We’ve passed the halfway mark of 2018, and several fighters in the UFC have set themselves apart. Defeating a top-ranked contender in any of the promotion’s divisions is a great way to get some spotlight. Doing so in highlight fashion? Even better.

This year, we’ve been treated to more than a few incredible bouts and fantastic finishes. We’ve also trudged through some boring fights. But stuff like the dolly-related, trip-related, and WWE-related drama we’ve been enjoying will always keep the world of MMA fresh.

In staying fresh, MMA waits for nobody. If you’re not rising up the ranks, you’re likely falling away from the title-picture. Unless you’re Brock Lesnar, Georges St. Pierre, or another big name with similar drawing power, winning fights is the best way to earn the kind of paycheck every fighter wants. In recent years, the likes of Cody Garbrandt, Volkan Oezdemir, and Darren Till have shown what consistently winning high-profile fights over a 12-month span can do for a fighter.

It sounds, and is, obvious. But it’s easier said than done. These five fighters are impressing more than any other in the promotion. With half of 2018 still remaining, there’s plenty of time for fighters to join this group, or for this group to set themselves apart even more.

Daniel Cormier (2-0) – Heavyweight & Light Heavyweight Champion

This was an easy first pick. The second-ever “Champ Champ” in the UFC, Daniel Cormier is an all-time great. It’s safe to say he’s, once again, successfully bounced back from a defeat* at the hands of Jon Jones. There were a lot of questions regarding D.C.’s future last summer following UFC 214. They’ve been answered.

With wins over Volkan Oezdemir at light heavyweight and Stipe Miocic at heavyweight, Cormier is the only fighter in the promotion with two title-wins in 2018. Oezdemir was riding a five fight winning streak going into his bout with Cormier, while Miocic had won his previous six fights ahead of UFC 226. Now, things get tricky for the two-division champion.

Following his victory over Miocic, former UFC heavyweight title-holder and current WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar made his way into the Octagon. It certainly looks like he’ll be Cormier’s next opponent, but that won’t come until 2019. So, what does he do until then?

There’s whatever is left of the light heavyweight bouts coming up over the next month or so. The top-two ranked light heavyweights outside of the champ are fighting at UFC 227. The winner of that bout between Alexander Gustafsson and Oezdemir will be in pole position to be Cormier’s next opponent at 205-pounds, should he compete at that weight again. There’s also Shogun Rua, whom D.C. has mentioned, but we’d rather not think about how sad that matchup would be in 2018.

Cormier has options, and they’re well deserved. He’s one of the greatest fighters in MMA history, and while he’s already had a great 2018, it’ll likely get better by the end of the year.

Israel Adesanya (3-0) – #9 Middleweight

Arguably the hottest prospect in the UFC, Israel Adesanya has already racked up three wins since joining the promotion this year. The 28-year-old holds an undefeated 14-0 record in MMA, and has continued to impress throughout his career. He looked as good as he ever has in his most recent bout. Adesanya was cool and confident in his five-round unanimous decision win over the formerly top-10 ranked Brad Tavares.

Now that he himself is ranked in the top-10, he’s due for another ranked opponent. A break might be in order as well, considering he’s fought five times in the last 12-months. Even with just one more win this year, Adesanya will be in the title-picture heading into 2019.

It now looks like UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker’s next title-defense won’t come until 2019 anyway. We already know that defense will come against Kelvin Gastelum, which says something about the depth at the top of the 185-pound division. The weight class might be losing the likes of Yoel Romero and Luke Rockhold sooner rather than later, leaving an even bigger hole in the title picture.

Insert: Israel Adesanya. The promotion is obviously a fan of “The Stylebender”, given his card placement since joining the UFC, and so are we. Along with the aforementioned Gastelum and Brazilian Paulo Costa, we could see a few fresh faces competing for UFC middleweight gold next year.

Curtis Blaydes (2-0) – #3 Heavyweight

It’s hard to have two better wins this year than Cormier, but heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes is damn close. The 27-year-old has already racked up victories over Mark Hunt and Alistair Overeem in 2018. He also defeated Oleksiy Oliynyk last November at UFC 217.

Blaydes feels like he’s earned a title shot. Especially given the current landscape of the heavyweight division. Considering what happened following Cormier’s victory over Stipe Miocic, the promotion disagrees. It’s hard to argue with Blaydes’ credentials. He’s 10-1 (1) in his four-plus year professional career. Blaydes’ lone loss came to Francis Ngannou in April of 2016, in his UFC debut.

The Illinois-native has a record of 5-0 (1) since that loss, and currently sits behind Miocic and Derrick Lewis in the official “super legitimate and not at all stupid” UFC heavyweight rankings. Along with Ngannou and Alexander Volkov, Cormier has plenty of challengers waiting in the wings.

That includes Brock Lesnar, apparently. And maybe Jon Jones too, sometime.

It’s a bummer for Blaydes, who might be Cormier’s toughest currently not-suspended-by-USADA matchup. He’ll likely need another win, or maybe two, in order to get his shot at the title. Even so, out of all of the heavyweights in the title-picture, we’ll take Blaydes to come out on top and earn his shot at the heavyweight title next year.

Brian Ortega (1-0) – #1 Featherweight

In a timeline not too far from ours, Brian Ortega is the UFC featherweight champion. Unfortunately for our Brian Ortega, the opportunity to turn that into our reality will have to wait. Title-holder Max Holloway was pulled from his second consecutive title-defense ahead of UFC 226, putting plans for the Hawaiian to defend his belt against Ortega on hold.

Rather than face a different opponent on short notice, Ortega is opting for the patient route. He’s earned his shot. Knocking-out the legendary Frankie Edgar at UFC 222, Ortega silenced the last of his doubters. With a win in his next bout, whenever that is, the undefeated 27-year-old will be among the top pound-for-pound fighters in the promotion.

Ortega’s quick rise into the 145-pound title picture isn’t too dissimilar from recent runs from the likes of Volkan Oezdemir and Cody Garbrandt. Like those before him, Ortega will get a shot at the belt, and it will probably be in 2018. Whether it’s against Holloway or not remains to be seen. Regardless, Ortega’s current run is one of the best in MMA, and it may not end for some time.

Jeremy Stephens (2-0) – #4 Featherweight

Securing two solid wins in the first two months of the year, Jeremy Stephens is knocking on the door of the UFC featherweight title. Currently ranked in the top-five, Stephens has his toughest matchup of 2018 later this month. Fighting Jose Aldo in the co-main event of UFC Calgary, Stephens has a prime opportunity to insert himself into the featherweight title picture.

While Stephens’ UFC career has been somewhat inconsistent, he’s on a great run right now. He’s won his last three bouts and earned performance bonuses in each of those fights. He’s fought the best of the best at 145-pounds over the years, and adding Aldo to the list feels long overdue. With a win over Aldo, Stephens places himself firmly in the driver’s seat for a shot at the winner of Holloway-Ortega. Whenever that (hopefully) takes place.

Stephens isn’t a huge name. But the 32-year-old has been in the UFC since 2007, and has plenty of highlights in that time. The promotion has featured him on a dozen PPV events. while having him headline four UFC Fight Night events, including his last two bouts.

He’s always been on the outside looking in when it comes to competing for UFC gold. By picking up his third win of the year in Calgary against Aldo, Stephens will undoubtedly secure his first career UFC title shot.

Let us know who you think the most impressive fighters in the UFC have been in 2018! These five fighters have done well this year, and there’s plenty of time for others to make their mark. Comment below, on Facebook, or reply on Twitter!

The post UFC: The Five Most Impressive Fighters of 2018 (Thus Far) appeared first on Cageside Press.

Due to injuries, bad weight cuts, and more, the year has had a start-and-stop feel to the title races in many of the promotion’s divisions. We’ve still had several title-fights, but haven’t seen any UFC championships change hands yet this year. That is likely to change at some point in 2018.

Despite the messy matchmaking, we’ve been treated to some impressive performances, fun matchups, and even some dolly-drama that still boggles the mind. Given the less-than-straightforward action atop many of the UFC’s weight classes thus far this year, what do we have to look forward to the rest of 2018?

We decided to take a look at the title races in each and every division in the promotion, and where they could be headed during the next six months. We’ll have four parts, with a few weight classes featured in each part. For our final report, we’re breaking down all three of the women’s divisions in the promotion. Don’t miss parts one, two, and three!

Strawweight: The Rise of Rose

Not many people believed Rose Namajunas would defeat Joanna Jedrzejczyk for the strawweight title at UFC 217. Who thought she’d be able to do it twice in less than six months? The second performance, in some ways, was even more impressive than the first.

Now, she’ll have to defend the belt against another of the talented contenders in the loaded 115-pound division. With JJ out of the title picture for the immediate future, there’s a couple of options the promotion look to. But one opponent makes more sense than the rest: Jessica Andrade.

The former bantamweight has been incredible since moving to strawweight. Andrade is 5-1 fighting at 115-pounds, with the lone loss coming to Jedrzejczyk at UFC 211 last May. Since that bout, the Brazilian has gone 2-0, earning wins over Claudia Gadelha and Tecia Torres. It’s hard to have two more impressive victories (unless you’re Namajunas) in the strawweight division.

If Dana White and co. are asking us, we’re booking Namajunas-Andrade before the end of the year. The promotion may not have to rush it though, as Namajunas is apparently wanting to take some time off due to an accumulation of injuries. If Andrade ends up not being available, the winner of the upcoming bout between Jedrzejczyk and Torres at UFC Calgary in July could be an option.

Do we need Rose-JJ 3 in 2018? Probably not. Is Rose-Torres 3 likely in 2018? Probably not. But if Jedrzejczyk decides to put-off the move to flyweight, and can get back on track, it may not be long before she’s back competing for the strawweight belt. And if Torres can rebound from her loss to Andrade in quick fashion, she’ll stay in the conversation as well.

There’s also Karolina Kowalkiewicz, the only person to defeat Namajunas in the last three-plus years. She’s bounced back from back-to-back losses to Jedrzejczyk and Gadelha with back-to-back wins. Kowalkiewicz probably needs another top-tier victory at strawweight to secure a title shot. It appears the UFC agrees, as they’re reportedly looking to book Kowalkiewicz against Andrade this summer. Her previous victory over Rose gives her something other contenders don’t have, though.

One former title challenger who will likely be on the shelf for an extended period of time is Gadelha. Coming off of her victory over Carla Esparza at UFC 225, Gadelha is headed for knee surgery.

You can mix-and-match any of the top contenders in the strawweight division and find an intriguing match-up with ease. With a fresh champion and an abundance of title-worthy resumés, the future of the 115-pound weight class is in good shape.

Flyweight: Sheva’s Going to Get Her Shot (Eventually)

Although the division is less than a year old, and patience is key, it’s hard to not be disappointed in the start the flyweight division has been off to. We’re still waiting for inaugural champion Nicco Montano’s first title defense, but might not have to wait too much longer.

Former bantamweight title-contender Valentina Shevchenko earned her first flyweight win in February, and is poised for a shot at the 125-pound title. The easy choice for Montano’s first challenger, Shevchenko is the kind of fighter that can compete at the top of the weight class for a while. If she gets the belt around her waist later this year, it could be a while before it comes off.

After the champ and Sheva, there isn’t much else to discuss in the flyweight title-picture. The next best contender is Sijara Eubanks. She was initially slated to fight for the title against Montano at The Ultimate Fighter 26 Finale last December, but was pulled after suffering kidney failure while trying to make weight and replaced by Roxanne Modafferi. She rebounded by earning her first UFC win in June over Lauren Murphy.

Alexis Davis could be in the title picture in the near future, too. She was 2-0 last year, and fights Katlyn Chookagian in Calgary in July. Chookagian has also won her last two bouts, and with a win over Davis, could have an outside shot in a young division that currently lacks depth.

Oh yeah, don’t forget about Jedrzejczyk. It looks like she’s staying at strawweight, for now. But JJ and Shevchenko battling for the flyweight belt is a much bigger draw than anything else the promotion can do, and would give other contenders a little more time to build their resumés.

Bantamweight: Nobody Can Handle Nunes

After clearing out the contenders at bantamweight over the last couple of years, it’s clear that champion Amanda Nunes is ready for a bigger challenge. How big of a challenge, and how soon, could dictate the next couple of fights for the Brazilian. After demolishing Raquel Pennington at UFC 224 for her third title-defense, we think Nunes is ready for the biggest test of them all: Cris Cyborg.

Both the women’s 135-pound and 145-pound divisions are currently lacking legitimate title-contenders and top-tier depth. Hell, the featherweight division doesn’t even really exist. Between that, and the impressive resumés of the two champions, a “superfight” in 2018 for Cyborg’s featherweight belt makes all of the sense in the world. Plus, it’ll give a little time for each weight class to build up a couple of contenders.

At bantamweight, those contenders include Holly Holm and Ketlen Vieira.

Although three of Holm’s last four bouts have come at featherweight, she still has her eye on the bantamweight title picture. Despite being the potential number one contender at 145-pounds, following her victory over Megan Anderson at UFC 225, the former 135-pound champ isn’t far removed from competing for the featherweight title. In a fairly one-sided bout last December, Holm failed to become a two-division UFC champion.

But, with a win over Amanda Nunes, and a belt around her waist, another shot at Cyborg sometime soon seems much more likely. With the next best option at bantamweight being the 26-year-old Vieira, Holm is closer to that opportunity than it may seem. How hard could selling a bout between the two women who’ve defeated Ronda Rousey be?

For Vieira, a title-shot in 2019 is probably the better bet. The five-foot-eight-inch tall Brazilian is 10-0 in her relatively young career. She’s gone 4-0 in the UFC since joining the promotion in 2016. Her two most recent wins have come against Sara McMann and Cat Zingano, giving her as good an argument as anyone. We’d prefer the promotion be patient with Vieira, who needs a bit more polish before battling the likes of Nunes.

Beyond that, there isn’t much else. Julianna Peña hasn’t fought since January of 2017, Pennington just lost her first fight in 18 months, and Germaine De Randamie is MIA. There is dire need for depth at bantamweight. But with Cyborg, Holm, and Vieira as solid options for Nunes, the title picture should be alright for the time being.

Featherweight: The Cyborg Belt

Even if the UFC’s women’s featherweight division doesn’t really exist, watching Cris Cyborg fight is pretty fun. Her title might not be much more than a gimmick, but her ability to draw fans is very much the real deal. As long as she remains one of the most consistent main event pay-per-view options for the UFC, expect the Cyborg Belt to stick around.

But, if there’s no division, who can she fight? Uh, good question. A question the UFC seems to prefer to answer on the fly, rather than build up the women’s 145-pound division. As mentioned above, we think Cyborg-Nunes at featherweight is the best option for a variety of reasons. But if they go another direction, what’re some realistic options?

There’s Holm again, right? The first fight was pretty entertaining, even if it wasn’t ever competitive. She’s mentioned wanting to rematch Cyborg, and return to bantamweight, and with the lack of depth in both title pictures, she could feature in either division’s next title fight.

Megan Anderson is still out there, too. Yeah, she lost to Holm at UFC 225. But it was her first loss in more than two years, and she’s a legit featherweight. Even coming off of a loss, that’s more than could be said about some of Cyborg’s recent opponents. It’s a longshot, but if the promotion needs a warm body to go toe-to-toe with the champ, she’s an option.

After that, we have no idea what the UFC has planned for Cyborg. There aren’t many options, and the ones they do have aren’t exactly great. They could opt for another random bantamweight who’s willing to get in the Octagon. Without a true division, the future for featherweight will remain a mystery.

Let us know what you think about the title races in these divisions! Where do you think they’re headed for the final half of the year? Comment below, on Facebook, or reply on Twitter! Don’t forget to check out the parts that follow this piece for a look at the rest of the title-pictures in each and every UFC division for the rest of 2018. Here are parts one, two, and three.

The post UFC in 2018 Mid-Year Title Race Report Part Four: The Women’s Divisions appeared first on Cageside Press.

Due to injuries, bad weight cuts, and more, the year has had a start-and-stop feel to the title races in many of the UFC’s divisions. We’ve still had several title fights, but haven’t seen any UFC championships change hands yet this year. That is likely to change at some point in 2018.

Despite the messy matchmaking, we’ve been treated to some impressive performances, fun match-ups, and even some dolly-drama that still boggles the mind. Given the less-than-straightforward action atop many of the UFC’s weight classes thus far this year, what do we have to look forward to the rest of 2018?

We decided to take a look at the title races in each and every division in the promotion, and where they could be headed during the next six months. We’ll have four parts, with a few weight classes featured in each part. For part three, we’re breaking down the title picture in the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions. Don’t miss part one and part two!

Light Heavyweight: The End of an Era?

The reign of Daniel Cormier as King of the Light Heavyweight division has been anything but straightforward. It would only make sense for the potential end to be foggy as well. The 205-pound title-holder will be moving up to heavyweight for the immediate future, taking on Stipe Miocic at UFC 226 for his belt.

The match-up is one of the best in the promotion’s history, and will be a huge moment regardless of who comes out on top. From Cormier’s perspective, another belt solidifies his already incredible resumé. It also gives him an accomplishment that not even Jon Jones can claim (for now). But, what if D.C. loses? Cormier could obviously return to 205-pounds and call upon the next deserving contender. But predicting when he could be ready to return after a loss, assuming he doesn’t retire, could be tough.

Do you smell that? Oh yeah, it’s pungent. That’s the signature scent of an interim title.

We’ve already been treated to a couple of interim title fights this year, and we won’t be surprised if there’s one on the way for light heavyweight. Given the uncertainty regarding Cormier’s future, having a title-holding challenger waiting in the wings isn’t the worst idea.

There’s already been talk of Alexander Gustafsson, the current number one contender, taking on former UFC middleweight champ Luke Rockhold for an interim 205-pound belt. Gustafsson has won his last two bouts, competing once in each of the last two years. Meanwhile, Rockhold is fresh off of his loss to Yoel Romero for the interim middleweight belt earlier this year.

Talk of Rockhold moving to light heavyweight has been buzzing for more than a minute. Regardless of what weight his next fight is at, Rockhold’s next appearance won’t be for a while. He injured his leg in the bout with Romero, and is unable to kick until September.

If the promotion gets impatient, they could give Volkan Oezdemir the interim title shot against Gus or Rockhold. He’ll have to get through Shogun Rua first, though. The duo were initially slated to headline UFC Chile earlier this year. But due to visa issues, the bout was moved to UFC Hamburg in mid-July. Oezdemir was one of the fighters of the year in 2017, but was defeated handily by Cormier for the belt at UFC 220 in January.

Another important light heavyweight fight is taking place at UFC Hamburg, between Glover Teixeira and Ilir Latifi. They are third and fourth ranked 205ers respectively, and aren’t too far away from the title-picture in a very shallow division. Most recently Teixeira defeated Misha Cirkunov in late-2017. On the other side, Latifi has won back-to-back bouts, including a win over Ovince Saint Preux earlier this year.

It’s an interesting time at light heavyweight in the UFC. The hierarchy in the title picture has been the same group of guys for years, and it’s looking like now could be the beginning of a transition period. A transition to what remains to be seen, but the days of the D.C., Jones, Gus, and Rumble merry-go-round at light heavyweight may be coming to a close.

Heavyweight: Is Stipe the Greatest UFC Heavyweight of All Time?

You might’ve heard, Stipe Miocic is defending the heavyweight title at UFC 226 against light heavyweight champ Daniel Cormier. We can’t wait. A win for Miocic would firmly place him at the top of the heap for UFC heavyweight champions. He’s already defended his belt more times than any champion before him. Giving Cormier his first career loss at heavyweight would cement his legacy as an all-time great.

Whoever is left holding the title after UFC 226 will probably find themselves defending the belt later in 2018. Ending the calendar year with a few high-profile pay-per-views, the promotion will want their heavyweight title available for a card. Dana White and co. will have a few interesting options for their choice of challenger for the heavyweight champ later this year.

Curtis Blaydes officially entered the title picture at UFC 225, defeating Alistair Overeem via third-round TKO. That win improved his career record to 10-1 as a pro. It also gives Blaydes two marquee victories in 2018, after he earned a decision victory over Mark Hunt in February.

The one guy to defeat Blaydes, Francis Ngannou, has the opportunity to get back into the discussion as well. The former title-challenger returns to the Octagon for the first time since his loss to Miocic at UFC 220, taking on Derrick Lewis at UFC 226 in July. It doesn’t take much more than a win and the ability to draw eyeballs to earn a title shot in a division as shallow at heavyweight. As long as Ngannou can get back on the winning track, he’ll be up for title-fight consideration.

Don’t forget about Alexander Volkov, either. He’s gone 4-0 since joining the promotion in November of 2016, and managed to impress everyone in his most recent performance. The Russian handled former title holder Fabricio Werdum with relative ease in March, ending the fight with a fourth-round KO. A title shot in 2018 might be a bit of a stretch, but he deserves a match-up with another title contender later this year.

We should probably mention Brock Lesnar, too. There are rumors he’ll be at UFC 226 for Miocic-Cormier, and talk of his return to the Octagon has been going on for months. Would Lesnar get a title fight right away? Maybe. Maybe not. But as we’ve mentioned, heavyweight isn’t full of fresh contenders at the moment.

Lesnar has his issues to deal with reagrding USADA, but we’re sure the promotion could figure something out. They’ve gamed the system with Lesnar before. They could easily do it again. Whether or not Lesnar as the potential heavyweight champion is the right move for the promotion is a different discussion. Don’t be surprised to see the WWE Superstar mentioned as a potential title fight option.

We’d prefer Lesnar stay away from the belt, and closer to a bout with Jon Jones. But we’re not getting our hopes up with anything related to Jones. We’ll be happy with our Miocic-Cormier match-up, and take everything else as icing on the cake.

Let us know what you think about the title-races in these divisions, and where you think they’re headed for the final half of the year! Comment below, on Facebook, or reply on Twitter! Don’t forget to check out the parts that follow this piece for a look at the rest of the title-pictures in each and every UFC division for the rest of 2018. Here’s part one, and part two, of the series thus far. 

The post UFC in 2018 Mid-Year Title Race Report Part Three: Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight appeared first on Cageside Press.

Due to injuries, bad weight cuts, and more, the year has had a start-and-stop feel to the title-races in many of the promotion’s divisions. We’ve still had several title-fights, but haven’t seen any UFC championships change hands yet this year. That is likely to change at some point in 2018.

Despite the messy matchmaking, we’ve been treated to some impressive performances, fun match ups, and even some dolly-drama that still boggles the mind. Given the less-than-straightforward action atop many of the UFC’s weight classes thus far this year, what do we have to look forward to the rest of 2018?

We decided to take a look at the title-races in each and every division in the promotion, and where they could be headed during the next six months. We’ll have four parts, with a few weight classes featured in each part. For part two, we’re breaking down the title-picture for the rest of the year in the lightweight, welterweight, and middleweight divisions. You can check out part one, covering flyweight, bantamweight, and featherweight, here.

Lightweight: Who The Fook is the Champ?

Although his most recent combat sports action came in a boxing ring and not the Octagon, the discussion regarding the UFC’s lightweight title picture always begins with former champion Conor McGregor. Where that conversation leads is more the mystery.

If you ask UFC President Dana White, McGregor’s next fight should be against the current champ: Khabib Nurmagomedov. That would seem to be the logical next step, but matchmaking in MMA doesn’t always follow the route that makes the most sense. Insert Georges St. Pierre? You bet.

If you ask Nurmagomedov, GSP is the fight he’d prefer next. Yeah, GSP. The former UFC welterweight and middleweight champion apparently has his sights set on a title-fight at 155-pounds, and the Russian is game. Whether or not Nurmagomedov would actually prefer St. Pierre to McGregor, should the Irishman decide to return in 2018, remains to be seen.

If those are our options, we’re going to lean toward McGregor’s return as the more likely. Don’t discount anything resembling a money-fight out of the question, though. Even with White doing his usual go-round with GSP, he seems to be an option they’re more than considering in the lightweight title picture.

Outside of those three, with former interim title-holder Tony Ferguson on the shelf for an extended period of time, a couple of other fighters have a chance at fighting for the belt before the end of 2018.

Dustin Poirier and Eddie Alvarez will compete in their long awaited rematch at UFC Calgary in late July. The winner will undoubtedly be the number one contender, outside of the unstable mess mentioned above. Both fighters have a history of putting on great fights, and are among the most successful in the promotion in recent years. Either would be easy to promote, and slide into the title-picture with ease.

As great as all of these options are, we are keeping our hopes up for Nurmagomedov-McGregor later this year. Just don’t tell the MMA Gods.

Welterweight: Dear Tyron, Please Shut Colby Up

We already know what the next title fight in the welterweight division will be. We’re just waiting on when, and it’ll probably be in 2018.

Following Colby Covington’s convincing victory over Rafael dos Anjos for the interim 170-pound belt at UFC 225, the loudmouth has secured his unification bout with champion Tyron Woodley. The trash-talking has already begun. Now that Woodley is nearing his return from a much needed shoulder surgery, hopefully the fighting happens sooner rather than later.

For the rest of the division, a title-fight in 2018 is probably not in the cards, barring a new injury to either Woodley or Covington. Right now, that’s not really a bad thing. Apart from Covington, there isn’t another clear title-contender. Some top candidates are coming off of losses, while others failed to impress in their most recent performances.

Let’s start with the latter: those who’ve won, but bored. Kamaru Usman and Darren Till earned the best victories of their careers earlier this year, over Demian Maia and Stephen Thompson respectively.

While winning is the most important aspect of the fight, entertaining fans isn’t far behind from the promotion’s perspective. Neither Usman or Till managed to do that in their main event bouts. If their next performance lacks in a similar fashion, they could find themselves getting jumped ahead of for a title shot in the near future.

After that, things get a little messy. Three of the best welterweights in the world are all coming off of losses, but each have plenty of previous title fight experience. In addition to Thompson and dos Anjos, former title-holder Robbie Lawler’s last bout was a defeat (to dos Anjos). What’s next in 2018 for each of these fighters remains to be seen, but with a win or two, seeing them fight for the belt wouldn’t be the craziest thing in MMA. Although, that’s a pretty high standard.

Middleweight: Whittaker’s World

We’ve had a couple of 185-pound title-fights in 2018, and if they’re any indicator, we want more. Robert Whittaker earned the first title defense (sort of, as the belt wasn’t on the line) of his career at UFC 225 in Chicago earlier this month, defeating Yoel Romero for the second time in 11 months. After missing weight in both of his title chances this year, and fighting for a version of the middleweight championship in each of his last three fights, it’s safe to say Romero is out of the title picture for the rest of the year.

So, who’s possibly next for Whittaker?

Not Luke Rockhold. Rockhold lost his shot against the champion after getting knocked-out by Romero at UFC 221 for the interim middleweight title. Now, it looks like he’ll be fighting at 205-pounds in his next bout.

We can count out former champ Michael Bisping, too. He retired in May, and this is one of the few MMA retirements we expect to stick. That leaves… not much. The best options? Chris Weidman and Kelvin Gastelum.

Former champ Chris Weidman is here. Told me he is itching to get back in October and he wants the winner of this title fight. It’s down to him and Gastelum in the UFC’s eyes and, worth noting, Weidman beat Gastelum in July.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) June 10, 2018

It would seem to be clear that Weidman, after defeating Gastelum via third-round submission last July, is the clear front runner. But, since that bout, it’s Gastelum who’s managed to impress. Weidman has been out for an extended period with a thumb injury, and the win over Gastelum is his last appearance. All Gastelum has done in that time is go 2-0 with wins over Bisping and Jacare Souza.

If Whittaker is out for the rest of the year with his new hand injury, then a rematch between Weidman and Gastelum (please, God, not for an interim belt) wouldn’t be out of order. It’d be weird, for sure. But at this point, there isn’t a clear number one contender in the middleweight division. Another win for either would cement their resumé enough to make a bit more sense. That doesn’t mean it’ll happen, but it’d make more sense than either getting the next shot at Whittaker over the other.

Let us know what you think about the title races in these divisions, and where you think they’re headed for the final half of the year! Comment below, on Facebook, or reply on Twitter! Don’t forget to check out the parts that follow this piece for a look at the rest of the title-pictures in each and every UFC division for the rest of 2018. Here’s part one, breaking down the flyweight, bantamweight, and featherweight divisions.

The post UFC in 2018 Mid-Year Title Race Report Part Two: Lightweight to Middleweight appeared first on Cageside Press.

Due to injuries, bad weight cuts, and more, the year has had a start-and-stop feel to the title races in many of the UFC’s divisions. We’ve still had several title fights, but haven’t seen any UFC championships change hands yet this year. That is likely to change at some point in 2018.

Despite the messy matchmaking, we’ve been treated to some impressive performances, fun match-ups, and even some dolly-drama that still boggles the mind. Given the less-than-straightforward action atop many of the UFC’s weight classes thus far this year, what do we have to look forward to the rest of 2018?

We decided to take a look at the title races in each and every division in the promotion, and where they could be headed during the next six months. We’ll have four parts, with a few weight classes featured in each part. In this inaugural edition, we’re breaking down the title picture for the rest of the year in the men’s flyweight, bantamweight, and featherweight divisions.

Flyweight: Zzzzzzzzz

There hasn’t been a UFC division with less going on in the title picture than the men’s 125-pound weight class.

A major reason for that is champion Demetrious Johnson’s shoulder surgery in January. Another is number one contender Joseph Benavidez’s torn ACL, which sidelined him for 14 months. Luckily, Benavidez is slated to return at UFC 225 against Sergio Pettis.

Benavidez is currently on a six fight winning streak. Despite already having two losses to Johnson under his belt, the flyweight division is lacking contenders. Over the last few years, Benavidez has a better resumé than anyone else. Barring a surprising booking for Mighty Mouse’s next title-defense, Benavidez could get another shot sometime in 2018. But, Benavidez needs to defeat Pettis first.

There’s also Henry Cejudo, who has done nothing but improve since suffering back-to-back defeats to Johnson and Benavidez in 2016. Cejudo is yet to fight this year, but earned victories over Wilson Reis and Pettis last year. If the promotion really doesn’t feel the need for Johnson-Benavidez 3, they could go with Johnson-Cejudo 2 instead.

While the top six ranked UFC flyweight fighters have one fight between them in 2018 (Jussier Formiga defeating Ben Nguyen at UFC 221), things should pick up in the second half of the year. With Benavidez-Pettis scheduled, and Johnson due back soon, we have our hopes up for some fun flyweight fights over the coming months.

Bantamweight: Moraes Making Moves

The first bantamweight title bout will take place in the second-half of the year, when TJ Dillashaw and Cody Garbrandt rematch for the belt in July. Even though we were treated to nearly a year’s worth of buildup for their first fight at UFC 217, nobody is complaining about getting to watch these two rivals throw down again. If it didn’t happen now, it would’ve eventually. Which is better? Who’s to say?

The fight was almost the short-notice main event replacement for UFC 222, but Dillashaw turned the bout down. Now, we’ll be getting it as the main event of UFC 227.

Dillashaw made it clear he didn’t want to grant Garbrandt an immediate rematch. He contrasted the situation to the road he had to take in order to get another shot at the 135-pound title after losing it to Dominick Cruz in January of 2017. Due to the lack of another contender taking the clear spot as the next challenger, Garbrandt is benefiting from being a much bigger draw than, say, Jimmie Rivera or Marlon Moraes.

For Rivera, things could’ve been much different as we head into the final six months of the year. Initially slated to fight Dominick Cruz at UFC 219 last December, Rivera was pulled from the card after Cruz was removed due to injury. Then, Rivera was given the main event slot of UFC Utica against fellow hopeful title-challenger Marlon Moraes a few months later. In about half a minute, the narrative in the 135-pound title-picture drastically changed.

Coming into the bout Rivera had won 20 consecutive fights, including five in a row in the UFC. With a win over Cruz to cap off 2017, Rivera would’ve had even more of an argument to be the next-in-line to challenge Dillashaw. Instead, that road was made to go through Moraes, who stopped Rivera in his tracks with a stunning head-kick KO in 33 seconds.

Now, rather than Rivera, Moraes is the fighter with the best case for a shot at the belt after we enjoy Dillashaw-Garbrandt 2. A couple of other fighters, namely Cruz and Raphael Assuncao, might have other ideas.

Cruz has a relatively recent win over Dillashaw, and an even more recent loss to Garbrandt. His resumé speaks for itself. Just as they did with Dillashaw-Garbrandt 2, we could see the promotion hot-shotting a Cruz title-rematch, regardless of who wins at UFC 227.

For Assuncao, the situation is a bit tougher. Despite having victories over both Dillashaw and Moraes, the Brazilian is by far the lowest profile fighter of the bunch. Assuncao has won three fights in a row, and lost just once since August of 2011. But, two finishes in those 11 bouts leaves something to be desired from a promotional standpoint.

Each of these guys has a chance at getting a title-shot in 2018, given the right circumstances. Things change quickly in MMA, and the bantamweight division has already proven that this year. We wouldn’t hate seeing Moraes matchup with either Dillashaw or Garbrandt in the coming months, but there aren’t many wrong answers in the 135-pound title-picture at the moment.

Featherweight: Don’t Doubt Ortega

There’s no doubting who the King of the Featherweights is, following Max Holloway’s duo of victories against former champ Jose Aldo last year. The Hawaiian has arrived.

He had the chance to cement that status with even more certainty when he was scheduled to fight Frankie Edgar, for the second time, at UFC 222 in March. Instead, it was Holloway’s turn to suffer an injury. Rather than sit on the sideline and wait for Holloway to heal, Edgar took a risk. That risk was Brian Ortega.

Ortega took advantage of the short-notice opportunity, somehow managing to look more impressive than he did in his win over Cub Swanson a few months earlier. The undefeated 27-year-old KO’d the former lightweight champ in the first round, and became the new number one contender in the 145-pound weight class.

Ortega will be the opponent for Holloway’s first title-defense of the year at UFC 226 in July. We can’t wait. This match-up is must-see action, and is one of the most stylistically interesting bouts of the year. The winner will probably defend the belt once more in 2018, depending on their health. So, who could they possibly face?

If Frankie Edgar still has his sights on a featherweight title fight, he needs to get there sooner rather than later. His bounce-back win over Swanson, following the loss to Ortega, was a great start. With another win under his belt, or the injury bug biting someone other than him, Edgar could easily find himself fighting for the belt later this year.

While there’s no need for Holloway-Aldo 3, it’ll take more than back-to-back losses to the Hawaiian for us to doubt Aldo. He gets a stern test against the on-fire Jeremy Stephens at UFC Calgary in late July. Should Aldo earn the win, and Holloway lose the belt, the Brazilian could find himself in the title-picture conversation as well.

Don’t count out Stephens, either. We know the idea of “Lil Heathen” getting a title-shot in 2018 seems odd, but the dude is on a roll. He’s won three straight bouts, knocking out Doo Ho Choi and Josh Emmett already in 2018. Two of his last three losses, dating back to 2015, have come against the likes of Holloway and Edgar. If Stephens can overcome Aldo, he’ll deservingly be one of the best options available for a late-year featherweight title bout.

Let us know what you think about the title-races in these divisions, and where you think they’re headed for the final half of the year! Comment below, on Facebook, or reply on Twitter! Don’t forget to check out the parts that follow this piece for a look at the rest of the title-pictures in each and every UFC division for the rest of 2018.

The post UFC 2018 Mid-Year Title Race Report Part One: Flyweight to Featherweight appeared first on Cageside Press.