The UFC’s title picture has had several changes over the past few months and we figured we would take a minute to break down each division and update you on the current situation with each division champion and title picture.
UFC Flyweight Division (Current Champion – Henry Cejudo)
Henry Cejudo pulled off the unthinkable back on August 4, 2018, when he beat one of the greatest UFC Title holders of all time in Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” for the UFC Flyweight Title. The two fighters now each have a win over one another so the only smart thing to do would be to have a trilogy fight to determine who is the best fighter.
There has also been talk about TJ Dillashaw moving down and fighting Cejudo in a superfight. Dillashaw has fought at 125lbs in the past and is small enough to make the weight but he is so fast at bantamweight that it doesn’t make sense, other than a financial decision, for him to move down in weight.
UFC Bantamweight Division (Current Champion – TJ Dillashaw)
As we just said, Dillashaw is expected to move down in weight to contend for the flyweight title. That means the Bantamweight title will most likely be put on hold for several months. Top contenders Cody Garbrandt and Dominick Cruz were both recently called out by Jimmie Rivera and then there is also Marlon Moraes who is sitting at #4.
This entire division is one of the most confusing divisions for the title picture in the UFC. Anyone of the guys we have mentioned could easily contend and potentially win the Bantamweight Title at any given time, but for the time being, we will have to wait for Dillashaw to return to the division.
UFC Featherweight Division (Current Champion – Max Holloway)
The 145lb title will be on the line at UFC 231 on December 8, 2018, as Max Holloway is set to take on Brian Ortega. This fight has been scheduled once before but injuries have prevented it from happening. Holloway has won 12 fights in a row and won the UFC Featherweight Title in a fight back on December 10, 2016, over Anthony Pettis. Since that point, Holloway has beaten Jose Aldo two times and now will face Ortega, who is a very tough and game opponent.
Brian Ortega is undefeated at 14-0 and earned his title fight by knocking out UFC legend and future Hall of Famer Frankie Edgar in the 1st round of their UFC 222 fight on March 3, 2018. Ortega is a finisher that rarely goes the distance.
UFC Lightweight Division (Current Champion – Khabib Nurmagomedov)
The granddaddy of them all, the fight that everyone is talking about….Khabib vs. Conor will take place at UFC 229 from Las Vegas, Nevada on October 6, 2018. This fight is going to be one of the most hyped fights in the history of the UFC and will make millions upon millions of dollars for the UFC! The current champion of the division is Nurmagomedov but we can’t forget that Conor McGregor never technically lost the belt. He was forced to turn over the belt when he made the decision to fight in a boxing match, against Floyd Mayweather.
The same night that Khabib and Conor fight at UFC 229, Tony Ferguson will also be fighting on the same card against Anthony Pettis. Ferguson has been promised a title fight but due to various injuries, he has never had the opportunity to actually fight for the title. He has won 11 fights straight and is eager to get that chance to fight either McGregor or Nurmagomedov, permitting he gets past Pettis.
UFC Welterweight Division (Current Champion – Tyron Woodley)
Tyron Woodley just defended his UFC Welterweight Championship last weekend and the only thing next for him would be to fight the interim champion, Colby Covington. This fight has been talked about for several months and was actually expected to take place prior to Woodley fighting Darren Till last week but Covington couldn’t fight when the champion wanted so the fight never took place.
The UFC needs to step in and make a date and force each fighter to either fight on that date to unify the Welterweight Title, or relinquish the title to the other champion! After this fight takes place, the one question mark remaining as the wild-card is UFC Legend George St. Pierre! Does GSP come back? Only time will tell……
UFC Middleweight Division – (Current Champion – Robert Whittaker)
Robert Whittaker is the current champion of the UFC Middleweight Division and is currently participating as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter against Kelvin Gastelum. Whittaker has won 9 straight fights. The nice part about this division is the competitors in the top 5 are all going to become active over the next few months.
Former UFC Middleweight Champions Luke Rockhold and Chris Weidman are slated to fight each other at UFC 230 on November 3, 2018. The winner of this fight should be sitting in an ideal spot to earn a title shot after the first of the year.
UFC Light Heavyweight Division (Current Champion – Daniel Cormier)
The UFC Light Heavyweight Division is sort of held in limbo right now as the champion of the UFC Light Heavyweight Division is the same as the UFC Heavyweight Division so we are combining both divisions into one. Daniel Cormier is the champion of both divisions after knocking out former champion Stipe Miocic to win the Heavyweight Title and was pretty much handed the UFC Light Heavyweight Title when Jon Jones tested positive for PED’s.
That being said, Jon Jones is on his way back and it will be very interesting to see how the UFC handles this situation. Jones never lost the title, Cormier never technically beat Jones and Jones is the only loss on Cormier’s resume.
UFC Heavyweight Division (Current Champion – Daniel Cormier)
Similar to the Light Heavyweight Division, the Heavyweight Division is held up in limbo. Stipe Miocic is begging for the title fight but the UFC has made it appear that Brock Lesnar will be coming back and will compete against Cormier for the title. Stay tuned….
UFC Women’s Strawweight Division (Current Champion – Rose Namajunas)
The current champion in the women’s Strawweight Division is Rose Namajunas. Namajunas won the title over Joanna Jedrzejczyk and then defeated her again in a rematch. She now moves on and I would anticipate will fight Jessica Andrade or Claudia Gadelha in her next fight.
Additionally, we must pay close attention to Tatiana Suarez, who is blowing through the division and destroying anything that the UFC puts in front of her. Eventually, she will get a shot at the title.
UFC Women’s Flyweight Division (Current Champion – N/A)
The UFC Women’s Flyweight Division is relatively new and they just stripped their champion of the title. Nicco Montano has continuously pulled out of fights since winning the crown and the promotion made the decision to strip her. They have not decided who will fight for the vacant title but I would expect it to be Valentina Shevchenko and Katlyn Chookagian.
UFC Women’s Bantamweight Division (Current Champion – Amanda Nunes)
The Women’s Bantamweight Division is another one of those divisions that are sort of frozen with Amanda Nunes set to fight Cyborg for the Featherweight Division Title in December. This is part of the reason we hate these super fights because they tie up the division and prevent title fights in the UFC.
UFC Women’s Featherweight Division (Current Champion – Cyborg Justino)
“Cyborg” is set to defend her Women’s Featherweight Title on December 29, 2018 against UFC Bantamweight Champion Amanda Nunes. This is another one of those super fights that sort of hold up a division. If Nunes wins the title, does she hold two belts or does the UFC make her relinquish one of the titles? Only time will tell.