2022 was a big year for the UFC. The premiere mixed martial arts organization crowned seven new champions in the past 12 months and there are still a whole lot of challengers waiting in the wings. Predicting the UFC is a bit of a fool’s errand, but it sure is fun to try. With that being said, I’m going to make some picks for who I think will hold the championships at the end of 2023.
With things like injuries and interim championships, it can be difficult to keep track of these kinds of things. For example, the Light Heavyweight championship is currently vacant due to an injury to the former champ and a draw in a recent championship fight. On that note, let’s see how close we can get.
Flyweight
Deiveson Figueiredo
Figueiredo is lined up for a historic fourth showdown against his rival Brandon Moreno to hopefully finally determine which of the two belongs at the top of this division. Their previous three fights have been instant classics and the fourth is sure to follow suit, but I’ve got Figueiredo coming out on top. With that fight taking place in January, it’s possible Figueiredo will have to defend his championship two more times to end the year with his title, It’s rare however that a title will be defended three times in a single year, so with a win against Moreno, he could be just one more win away from making this prediction a reality. Easier said than done.
Current champion: Deiveson Figuiredo
Other fighters to watch: Alexandre Pantoja, Ka Kara-France
Bantamweight
Sean O’Malley
It’s time. O’Malley has been a fast-rising star who has gained a lot of fans quickly, but 2023 may just be the year he finally makes the jump. Coming off of a big win over Petr Yan back in October, O’Malley is poised to be next in line for a championship opportunity and given the timeline, a win there might be all it takes to make him the champ at the end of the year. There’s plenty of talent in this division but they may not get a shot in 2023. As for capturing the title, O’Malley can outstrike anyone in the sport, he’ll just need to make sure current champion Aljamain Sterling can’t get a hold of him.
Current champion: Aljamain Sterling
Other fighters to watch: Petr Yan, Marlon Vera, Cory Sandhagen
Featherweight
Alexander Volkanovski
2023 is going to open up with a huge opportunity for Volkanovski to become a two-division champion in a showdown with lightweight champ Islam Makhachev. While I’ll hold my prediction for that fight until the next section, I will say that I feel pretty confident Volk with end 2023 still holding the Featherweight title. He has cleaned out the division over the past few years and while there are a few interesting new challengers out there, they’re likely still a year or so out from being championship ready. Volk is an incredible striker and a very difficult puzzle for anyone to solve, hence his top pound-for-pound ranking.
Current champion: Alexander Volkanovski
Other fighters to watch: Yair Rodriguez, Illia Topuria
Lightweight
Islam Makhachev
Every nice thing I just said about Volk goes out the window when he faces a fighter as big and strong as Makhachev. Even if Volk is a far more talented fighter, which I do believe he is, the sheer strength of Makhachev and the size advantage are enough for him to retain his championship. Once he gets through that challenge, there’s no reason to think he’s going to drop the title to anyone in the lightweight division so quickly. He just climbed his way up the rankings, making short work out of just about everyone in the class. Perhaps a new challenge will arise in the future, but I wouldn’t bet on it happening in 2023.
Current champion: Islam Makhachev
Other fighters to watch: Charles Oliveira, Beneil Dariush
Welterweight
Kamaru Usman
It was a great story. In the closing seconds of what looked like yet another dominant decision victory for Usman, Leon Edwards landed a head kick that shocked the world and instantly became one of the greatest knockouts in UFC history. After all that though, it’s tough not to look back at the fact that Usman dominated that fight for about 24 minutes. While it’s not yet officially on the books, given Usman’s long reign of dominance, it seems like a sure thing he will get an immediate rematch. He likely won’t make the same mistake twice and while Edwards is an incredibly talented fighter, it’s hard to see him winning this rematch.
Current champion: Leon Edwards
Other fighters to watch: Khamzat Chimaev, Belal Muhammad
Middleweight
Israel Adesanya
Speaking of championship rematches, Adesanya is also likely to get one. Alex Pereira did it again, knocking out the former champ for a second time. It was a similar situation though. Adesanya was winning the fight until he got caught in the fifth round. Pereira is a power puncher but Adesanya is the morse skilled striker. If he gets his rematch, which seems likely, he’s sill going to have to avoid the power of Pereira for 25 minutes. That’s not an easy task, but Adesanya is obviously a very skilled fighter. And if he’s able to get the belt back, he’s already cleaned out the division.
There won’t be many interesting challenges for him out there.
Current champion: Alex Pereira
Other fighters to watch: Robert Whittaker
Light Heavyweight
Jiri Prochazka
This is by far the trickiest division. The Light Heavyweight championship currently sits vacant after Prochazka relinquished it due to an injury. Magomed Ankalaev and Jan Blachowicz then fought to a draw in their championship fight. Two more fighters will try to take the crown when Glover Teixeira and Jamahal Hill meet in January. Any one of those four could hold the title in 2023 but one way or another, this road leads to Prochazka. I may just be playing the odds here, but Prochazka is a very talented fighter and he should be getting a title shot in the next year, perhaps the last one. That makes him the smart bet.
Current champion: Vacant
Other fighters to watch: Glover Teixeira, Magomed Ankalaev, Jan Blachowicz, Jamahal Hill
Heavyweight
Cyril Gane
This one is tricky as well. Francis Ngannou is a great champion but he’s been battling injuries. He hasn’t fought since January and still doesn’t have a fight on the books right now, so it seems very possible we will get an interim champion at some point. Gane has proven that he can beat everyone in this division, except for Ngannou. If the champ is out of the picture, Gane is the logical next man up. His combination of strength and athleticism makes him a tough challenge for anyone and while there is no shortage of knockout artists in this class, Gane is great at fighting safe. At the very least, he’s going to be in the mix at the end of the year.
Current champion: Francis Ngannou
Other fighters to watch: Sergei Pavlovich, Stipe Miocic
Women’s Strawweight
Rose Namajunas
This division has been wild in the past couple of years. Current champ Zhang Weili looked poised to be a dominant champ for a long time before Namajunas took the title from her and then successfully defended it. Namajunas then dropped the title in a split decision loss to Carla Esparza, who went on to lose to Zhang back in November. If that pattern continues, Namajunas could be the next champion. Zhang looked improved in her last fight, which is a scary thought for everyone else in this division. However, there’s no reason to think Namajunas won’t also look even better her next time out. And if that’s the case, this should be a lot of fun.
Current champion: Zhang Weili
Other fighters to watch: Amanda Lemos, Virna Jandiroba, Angela Hill
Women’s Flyweight
Valentina Shevchenko
I’m not sure I even need to make a case for this one son instead I’ll just list off a few reasons Shevchenko is great. She has been the Women’s Flyweight champ since 2018. Since winning the title, she has successfully defended it seven times, knocking out four of those opponents. Every time a fighter in this class seems to cath fire and appear worthy of the title, she shuts them down emphatically. Her last outing against Taila Santos was her closest fight in five years, but she still managed to take a split decision. Short of Shevchenko retiring, there’s not reason to think she won’t still be the champion at the end of next year.
Current champion: Valentina Shevchenko
Other fighters to watch: Manun Fiorot, Taila Santos
Women’s Bantamweight
Amanda Nunes
Take all of those things I said about Shevchenko and now consider that Nunes has beaten her, twice. Few fighters have ever been as dominant as Nunes. Yes, Julianna Pena shocked the world in 2021 and took the belt, but Nunes came back stronger than ever (which seems impossible) and dominated Pena to recapture her crown. Prior to that loss, Nunes had won 12 in a row and hadn’t lost since 2014. She is simply in another class. Maybe Pena gets another shot but she won;t surprise her this time. Holly Holm is a prolific striker who can knock anyone out but she’s already fallen short against Nunes. If there is a challenger out there, she hasn’t shown herself yet.
Current champion: Amanda Nunes
Other fighters to watch: Julianna Pena, Holly Holm
One way or another, 2023 is sure to be another exciting year for the UFC and fight fans will be able to watch it all on ESPN+.