Who are the best champions in the UFC? We’ve got the definitive list, along with betting odds on upcoming title fights. Bet on your favorite fighters year-round at BookMaker.eu now. From championship events to prelim action, find UFC odds at BookMaker.eu and bet on money lines, over/unders, prop bets and more.
Now that we’ve passed the halfway point of 2017, it’s a good as time as any to assess the current championship landscape in the world’s No. 1 MMA promotion. There’s one major shakeup here: Jose Aldo is out, replaced by a young lion in Max “Blessed” Holloway.
As a reminder, this rankings system assesses which titleholder is “safest” when it comes to holding onto their strap. The key element is evaluating a champ’s talent and assessing his competition in the division.
So let’s get to it. If a champion has an upcoming fight, we’ve got UFC fight odds from BookMaker.eu listed accordingly - and that means you can hit up the sportsbook now to place a bet on them.
1. Demetrious Johnson
Flyweight Champion
Next Fight: TBD
Biggest Threats: T.J. Dillashaw
“Mighty Mouse” is currently facing his toughest opponent yet - UFC president Dana White. There’s been some back and forth between the two, with DJ stating that White is trying to force a fight between the flyweight champ and former bantamweight kingpin T.J. Dillashaw. Should it come to fruition, that’s an extremely dangerous test for the sport’s top pound-for-pound fighter.
2. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Women’s Strawweight
Next Fight: UFC 211, May 13
Biggest Threat: Claudia Gadelha
While J-Check will be a massive favorite against Rose Namajunas (who is expected to receive the next title shot), she has to be wary of Gadelha. The Brazilian already gave Joanna Champion two extremely tough tests and recently switched up her training camp, assembling a team solely focused on her improvement. If they fix her cardio, Jedrzejczyk could be in trouble.
3. Max Holloway
Featherweight
Next Fight: TBD
Biggest Threat: Frankie Edgar
Holloway needs to beat Edgar, whose wrestling presents a large obstacle. But after that? “Blessed” has already beaten many of the division’s contenders during a ridiculous 11-fight winning streak. Plus, he’s only 25 and getting better. You might need to get used to seeing this kid in these rankings.
4. Amanda Nunes
Women’s Bantamweight
Next Fight: UFC 213, July 8
Amanda Nunes -125 vs. Valentina Shevchenko -105
Nunes has got a huge test in her rematch against Valentina Shevchenko next week. But even though she’s barely favored, the Brazilian gets the nod at No. 4 simply because her division is so thin after “Bullet.” It’s tough to see Raquel Pennington or Holly Holm winning a firefight with the division’s most explosive striker.
5. Tyron Woodley
Welterweight Champion
Next Fight: TBD
Biggest Threats: Demian Maia
It appears that Demian Maia is the next man up for a title shot. Unfortunately for him, Tyron Woodley is a matchup nightmare. Woodley’s wrestling background and explosive knockout power puts him ahead of everybody else in the division, and it’s tough to find anyone he’d be an underdog against.
6. Conor McGregor
Lightweight Champion
Next Fight: TBD
Biggest Threats: Khabib Nurmagomedov, Tony Ferguson
Can the UFC just strip him already? Count this committee among the many who are annoyed that the most competitive UFC division remains in limbo while Mystic Mac chases Mayweather for a boxing match. The sad part is that he’s so good, and there are so many great lightweights he has yet to face.
7. Stipe Miocic
Heavyweight Champion
Next Fight: TBD
Biggest Threat: Cain Velasquez
Miocic tied the record for most heavyweight title defenses (two), but his five-fight knockout streak suggests he’s ready to reign. Of course, operating in the UFC’s most volatile division knocks him down a couple pegs, and Cain Velasquez is still lurking on the sidelines.
8. Cody Garbrandt
Bantamweight Champion
Next Fight: TBD
Biggest Threat: T.J. Dillashaw
The new bantamweight champ will have to recover from an injury before he makes his first title defense, but his blend of athleticism and punching power could have him rising up the champions rankings real quick. Still, we have to bring him down just a bit because he’s only really faced one real contender and have no idea if he’ll keep improving.
9. Daniel Cormier
Light Heavyweight
Next Fight: UFC 214
Jon Jones -295 vs. Daniel Cormier +235
It’s hard being the champ in the same weight class as the MMA GOAT. Despite DC’s stellar championship run, he’s a heavy underdog against Bones for their UFC 214 tilt. But if Cormier is able to beat Jones with ease, he goes flying up this chart - the 205-pound class is paper thin right now.
10. Michael Bisping
Middleweight Champion
Next Fight: TBDBiggest Threat: Yoel Romero, Robert Whittaker, Gegard Mousasi
The British champ lucked out with an injury, forcing Yoel Romero and Robert Whittaker to square off for the interim championship instead. Had Bisping been healthy, he would have had to fight a monster in Romero. In fact, any top-5 middleweight has a good chance at dethroning Bisping.
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