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Dominant UFC champions are rarities in MMA. Fighters who embark on long unbeaten stretches after capturing their divisional title typically achieve mythical status in the sport. The likes of Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre are the greatest fighters of all time for a reason.
Unfortunately, not every fighter who captures UFC gold holds it for an extended period of time. Some titleholders lose their belts as soon as they become champions. Others managed to successfully defend their titles a few times before ultimately losing their divisional crowns.
Several champions lost their titles this year, with some titleholders being dominant while others weren't. This list, however, looks at five current UFC champions who may still be champions by the end of next year.
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#5. Zhang Weili, UFC strawweight champion
Zhang Weili is one of the most rapidly improving fighters on the UFC roster. At the start of her career, she was an explosive striker with a significant speed and power advantage over her opponents. As time passed on, 'Magnum' developed a more well-rounded skill set.
The time she's spent training with Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo has led to enormous leaps in her wrestling ability. Not only has her wrestling improved, but so has her overall grappling. She defeated Carla Esparza to capture her second UFC strawweight title with a rear-naked choke from the crucifix position.
By out grappling a seasoned and lifelong wrestler with such ease, she might be evolving at a rate that her opponents will struggle to match. Her only losses in the UFC have been to Rose Namajunas, who many felt lost their rematch. If 'Magnum' continues to improve at this rate, she'll likely remain champion by the end of 2023.
#4. Amanda Nunes, UFC women's bantamweight champion
There is hardly anyone left for Amanda Nunes to face in the women's bantamweight division. Every former champion in the division has already fallen before 'The Lioness' in dominant fashion. While she suffered an upset against Julianna Peña at UFC 269, she rectified that loss in their rematch.
The Brazilian power puncher was dominant at UFC 277. Her jab-right cross combinations, coupled with her seismic knockout power, render her a nearly impossible foe for anyone at 135 lbs to overcome. The level of punching power that 'The Lioness' possesses is an anomaly in women's MMA.
Most women's MMA fighters have never encountered that level of punching power. Thus, the moment they're stung by her punches, they freeze. This is magnified by Nunes' reach advantage, so her foes often run into her punches as they try to close the distance.
It's difficult to see anyone other than Julianna Peña being able to weather the storm. Even then, 'The Venezuelan Vixen' still lost in dominant fashion after her Brazilian rival made the necessary adjustments to defeat her. It's unlikely that anyone will dethrone 'The Lioness' in 2023.
#3. Valentina Shevchenko, UFC women's flyweight champion
Valentina Shevchenko is a master when it comes to neutralizing her opponents and countering their terms of engagement. She throws low kicks from long range, enabling her to easily slide her own legs out of the way of her foe's counter-kicks. Oftentimes, her opponents either stay at range or close the distance on her.
If they stand on the outside, she simply outpoints them with low kicks. However, if her opponents become frustrated enough to charge at her, 'The Bullet' leans back and stings them with check hooks. In other instances, she pulls her leg away and throws her patented spinning back-kicks in a non-committal manner.
This means she's rarely out of position. Mixing up her approach, she frequently ducks under her opponent's punches to secure body locks and trip takedowns. This strategy has stumped just about every opponent she's faced at 125 lbs. Given how shallow the division is and how skilled Shevchenko is, she's unlikely to lose her.
#2. Islam Makhachev, UFC lightweight champion
Islam Makhachev has been nothing short of perfect for most of his career. The Dagestani style of wrestling that he implemented to perfection still has no counter from anyone in the UFC. The reigning lightweight kingpin matches up well with the top five 155'ers in his division.
He has already defeated Charles Oliveira in dominant fashion. Dustin Poirier is allergic to pressure and uses the cage to stand up after conceding takedowns. This is an ill-advised approach against chain wrestlers who use the fence to secure takedowns. Even if he stands up, he's still pinned against the fence.
Justin Gaethje possesses no defensive grappling whatsoever. Furthermore, his takedown defense involves turning onto his stomach so he can use his hands and feet to push himself back to a standing position. This exposes his back, and consequently his neck, to being mounted and choked out.
While Beneil Dariush is an exceptional grappler, the scrambles he initiates to avoid takedowns won't be possible against Islam Makhachev. Oftentimes, the Dagestani phenom hooks his leg around his opponent's ankle during takedowns to prevent scrambles.
Lastly, Michael Chandler couldn't wrestle for more than a round before tiring out. He also possesses questionable fight IQ and is prone to making risky decisions. If Alexander Volkanovski fails to dethrone Islam Makhachev, no one in 2023 will.
#1. Alexander Volkanovski, UFC featherweight champion
Alexander Volkanovski is the reigning P4P king of the UFC. The featherweight champion has ruled his division with an iron fist and has continued to improve at an alarming rate. The featherweight division is devoid of any strong wrestlers that could raise questions about 'The Great's takedown defense.
Instead, the weight class is now populated by strikers, all of whom are taller and longer than Volkanovski. However, the stocky Australian has developed a fighting style designed to punish taller foes. He counters a taller foe's jab in numerous ways. He first jabs his opponents at the same time that they try to jab him.
By constantly interrupting their jabs, he stops them from building any punching combinations. Additionally, he times his overhand right over his foe's jabs. The overhand right is extremely useful for short fighters since it travels along a descending arc that tall fighters are unfamiliar with defending against.
Furthermore, 'The Great' also makes cerebral use of calf kicks to counter the jab. A good jab requires the fighter in question to step forward as they punch. Unfortunately, by extending one's stance in this fashion, the lead leg is exposed to calf kicks.
Not only do calf kicks require little frequency to cause tangible damage, but they also destabilize an opponent's stance and open them up for follow-up punches. All of this, combined with Volkanovski's cardio and high-volume striking, allows him to counter and overload his opponent's decision-making process.
By forcing his opponents into defensive shells where all they do is react, they're unable to mount any offense of their own. It'll be difficult to see anyone at featherweight overcome him when the great Max Holloway has already failed thrice.
