5 fighters who could end 2018 with a UFC title and 5 who won't
With 2017 now over and the first UFC show of 2018 in the books, it’s time to get the crystal ball out and try to look into the future and work out who might end the year with UFC gold – and who certainly won’t be holding a title when 2018 ends.
2017 saw a total of ten title changes in the UFC – counting interim title wins and Jon Jones’s now discredited victory over Daniel Cormier – and with a total of twelve UFC titles now up for grabs (not counting interim belts), 2018 could even see more.
Here, then, are five fighters who could end 2018 with a UFC title around their waist – and five fighters who most likely won’t.
Could end 2018 with a title: Francis Ngannou
Francis Ngannou has looked like a future UFC Heavyweight champion since his Octagon debut back in 2015. While he was taken down in that fight by Luis Henrique, it’s about the only time he’s looked vulnerable in his UFC career thus far.
Since then, he’s destroyed five different opponents – including legends Andrei Arlovski and Alistair Overeem – and will receive his title shot this weekend at UFC 220.
Can he beat champion Stipe Miocic? I think it’s almost a given. Miocic is a tremendous boxer but he doesn’t hit with nearly the same power as Ngannou, and I believe the Cameroonian fighter is the quicker man, too.
Miocic could attempt to fall back on his strong wrestling game, but we already saw Ngannou destroy a great wrestler in the form of Curtis Blaydes, and that was five fights ago.
If Ngannou does indeed dethrone Miocic, then I simply don’t see another Heavyweight having enough to bother him for some time – so he’ll be holding the title for a while, at least into 2019. He’s already beaten one top contender in Alistair Overeem and I highly doubt the likes of Fabricio Werdum or Mark Hunt would have much for him either.