3 MMA storylines to look forward to in 2016
2015 was a landmark year in MMA. We saw the rise of new stars and bid farewell to legends. With all the ups, downs and drama in between.With the historic nature of 2015 and the plethora of story lines to come out of it, the momentum going into 2016 is unprecedented. There has never been more buzz around the sport. There has never been more excitement surrounding fights.This truly is the best time MMA has ever experienced in its relatively short history. The fights are better, the technique is better, the promoting is better and even the overall coverage is better.So as we approach the second card of the calendar year, we look at the top 3 story lines to look forward to in 2016.
#1 McGregor and Jones Two weight champions
The newly crowned featherweight champion, Conor McGregor; and the returning former light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones are two of the most intriguing men in MMA.
Whatever they do attracts the glare of the watching world. Whatever they say finds a media amplifier ready to fill column inches and spike website traffic. McGregor and Jones will be two of the most watched fighters in 2016.
McGregor is set to face Rafael Dos Anjos, the 155 lbs champion at UFC 197. This will be the first time since BJ Penn fought Georges St. Pierre that a reigning champion has gone up in weight class to fight for a title. Penn was easily defeated by St. Pierre on that occasion which means McGregor stands on the cusp of history.
Win at UFC 197 and become the first ever dual weight UFC champion – a task easier said than done.
Rafael Dos Anjos is no push over. His dominant victories over Anthony Pettis and Donald Cerrone point to him being McGregor’s biggest test to date. However, just the spectacle of watching McGregor challenging for the lightweight championship will be something to watch out for.
McGregor however, may not be the only one to attempt to hold 2 UFC belts at the same time this year. With the imminent return of Jon Jones, the prospect of a single man ruling over both the light heavyweight division and the heavyweight division is a real and credible possibility. Given the amount of time Jones has been spending in the weight room to bulk up, a trip to heavyweight seems to be in his future.
In an interview with Ariel Helwani, Jones stated that he will be moving up to heavyweight. However, he has a stop to make at light heavyweight before that to reclaim the belt he never lost and challenge his great rival Daniel Cormier. Should Jones beat Cormier, he could very well push on and face the heavyweight champion.