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Heading into the New Year, the MMA landscape boasts several young UFC stars with a significant amount of hype surrounding them. That said, given how fortunes can change in an instant in combat sports, particularly in the sport of MMA, it remains to be seen whether or not the aforementioned stars can continue their winning ways.
The 2022 calendar year witnessed the mighty fall. Right from the UFC's former pound-for-pound king and erstwhile welterweight champion Kamaru Usman to former middleweight titleholder Israel Adesanya, dominant champs and top contenders have been defeated and had their hype snatched away over the past several months.
On that note, today, we take a special look at a select few UFC hype trains that could be derailed in 2023.
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#5. Khamzat Chimaev
Presently, Khamzat Chimaev is widely regarded as one of the best wrestlers in MMA. Barring his closely-contested fight against former welterweight title contender Gilbert Burns in April 2022, he's barely faced any adversity in his octagon appearances thus far.
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Nevertheless, the unbeaten fighter, with an impressive 12-0 MMA record, might be in for the toughest test of his career in 2023.
It's believed that welterweight champion Leon Edwards will defend his title in a trilogy matchup against former champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 286 in March 2023. Chimaev has his sights set on the Edwards-Usman winner. Alternatively, 'Borz' has claimed that he's willing to fight at middleweight too.
The consensus is that the No. 3-ranked UFC welterweight Chimaev could be booked to fight the No. 2-ranked Colby Covington next. Covington -- a wrestling wizard and former interim UFC welterweight champion -- is known for his unparalleled cardio and has been touted by many as a tough stylistic matchup for 'Borz.'
Chimaev is known to have issues cutting down to welterweight, which could hurt his cardio in the long run. In addition, he seemed to run out of steam late in his three-round fight against Burns. Considering the aforementioned variables at play, many foresee the Chechnya-born Swedish fighter suffering his first MMA defeat in a potential fight against a high-volume pressure-fighting wrestler like Covington.
#4. Paddy Pimblett
Paddy Pimblett's MMA record stands at 20-3, with all three losses coming before he joined the UFC. 'The Baddy' hasn't lost since September 2018 and has solidified himself as one of the most recognizable names in MMA in 2022. However, it's not all sunshine and roses for the UK MMA stalwart.
Pimblett's most recent fight has become the subject of controversy. While 'The Baddy' bested Jared Gordon via unanimous decision in a back-and-forth lightweight matchup at UFC 282 on December 10th, many in the MMA world believe that Gordon was more deserving of the judges' nod.
Besides, there's been speculation that Pimblett could compete on the UFC 286 fight card in his native UK in March 2023. Gordon, for his part, has offered to fight Pimblett in a rematch next, whereas 'The Baddy' appears to be uninterested in the proposal.
The vast majority of fans and experts believe that Pimblett's star power will nosedive if he loses a rematch to a lower-tier lightweight like Gordon or is beaten by another lightweight ranked outside the top 10. Given his recent performance, it'd be safe to say Pimblett losing to Gordon or a similarly-ranked lightweight isn't out of the realm of possibility.
#3. Sean O'Malley
'Sugar' Sean O'Malley is fresh off a razor-thin split decision win over former bantamweight champion Petr Yan, whom he faced in October. 'Sugar' holds an MMA record of 16 wins, 1 loss, and 1 NC (No Contest).
His lone loss came after he suffered a mid-fight leg injury against Marlon 'Chito' Vera in August 2020, which led to him being stopped via TKO in round one. O'Malley recovered well and subsequently racked up four wins.
Earlier this year, reigning bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling was purportedly willing to defend his title against Sean O'Malley next. However, Sterling recently hinted that he'll face Henry Cejudo instead. Resultantly, O'Malley may have to wait to fight the Sterling-Cejudo winner for the title later in 2023.
Regardless of who he fights next, O'Malley will have to tirelessly work on his wrestling skills ahead of his title matchup. The bantamweight fan-favorite was thoroughly out-wrestled by Yan in his previous fight.
Ergo, 'Sugar' will have to pull out all the stops to prepare for Sterling or Cejudo, both of whom happen to be elite wrestlers. All things considered, if O'Malley fails to evolve in the wrestling and overall grappling departments, he'll end up being dominated and perhaps finished on the mat and will fail to become a champion in 2023.
#2. Shavkat Rakhmonov
Shavkat Rakhmonov is 16-0 in his MMA career and has gone 4-0 in the UFC thus far. The Kazakh welterweight prospect picked up his career's biggest win in his last octagon outing, defeating UFC welterweight mainstay Neil Magny via second-round submission in June 2022. The 28-year-old has been touted as a future UFC champion by several fans and experts alike.
Regardless, the immense hype and momentum that Shavkat Rakhmonov brings to the table could end in 2023. Rakhmonov is scheduled to fight welterweight KO artist Geoff Neal at the upcoming UFC Fight Night: Gastelum vs. Imavov event on January 14th, 2023.
Neal has had his ups and downs in his UFC run, particularly finding himself on the wrong end of the judges' scorecards on more than one occasion. Be that as it may, the American fighter is fresh off a thunderous third-round KO victory over Vicente Luque and poses a huge threat, particularly in the striking realm, to Shavkat Rakhmonov.
Needless to say, Rakhmonov would have to exercise an abundance of caution while dealing with Neal. The grappling savant can't afford to be too aggressive on the feet, or else he might end up getting himself knocked out by 'Handz of Steel' come fight night.
#1. Islam Makhachev
Islam Makhachev has amassed an MMA record of 23 victories and 1 defeat. The Dagestani grappling savant suffered a TKO loss against Adriano Martins back in 2015. He hasn't lost since and is now on an epic 11-fight win streak.
Moreover, Makhachev is the reigning UFC lightweight champion. Many have predicted that he'll continue to follow in the footsteps of his friend, MMA legend and former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. However, Makhachev's dream run could very well turn into a nightmare in the New Year.
Islam Makhachev is scheduled to defend his lightweight belt in a super-fight against featherweight champion and the UFC's current pound-for-pound king Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284 on February 12, 2023.
Despite enjoying a size advantage over 'Volk,' there are many who feel that Makhachev would suffer against the featherweight kingpin due to the latter's top-notch striking skills and exceptional speed.
Speaking of which, a loss to the much smaller Volkanovski would adversely affect all the hype that Makhachev has on his side heading into 2023.
Nurmagomedov and others in the Dagestan and AKA (American Kickboxing Academy) fight camps are well aware of the huge gap between Makhachev and Volkanovski's striking prowess. They'll likely be going all out to help Makhachev improve his striking.
Meanwhile, Volkanovski -- who's on a 22-fight win streak and is undefeated in the UFC -- has vowed to beat the Dagestani fighter and capture his lightweight championship.
