islam, Volk, Weili locked in.

Pantoja winning would keep me at 4.

Had Jiri at LHW, so came close there as he got in the title fight at the end of the year. Have Pereira as a champ.. but not at the right division.

 

[CDJ]

Had Pereira, Islam, Volk, Weili accurate with Vera fighting for a belt soon

Blaydes by far my worst pick, still can’t get over how bad he looked in his last fight

 

[Taytro]

I'll throw my hat into the ring since I didn't participate last year. Please note it's 5am and I generally just enjoy chaos. I know there won't be as many belts changing hands as I predict but that's kind of the fun of it. Also how did making safe bets work out for everyone in 2022?

HW - Gane - I think he learns from his mistakes and is a little bit more offensive in his next fight with Francis.

LHW - Ankalaev - Time permitting he dominates Hill/Glover and gets a Jiri matchup in December 2023.

MW - Whittaker - He deserves it. That's all.

WW - COLBY CHAOS COVINGTON - I think he beats Leon but his activity level is what will cause him problems. 5 people will get a title shot before Colby's next fight. Also Chimaev gets hospitalized on his nest WW weight cut, so he isn't in the convo here.

LW - Volk!!! - Only guy I can reasonably see beating Islam. Volk has out toughed everyone in that division. Until someone shows me that they can beat him, I've gotta take Volk. I think his compact build and strength will help him a ton in the grappling vs Islam.

FW - Arnold Allen - Regardless of the Volk/Islam outcome, I don't see Volk getting back to FW in 2023. Emmett beats Yair, Allen beats Emmett. Holloway beats Allen ... In 2024. Can't wait for the day when I can put Topuria here.

BW - Chito - he's just a dog but will eventually get lay n prayed by someone (Merab). Hopefully not before he gets a belt.

FW - Ooo Pantoja? Moreno beats Figgy, Pantoja has beaten Moreno, so maybe he'll do it again.

WFW - N/A - Abolish this useless division please.

WBW - Ketlen Viera? I don't think she is that good but she beats Pennington then gets a fight for the vacant belt when Nunes retires.

WFW - Shevchenko obviously. If she retires or moves up then Blanchfield has this division for a long time.

WSW - Weili - The only person who has her number is Rose and I don't know if they do a third fight. Especially with Rose only fighting once a year now.

Yikes, I was maybe a little too adventurous here. I got FW and WSW, and I guess technically women's Featherweight but took to many wild guesses. I'll be more chill this year.

 

[16Skippy]

HW: Big Francis. Just hope he doesn't f*** around with boxing. - he f***ed around but it's working out
LWH: Jiri but who knows how he'll look after his surgery. - fail
MW: Bobby Knuckles. Rock paper scissors with him, Izzy, and Poatan - epic fail
WW: Edwards. Really tempted to pick Chimiev but I'm not sure he can make weight consistently. - yay
LW: Islam - yay
FW: Topuria - off by a few months
BW: Yan. Two super close losses but he'll be back. - fail
FLW: Moreno. Honestly toss up between him and Figgy. - epic fail. Pantoja was barely on my radar

WFW: cut - lol
WBM: Nunes - failish?
WFLW: Santos - fail
WSW: Weili - yay

So I guess I just got the obvious ones lol