UFC 183 Predictions

Prediction watch
UFC Fight Night Gustafsson vs. Johnson: 3-8
 2015 Overall: 16-18
 2015 Title fights: 0-1

Now onto the next event!

The undercard
Thiago Santos vs. Andy Enz
This fight should be an absolute brawl. Or could be incredibly boring as neither fighter will want to engage with the opposing heavy striker. Enz has a great chin and he will probably need it against a technical guy like Santos. The question here comes in Enz' grappling skill, which he actually does have some of. However, to grapple Santos, he has to get close to Santos and that could be an issue. Enz will be hard to stop on his feet because of that chin, so this one could be one of the best scraps on the entire card. Santos by Decision

Ildemar Alcantara vs. Richardson Morreira
This could be a plodding affair. Alcantara has looked terrible as of late, but has a ton more experience coming into this fight. Alcantara by Decision

Diego Brandao vs. Jimy Hettes
A welcomed bout of slugging, where unlike the opener, there is no potential that the two won't engage. They both looked like can't miss prospects not too long ago, but now are kind of swimming in no man's land. I'm not entirely convinced that Brandao can last for three rounds yet, his cardio has always been questionable. However, he has more tools than Hettes no matter where the fight goes. Hettes though, is much faster and could avoid those Brandao bombs to try and take him deep into the fight and test that cardio. Brandao by TKO

Rafael Natal vs. Tom Watson
I don't see this fight as close as a lot of people do. In fact, for some reason I just see Natal getting blitzed for a round before succumbing in the second. If Watson is ever going to make any movement in the 185 pound division, the time has to be now. Watson by TKO

John Lineker vs. Ian McCall
In the shallow UFC flyweight division, this fight could determine the next championship challenger. Lineker seems to have been building to that for some time, but missing weight in three of his seven fights in the company have derailed him. He has also never fought anyone as good as Ian McCall, who unlike Lineker, would never get choked out by Louis Gaudinot. McCall is basically stalled in the division as possibly the best 125-pounder not named Demetrious Johnson. But he wants another chance at the champ, who he fought to a draw with in their first battle. McCall by Decision

Ed Herman vs. Derek Brunson
Brunson has never impressed me and I think any hype he has is unwarranted. Herman is a long time division gate keeper with no real consistency. Toss up here, but I'm going to say the scrappy Herman finds a way to stave off Brunson's wrestling. Herman by Decision

Miesha Tate vs. Sara McMann
This is another like Lineker/McCall that is a tough call. Tate has long proven to be the best in the division not named Ronda Rousey and McMann's only loss ever is to Rousey. McMann's strength is clearly in her wrestling, but Tate is probably what you'd call underrated on the ground. I think this is a war wherever it takes place but someone has to escape with a finish to have any credence to stay in the title fight talk and Tate's game is more diverse. Tate by Submission

Main Card
Thiago Alves vs. Jordan Mein
Alves is not the 'Pitbull' of old or this would be an easy call. He doesn't have the power, the speed or the tenacity that he used to. Mein however is coming off a crazy TKO of Mike Pyle that opened a lot of eyes. This is the fight I am most torn on even though the night is loaded with close battles. Alves by Decision

Thales Leites vs. Tim Boetsch
Boetsch is another guy I have never been sold on. But that said, he is a tough, old school, grind em' out guy and that has worked a lot in his UFC career in multiple weight classes. Leites however is in career revival mode and he does not want to see that sputter out with a loss to Tim here. It has been almost 6 years since he challenged for the UFC Middleweight title and has ran through seven straight opponents. Boetsch may be a better choice 85% of the time, but with Leites tear, he knows he can't let up now. Leites by Submission

Joe Lauzon vs. Al Iaquinta
Slugfest. Performance of the Night bonus. It's all going to happen. The question is, is Joe Lauzon smart enough to know when to leave the striking game and work submissions on Al, who is known to get caught? Iaquinta's ground game is solid, but it is not Joe Lauzon good and that should be the difference maker in this fight. However, if Joe is smart enough to avoid the bloody, bloody punching war is still to be seen. Going on a little limb. Iaquinta by KO

Tyron Woodley vs. Kelvin Gastelum
I don't know what it is about Gastelum, but I just don't see this kid losing for a while. Woodley is a huge test, the biggest outside of Uriah Hall that Gastelum has had to come by, but the kid has completed all tests with flying colors. So why doubt against him. Because Tyron Woodley is a killer, that is why. I expect Woodley to come at Gastelum with everything he has and test the kid's chin. But I also think that leads to him getting caught and Gastelum trying to go to work on the ground. I already love this fight. Gastelum by Submission

Anderson Siva vs. Nick Diaz
Look. This isn't a super fight. Bless everyone's heart, but is this really a fight? I'm not convinced Diaz will even be on weight, this might be a fight at 190 or 195 pounds. I just don't see it. I want to. The promos are good. 'Don't be scared homie' and all. But c'mon. No, seriously, c'mon. Silva by TKO

UFC on FOX: Gustafsson vs. Johnson Predictions

Prediction watch
UFC Fight Night McGregor vs. Siver: 8-4
2015 Overall: 13-10
2015 Title fights: 0-1

Now onto the next event!

The undercard

Neil Seery vs. Chris Beal

Seery clearly has a more diverse game, but Beal showed in his last fight just how nasty he can be with his striking. His flying knee KO win in his last fight is something that will have a lot of people talking about Beal this weekend. How can he handle some spotlight, even if he is just in a Fight Pass prelim. A decisive win for Beal could catapult him up the rankings and I think he is still riding the momentum. Beal by TKO

Viktor Pesta vs. Konstantin Erokhin

I dunno. That is honest. Erokhin is making his UFC debut and is heavy handed, winning all but one career fight by knockout. He is the kind of guy that could really make an impression in the division, but Pesta is no slacker himself. Both guys are 9-1 and have decent futures in the UFC but I think that Erokhin is just too powerful. Erokhin by TKO

Mirsad Bektic vs. Paul Redmond

Remond is the underdog here for a season and that reason is Bektic's perfect record. This will be a hard fight to predict even though Bektic has the edge. Redmond by Decision

Mairbeck Taisumov vs. Anthony Christodoulou

Another tossup where I am going to take consistency on two guys that I really don't know. Taisumov by Decision

Andy Ogle vs. Makwan Amirkhani

Ogle has the shakier record, but when you see that four of his five career losses are in the UFC and include questionable decisions to Akira Corassani and Cole Miller, it isn't that bad. Amirkhani is making his UFC debut and hasn't fought anyone of note. Ogle is 1-4 in the UFC coming off his season of The Ultimate Fighter, but has looked impressive in all of those save for a submission loss to Charles Oliveira. Ogle's back is against the wall and that should make him dangerous against the newcomer. Ogle by Decision

Kenny Robertson vs. Sultan Aliev

Both of these guys are pretty similar with one exception. Look for Robertson to take this one too the ground, where he is much more proficient. A slugfest could favor either, but if Robertson can get this to the ground, he has a decent chance to finish the fight or at least ride it out safely. Robertson by Submission

Nico Musoke vs. Albert Tumenov

Tumenov is the favorite but there is just something I have liked about Musoke's game. He is slick and even though he is not a finisher, he did tapout veteran Alessio Sakara in his debut, a submission of the night. Musoke by Decision

Main card
Sam Sicilia vs. Akira Corassani
This is a tough fight for Sicilia and I am not sure it was smart to take. Corassani is unpredictable and fights very up or very down. My guess is that with the Swedish crowd behind him, he will be up. I don't think I am going out on a limb when I say that I expect a war here even though that is Corassani's game. I can see this fight going either way very easily and I don't know that I am at all confident in my pick. Corassani by TKO

Ryan Bader vs. Phil Davis
I worry that this will become an Arizona State vs. Penn State wrestle fest. Davis has championship potential but never shows it when needed. His win over Glover Teixeira was a clinic, but unimpressive. Bader needs this win to stay relevant, which is crazy since he was once one win from a title fight more than likely. Bader's win streak is nice but it has come against mediocre opponents and he hasn't finished anyone for two years. It has been longer since Davis has. This could be a great match but it could also be a snore fest. Either way, this fight is a toss up. Bader by Decision

Dan Henderson vs. Gegard Mousasi
I don't think Henderson has another title run in him, but I do think that in 2015 and every year prior, that Hendo is by far the better fighter here. I think he believes he has another run in him, so expect some bombs. Henderson by TKO

Alexander Gustafsson vs. Anthony Johnson
This is probably the most dangerous matchup that Gustafsson could have chosen for himself if he wants to fight Jon Jones this year. Rumble Johnson may not always be the best but he always has the punchers chance in a big way. This could be interesting but a worry as I don't see Rumble having a shot to take down Jones in a title fight. This will be a war, probably a little bloody, but Gustafsson showed against Jones that he can give it out as well as he can take it and the kid can take a punch. Shockingly, I don't see Rumble's power being able to take out the Swede easy and expect Gustafsson to throw caution to the win to get his rematch. Gustafsson by TKO (for fun, I'm saying 4th round)

UFC Fight Night: McGregor v. Siver Predictions

Prediction Watch
UFC 182: 5-6
2015 Overall: 5-6
2015 Title Matches: 0-1

Now on to the next event!

The undercard
Matt Van Buren vs. Sean O'Connell
Van Buren really is one of those Luke Cummo-esque silent assassins from The Ultimate Fighter. This is a really tight matchup that is fairly evenly matched overall. In the end, I think that reach will be the advantage in a fight that will like stay standing. Van Buren by decision

Tateki Matsuda vs. Joby Sanchez
Sanchez has finished every fight he has won, with a 6-1 record but I think this really is a tossup fight. Matsuda by decision

Charles Rosa vs. Sean Soriano
Soriano has some great experience but Rosa is a finisher with a high submission rate. Rosa is very slick anywhere this fight takes place, even off his back. Rosa by submission

Johnny Case vs. Frankie Perez
Perez is making his UFC debut and Case has a growing fan base of those in the industry in the know. The kid has 23 fights at 25 years old and his experience on all levels. His guillotine in his UFC debut was a thing of beauty and I think he has a future, though probably not at his current weight. Case by TKO

Patrick Holohan vs. Shane Howell
Howell is a strong underdog and I don't care about anything in this fight but the crowd. I am still not sold on Holohan as a prospect with longevity, but this night...in Boston...he rules this one. Holohan by TKO

Zhang Lipeng vs. Chris Wade
Where does this fight go? My guess is that Lipeng does not have the ability to keep it off the ground and he gets in trouble often. Not that I think Wade is a finisher. Wade by decision

John Howard vs. Lorenz Larkin
Can I please get a slugfest? Popular opinion here is that this goes to a decision but I think that is because too many prognosticators won't commit. This one could, should and hopefully will get nasty and violent. However, Howard has me doubting that because of his high-five fest with Uriah Hall that could have been awesome. My guess is he won't let that happen twice and Larkin will also have to throw bombs. Someone is going night-night. Howard by KO

Cathal Pendred vs. Sean Spencer
The UFC so badly wants Pendred to be a power at 170 that can match McGregor's draw. He isn't and he won't be. But they gave him a quite favorable matchup here. Pendred, like all the Irish, will feed off the Boston crowd. He desperately needs an impressive performance and probably a finish here to keep fans interested in the hype. Pendred by decision 

Main card
Norman Parke vs. Gleison Tibau
This is a huge opportunity for Parke and also to show that the entire TUF: The Smashes season was not a waste. He's coming in as the underdog because Tibau has loads and loads of experience in 49 pro fights and still has massively heavy hands. This one too could be a grind them out type of war and could see both men in loads of trouble. While I don't doubt Tibau's strength, I have always been a fan of Parke's versatility. Parke by decision 

Uriah Hall vs. Ron Stallings
Who is Ron Stallings? Does it matter. Hall knows that he has to stop caring about people again. If he can do that mentally, then he is a head smashing machine with cringe inducing power. Hall by KO

Benson Henderson vs. Donald Cerrone
As much as I looked forward to the Alvarez fight, this one should be great too. UFC card #2 for 2015 and Cerrone fight #2 of 2015. He is on the way up, Henderson is on the way down. Bendo needs to win this fight to stay relevant at the top of this division or if he does actually move up to Welterweight. Unfortunately for Cerrone, a win here still probably leaves him a win away from a title shot because of the log jam at 155. I think Bendo gets desperate and Bendo desperate is Bendo reckless. Plus, I made a crucial mistake in not picking 'Cowboy" a couple of weeks ago against Myles Jury. Cerrone by TKO

Conor McGregor vs. Dennis Siver
We know what this. Dennis Siver isn't supposed to win. He can't win, can he? He has been in the UFC since 2007 when McGregor was 19 and had not had a pro fight. In that time, Siver has only lost to six guys and a collection that includes Cub Swanson, Donald Cerrone, Ross Pearson, Melvin Guillard and Gray Maynard isn't so bad. But those names also show that Siver wilts under the pressure. McGregor hasn't lost since 2010 and regardless of who is better here, he would ride the hype, the momentum and the Boston crowd into the night. Lucky for him, he is just better at this stage of his career. Siver is a hulking fighter at any weight, especially 145, but he doesn't have the speed, stamina or youth to keep up with McGregor. Expect Siver to land something, to remind McGregor he is in a fight and not a side show. But that strike won't be significant enough, not even by a little bit. McGregor is just too good for Dennis Siver with a Jose Aldo title shot looming. McGregor by TKO

UFC 182 Predictions

Once upon a time, I tried to predict each UFC event. I wasn't that good at keeping up and actually doing it, so here I am again years later with the goal of keeping up and predicting every event in 2015, starting this weekend's 2015 showcase event: UFC 182: Jones/Cormier.

The undercard
Alexis Dufrense vs. Marion Reneau
I know little about these two, but I know that Dufrense is diverse in her game and can catch you from all angles. Dufrense by TKO

Omari Akhmedov vs. Mats Nilsson
Stumped here. Nilsson by Decision

Evan Dunham vs. Rodrigo Damm
I really want Dunham to win, he was so close to the top of the 155-pound division once, but that seems so long ago now. Damm is a dangerous, dangerous opponent and although Dunham has slipped, this would still be a good name for Damm's resume. For Dunham, a loss likely means a trip to Bellator. Damm by TKO

Shawn Jordan vs. Jared Cannonier
Jordan has some of the heaviest hands in the division and is in a bad mood. Jordan by KO

Marcus Brimage vs. Cody Garbrandt
This one could be a show stealer (minus the main event). Garbrandt is making his UFC debut and is a vicious finisher at 5-0, all by stoppage. Brimage is a grinder who can also throw bombs. He had four straight wins before losing an acceptable loss to Conor McGregor and a sketchy one to Russell Doane. He is already back in the win column and really wants to move up the bantamweight rankings. This one ends early, ends violently. But you have to at least guess experience in one like this. Brimage by TKO

Danny Castillo vs. Paul Felder
Like Brimage/Garbrandt, this fight is free on FS1 and probably one you don't want to miss since it is free. Felder is undefeated and has finished 2/3 of his fights. Castillo can be dangerous, but is the lesser of all of the Alpha Male guys and sometimes just doesn't bring his 'A' game. That could get dangerous. Felder by TKO

Main card
Hector Lombard vs. Josh Burkman
There is a reason Burkman has not been in the UFC for a while and this will showcase it. He is a top notch guy on lower levels but he just can't withstand something that Lombard will bring at him. Lombard by KO

Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Louis Gaudinot
UFC is pushing flyweights down our throat here on the main card to make us care about someone who may someday challenge unsuccessfully for Demetrious Johnson's title. Neither will. And I still won't care. Horiguchi by Decision

Brad Tavares vs. Nate Marquardt
Tavares needs this win to do avoid something that 'Nate the Great,' has already done: become irrelevant. Tavares will never be a top contender but staying ranked has to be a goal here to get more and more high profile match ups. Marquardt is more past his prime than Tank Abbott. Tavares by Decision

Donald Cerrone vs. Myles Jury
Jury has been on a tear, but this is by far his biggest match up. Cerrone's 2014 was stellar and a win here could get him Anthony Pettis sometime in 2015, even though he is about third in line right now. If you read my last blog, you will know I think both of these guys end up with title shots this year, but I don't think Cerrone is taking Jury seriously enough heading into this one. In Cerrone's eyes, Jury isn't undefeated, but I think he's about to find out just how long ago that close decision exhibition loss to Al Iaquinta really was. Jury by TKO

UFC Light Heavyweight Title
Jon Jones (C) vs. Daniel Cormier
If you aren't excited for this, you don't have a pulse. I think this is a very even meeting in that they both do very different things very well. The difference maker here to me is that while both will fight with emotion and anger at different times and maybe the same times, I believe Cormier will be able to harness it more and Jones will get caught being too cocky and too angry. His cockiness almost got the best of him against Vitor Belfort and I think Jones has never been cockier than he will be tomorrow night. Someone is going to get caught slipping either way. Cormier by submission

Who will end 2015 as UFC champions?

With all of the big fights on the horizon this year, the championship situations (pending health) could get very interesting. So here are my, probably bold predictions about who ends 2015 holding UFC gold.

HEAVYWEIGHT - Cain Velasquez

This is one of the easier ones to predict. Cain will clash with Fabricio Werdum soon to get rid of that fake, pops up to often, interim belt. Werdum is a solid heavyweight but I don't think he can compete with the champ. Honestly, give Mark Hunt more time to train and I think he takes Werdum in that interim bout. I think the massive weight loss hurt Hunt more than Werdum could have. I only see Cain fighting twice in 2015 and those will be wins over Werdum and one more decisive victory over Junior Dos Santos, which could be JDS' final shot at gold. It also clears the way for new challengers for Velasquez in 2016, which will include Stipe Miocic, Mark Hunt, Andrei Arlovski and.....see below.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT - Alexander Gustafsson

Four. That is how many times the UFC Light Heavyweight title will be defended in 2015. The first comes tomorrow where I think Daniel Cormier will outclass Jon Jones and take the title from him. After that, Bones will clearly get an immediate rematch and as much as I do not like him, he clearly will deserve one and I think he takes the title back in that rematch, which leaves a clear cut need for a trilogy bout, but not so fast. Gustafsson will take out Anthony Johnson and while Cormier/Jones II pushes him back out of a shot, he will take on and defeat Rashad Evans and Dana White won't be able to ignore the Swede anymore. Gustafsson will get Jones and beat him by decision to take the title. This will send Jones to the heavyweight division for a clash with Cain Velasquez in 2016. Cormier will opt to heal up for the rest of 2015 while Gustafsson beats Ryan Bader for this final defense of the year.

MIDDLEWEIGHT - Anderson Silva

This contradicts my hope for the Silva/Diaz fight this month as I really want Diaz to win and I may even pick him to win before that weekend. But for arguments sake, I really have to go with Silva winning that fight because of his size and experience at 185 pounds. After the win over Diaz, it is silly to make any fight other than Weidman/Silva III after Chris soundly puts away Vitor Belfort. There are plenty of other challengers in the division, but none that stand out. That said, I think Silva KO's Weidman in a rematch, even if it is by fluky strike. Weidman has also been too lucky to avoid the injury bug, so I think after a loss to Silva he will find himself on the shelf for the rest of 2015, having to wait out a title rematch until 2016. Silva will defend the belt one more time to close the year by flattening Jacare Souza. Weidman will be next in line for 2016, followed by Luke Rockhold.

WELTERWEIGHT - Kelvin Gastelum

This was the hardest choice to make in this entire field with a pretty even array of fighters in the division. And so, I am going to go big here. Robbie Lawler will decisively end his feud with Johny Hendricks by knocking him out in the trilogy finale. Shortly after that, the attention of the division will switch to the news that Georges St. Pierre will be making his return to the UFC, but Dana White, still unhappy with GSP, will make him fight someone else first and in turn, Lawler will then successfully defend the title against GSP mate Rory MacDonald. GSP's will want to time his return out right and a warm up fight against Matt Brown won't happen until October, which will keep the longtime division kingpin from a shot at the belt in 2015 even after he defeats Brown. In the meantime, 2015 will see a still unlikely contender feast on Tyron Woodley and Hector Lombard and the year will end is the most unlikely fashion as Kelvin Gastelum will secure an out-of-nowhere rear naked choke that force Robbie Lawler to tap out in the second round and relinquish his title around the holidays.

LIGHTWEIGHT - Anthony Pettis

No lightweight in the world is going to touch Anthony Pettis and I will go even farther and say he will stay healthy in 2015 and go on to defend his title five times to really put him on top of the conversation as the best 155 pounder the UFC has ever seen. I think Rafael Dos Anjos will get the first shot and will get TKO'd in the second round because his defense is just not loose enough to handle the unorthodox striking of Showtime. Next up will be Khabib Nurmagomedov and it will be Showtime's toughest challenge all year. The fight will go five rounds and Showtime will win 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46 after Khabib abandons his takedown plans when Pettis throws on a couple of tight, but barely escapable submissions. Defense three will be against the undefeated Myles Jury who will be coming off a win over Benson Henderson. Pettis stops Jury in this one. The fourth defense will be the returning TJ Grant and and the rust will be apparent for Grant. The fifth defense could be a toss up. For ratings sake, I am saying it is a rematch with Donald Cerrone that will end the same as the first one, But my heart wants this fifth defense to be against Michael Johnson, who could shoot up the 155-rankings this year with some big wins. It all sets up 2016's super fight for Pettis against Jose Aldo.

FEATHERWEIGHT - Frankie Edgar

Why Frankie? Because Jose Aldo leaves the division after one more fight. It is clear what is next for Aldo: Conor McGregor, who will demolish Denis Siver to get a title shot, but will get caught with something spinning in the fifth round of an absolute war with Aldo. McGregor will break his jaw in the loss and sit out almost all, if not all of 2015 to recover, but don't worry he will have UFC gold eventually. In the mean time, the UFC needs a new featherweight champion after Aldo declare the division cleared out and heads to the lightweight division (though an injury will scrap him from a December meeting with Pettis, hence setting up Cerrone for the title shot). The UFC turns to Frankie Edgar/Chad Mendes to crown a new champ and Edgar comes across the victor on the close scorecards. He'll defend the belt one more time to close out 2015 by TKO'ing Ricardo Lamas and setting up a showdown with the returning McGregor in 2016.

BANTAMWEIGHT - TJ Dillashaw

Get used to the look of a little kid on Christmas. Because that is exactly what TJ looks like as he grins at his UFC title belt. But trust me, he's not nice little innocent kid and Dillashaw is going to get vicious this year. He will start the year by finishing an overzealous Renan Barao in the second or third round, then go on to defeat Raphael Assuncao pretty clearly in their long awaited (to Raphael anyway) rematch. With Dominick Cruz still on the shelf for a while longer, John Dodson will make the jump up to 135 for a rematch of their Ultimate Fighter finals fight, but this time Dillashaw is quicker to the draw and gets the TKO in the fifth round. The win will be a great benchmark for Dillashaw's year as a top tier pound for pound fighter and again set up a battle with Alpha Male hater Cruz for 2016. And about Urijah Faber? The Alpha Male leader will leave the 135 pound division and head back up to featherweight to avoid having to fight Dillashaw.

FLYWEIGHT - Demetrious Johnson
A year of rematches awaits Mighty Mouse, who has already cleared out this division. First up will be John Dodson, who has given Johnson his best fight so far at 125 but this one ends the same: a lot of great moments for Dodson, but not enough as Johnson retains by non-controversial decision. He will follow it up by pushing back Ian McCall and Joseph Benavidez in back to back fights that don't make the challengers look like they have anything at all for the 125 pound kingpin. Those fights will finish out the year for Johnson, who will head back up to 135 sometime in 2016 after clearing out the division for a second time with one or two more early defenses in 2016. So there will eventually be a second ever UFC Flyweight champion, I just don't see it happening this year.

WOMEN'S BANTAMWEIGHT - Ronda Rousey
Because honestly, who is going to beat her? Dana White sees the draw in the Cyborg fight and I think eventually money talks and Rousey, who isn't the crazy hot head that Santos and Ortiz are, will move up and either have a catchweight fight or the UFC will add a Featherweight Women's Title just so Rousey/Cyborg can happen and then there can be a second ever UFC Bantamweight Women's Champ. But like with the men's 125-pound title, 2015 isn't that year. Instead, Rousey will take out Cat Zingano in the second round via armbar after isolating Cat's punching power. Rousey will then TKO Bethe Correia, who really doesn't deserve a title shot to begin with. Even though she will want a break to film a movie, I can see the UFC talking Rousey into one more defense for the year and if that happens, it will be a big money fight with Holly Holm.

WOMEN'S STRAW WEIGHT - Rose Namajunas

This title will see three champions in 2015 as the first champion, Carla Esparza will lose the title in her first ever defense to Jonna Jedrzejczyk, who will then go on to successfully defend against Tecia Torres in a wild affair. Esparza will win the belt back, but turn around to lose it to Namajunas almost exactly one year to the date of their first meeting. I expect Namajunas to tackle Jessica Penne and Tecia Torres on her road to another shot and her confidence and striking game will be at all time high so she can take advantage of her second shot at UFC gold. This is an interesting division and I can see the title bouncing around a lot, ala the Light Heavyweight title before Jon Jones first won it from Shogun Rua.

WHAT IT ALL MEANS FOR 2016:
Cain Velasquez vs. Jon Jones
Alexander Gustafsson vs. Daniel Cormier
Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman IV
Kelvin Gastelum vs. Georges St. Pierre
Anthony Pettis vs. Jose Also
Frankie Edgar vs. Conor McGregor
TJ Dillashaw vs. Dominick Cruz
Rondo Rousey vs. Cyborg Santos
Rose Namajunas vs. Joanna Calderwood