Predicting UFC Champs and Fighters who will rise to 2015 contendership

Just to discuss and raise some questions on the sport we love:




CHAMPION:

• Heavyweight: Velasquez (2-0 against Werdum and Overeem)
• Lightheavyweight: Jones (2-0 against Glover and Gustafsson)
• Middleweight: Belfort (2-0 against Weidman and Machida/Jacaré)
• Welterweight: Hendricks (3-0 against Lawler, Rory/Maia and Shields)
• Lightweight: Melendez (3-0 against Khabib, Pettis and Henderson)
• Featherweight: Aldo (3-0 against Lamas, Mendes and Edgar/Penn)
• Bantamweight: Barão (3-0 against Faber, Assunção and Cruz/Dillashaw)
• Flyweight: Johnson (2-0 against Lineker and McCall)

NEXT IN LINE FOR 2015:

• Heavyweight: 1) Browne, 2) Gonzaga and 3) JDS
• Lightheavyweight: 1) Cormier, 2) Evans and 3) Davis
• Middleweight: 1) Jacaré, 2) Rockhold and 3) Romero
• Welterweight: 1) Woodley, 2) Thatch and 3) Brown
• Lightweight: 1) Grant, 2) Martins and 3) dos Anjos
• Featherweight: 1) Swanson, 2) Poirier and 3)McGregor
• Bantamweight: 1) Dillashaw, 2) Alcantara and 3) McDonald
• Flyweight: 1) Benavidez and ??? 

We haven't seen enough of him yet to know what kind of weaknesses he has, but I think in a couple years we might see Justin Gaethje fight for the belt. This kid is special.

I can't really gauge Gaethje (pardon the pun). He hasn't fought much of anyone. Dan Lauzon hasn't done anything but beat a green Bobby Green (again, pardon the pun). Cavalcante's been all over the place in the last five years. Brian Cobb has perennially been that guy that is the gatekeeper to world class organizations. Fickett's right at the end of his career and really hadn't shown that there was much reason for him to continue fighting in the bouts before Gaethje took him out. I dunno, I'm just not ready to anoint Gaethje as a top guy. I want to see him fight at least one guy that I would have ranked in the top 30 LWs before I say he can contend for a title. Gaethje's young, but there are a ton of young guys at LW including: Pettis (26), Chandler (27), Nurmagomedov (25), Diaz (28), Green (27), Johnson (27), Brooks (27), Khabilov (27), Jury (25), and Barboza (27). 

I wouldn't call that a pun. 

An appropriate pun would be:

I can't figure out who to pick in the Gaethje/Newell fight.  Both fighters are very talanted and coming to a conclusion is proving difficult. 

I guess I'm
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stumped.

Welterweight: Askren (if he got the chance) or Rory Mac (despite the loss to Lawler)