Every UFC champion that started the year with the strap still holds it. But while no title have changed hands, a few of the titleholders have strengthened their grasps on their straps. That’s led to some major changes in our champions rankings.
Just a reminder, these rankings attempt to answer a single question: which UFC champion is the “safest” respective to their division?
Of course, the answers are subjective. But we take a look at each champ’s strength of competition, recent performances and upcoming fights for our rankings. The top-ranked champ is the most likely is our pick to hold onto the belt the longest.
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Where applicable, we’ve also listed money lines for upcoming title fights using the UFC odds at BookMaker.eu. Feel free to comment below if you feel like we’ve misranked anyone.
*Please note: we’re not ranking Cris Cyborg until she actually has a division. Otherwise she’d be an easy pick at No. 1.
1. Daniel Cormier
Men’s Light Heavyweight Champion
Next Fight: UFC 226, July 7
Daniel Cormier +150 vs. Stipe Miocic -190
DC’s next fight is irrelevant – it takes place at heavyweight. If we’re talking about the light heavyweight division right now, there’s a huge gap between Cormier and the rest of the class. Gustafsson is probably the biggest threat, but Cormier already beat him. If anything, we might have to wait for either Jon Jones or Father Time to catch up to him (he’s 38) before he loses his belt.
2. Amanda Nunes
Women’s Bantamweight Champion
Next Fight: UFC 224
Amanda Nunes vs. Raquel Pennington
Whose going to challenge Amanda Nunes now that Valentina Shevchenko is gone? Holly Holm is the No.1 contender, but she’s lost to three girls – Miesha Tate and Shevchenko – that Nunes already beat. Beyond that, Julianna Pena, Raquel Pennington and Germaine de Randamie doesn’t really inspire that much confidence that Nunes is losing that strap any time soon.
3. Demetrious Johnson
Men’s Flyweight Champion
Next Fight: TBD
Demetrious Johnson -130 vs. T.J. Dillashaw +100
After holding the No. 1 spot for so long, Johnson drops two spots based on his rumored next match-up: a champ versus champ showdown with T.J. Dillashaw. While opening odds have DJ as the favorite, it’s an extremely competitive match that will likely end up a pick’em on fight night. Let’s hope that this match-up gets made.
4. Max Holloway
Men’s Featherweight Champion
Next Fight: TBD
Max Holloway vs. Brian Ortega
Max is just 26 years old, yet he’s beaten a ton of killers at 145 pounds. Still, he’s got to face either Brian Ortega in his next title defense – whose stock is soaring – and the rest of the division is filled with some badasses. What props Holloway’s ranking is the fact that he’s been nothing short of dominant during his 12-fight win streak.
5. T.J. Dillashaw
Men’s Bantamweight Champion
Next Fight: TBD
Demetrious Johnson -130 vs. T.J. Dillashaw +100
Dillashaw’s next fight won’t be at bantamweight, but when he does defend the belt there are some big obstacles in his path. Former champion Dominick Cruz was the last guy to hand him a loss, Cody Garbrandt is still running his mouth, and Jimmie Rivera hasn’t lost inside the octagon yet. He’s got some work to do.
6. Stipe Miocic
Men’s Heavyweight Champion
Next Fight: UFC 226, July 7
Daniel Cormier +150 vs. Stipe Miocic -190
Kudos to Miocic for dominating Francis Ngannou and breaking the UFC record for most consecutive heavyweight title defenses. He’s got a tough matchup with DC next, but the Clevelander is still a sizeable favorite and has already taken out most of his top competition. Hmmm…when’s Cain coming back though?
7. Robert Whittaker
Men’s Middleweight Champion
Next Fight: TBD
Robert Whittaker vs. Yoel Romero
So we were robbed when Whittaker had to pull out of his first title defense. But Romero earned the right to challenge the Aussie, and Whittaker already beat him to win the interim strap. Still, Romero is the embodiment of instant finish, so Whittaker has to be careful. After that? He’s still got Jacare, Weidman and Gastelum to deal with.
8. Tyron Woodley
Men’s Welterweight Champion
Next Fight: TBD
Perhaps the most difficult champion to rank, T-Wood has the athleticism, power and skillset you’d expect from any dominant champ. But he’s got Rafael Dos Anjos, Colby Covington and later on down the line Darren Till to deal with. This is quietly one of the most competitive divisions, and there are a ton of young guys coming up.
9. Conor McGregor
Men’s Lightweight Champion
Next Fight: TBD
The next time we do these rankings, Conor McGregor might not be on here. Not because he lost his belt to anyone, but because Dana White has made it clear that Tony Ferguson versus Khabib Nurmagomedov will be for the “real” belt. For now, we’ll assume that means Conor McGregor will be stripped, because there can’t be two real champs.
10. Rose Namajunas
Women’s Strawweight Champion
Next Fight: UFC 223, April 7
Joanna Jedrzejczyk -167 vs. Rose Namajunas +140
Rose Namajunas is an underdog against the woman she beat to take the title. If she gets past Joanna Jedrzejczyk for a second time, Thug has got to contend with Jessica Andrade, Claudia Gadelha and Karolina Kowalkiewicz. Do you see her beating all three of them? We don’t.
11. Nicco Montano
Women’s Flyweight Champion
Next Fight: TBD
Let’s not kid ourselves. Montano is just keeping the belt warm for Valentina Shevchenko, who absolutely demolished the previously unbeaten Priscila Cachoeira in her flyweight debut. Was it a mismatch of epic proportions? Yes it was. But Nico likely won’t fare much better when “Bullet” is standing across the cage from her.
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