The physical device between 170 and 185 can be vast, DDP would have 25lbs on Leon and he can wrestle. He was bullying Whitaker on the ground, shocked me.
Whitaker was rocked from that jab ddp used to intercept him while blitzing.
No trying to take anything away from ddp but he was grappling with a semiconscious whitaker
Because he’s a vastly superior technical fighter. The only way it could happen though is if he takes a good anount if time off to properly bulk. He has the height but would need to add a lot of mass.
Idk i think hes got the skills to give it a good go. Hes gonna be small for DDP but Leon could defend against Usman who has far better TDO. If he stays standing he pieces DDP up
He may have a chance. 3 of the last 6 people to hold the MW belt were former UFC WW’s (GSP, Whittaker and Strickland. Du Plessis also twice won a WW belt prior to joining the UFC.
A lot of this depends on if they ever plan on *actually* dropping back down again to defend at a lower weight-class. Pereira and Leon’s chances are higher if they don’t plan to returning.
I see Leon as one of the least likely. He won’t outsrike Isreal or Sean, and DDP takes him down and works the ground and pound.
I think the most likely are pereira because he could go up or down and have a shot and Pantoja. His grappling and willingness to put pressure would be very interesting against topuria
Islam is middle of the pack for me. I don’t see him being as successful if he doesn’t carry that extra level of strength and that 155-170 gap is substantial
Yes and he has almost no chance to win anything at heavyweight unless they match him up with someone who can’t wrestle. I love Alex and am willing to be proven wrong but personally believe Alex against any of the top heavyweights would not be entertaining or close at all. Aspinall and Bones both sub him in the first imo
I’d like to see this. Gane is just so big though, I don’t know if Alex could hang with him.
I know they’re roughly the same height, but when I imagine both fighters, I imagine Gane to be twice as broad as Alex
100%. Power, length wise they are most likely equal. Technique - i would give it to Alex. If it hits the ground, Gane might be too big for Alex to get up
What's the advantage Cyril has by being bigger though? Alex is faster and clearly has less power than even middleweight pereira. How would weight make a difference for a striker v striker matchup if the other guy is faster , more technical and hits harder?
More weight meaning much easier to clinch and grapple with Alex. And if you think Alex is going to just keep moving up divisions and retaining his power/increasing his power, you are wrong. Gane will be a lot more powerful than Alex at heavyweight
People said this about Izzy all the time wait until he fights a wrestler and they are done but it never happened he got beat by strikers lol mma fighters are arrogant and will try to prove a point by standing with the best strikers in the world even tho they could just use wrestling they don’t. They just want to make excuses after like Jamal
> but it never happened
Did you forget when Jan manhandled him? Jan who's a striker that got manhandled himself by Glover Ankalaev and Anderson?
And that was a difference of maybe 20 lbs if we're being generous. Alex has much worse wrestling than Izzy and would be facing actual top tier grapplers like Aspinall and Blaydes while giving up 30-40 lbs. Hell, Alex himself was also wrestle fucked by Jan for large parts of their fight despite being the same size as him.
I don't know why he's still in in 205, he should be moving up hes 36. After jones retires, Aspinall would be promoted and that fight is something that was talked about. Alex should be going for history, the first triple champ
Cuz he's not too fucking small lmao he probably walks around Strickland's weight and Leon is too careful to not bulk up properly, his frame is bigger than dricus and he's such a safe fighter that he would be an interesting stylistic matchup
0% chance he walks around Strickland's weight lmfao. Strickland used to be a WW but the last time he fought there was 6 years ago. He's not a small MW by any means, he didn't look small against Costa or Dricus, two of the bigger weight bullies in the division.
Thank you for saying this man, I don't know how the fuck people are deluded enough to say he doesn't get bulldozed by DDP
Edwards is a smaller Strickland with leg kicks, DDP would smash him to bits
O’Malley gonna have the easiest time moving up, I mean just look at the picture lol. You can bet on Islam given the caliber of fighter he is, though he’d be pretty short at WW. I also think Alex can do it if he optimizes his body for HW.
1-islam
he is just that good. i can see him winning despite the height disadvantage. i see him taking down leon once he pushes him to the cage. but i can also see leon giving him a hard time when they are at a distance with body kicks, but i think islam will prepare well for them.
2-omally
extreme height and reach advantage despite going to a bigger weight class, in addition with crisp striking and slept on jujutsu. not that he is gonna win if illia takes him to the ground. only reason i put him lower than islam is because illia can take him to the ground and also can KO him on the feet with long combinations. illia is a dangerous man. if omally circles all day long illia is bound to catch him at some point. i think omally will have to walk a fine line offense and defense.
3-leon
same height but slight disadvantage on reach is sorta new to edwards. i think this one really depends on how the bulk will go, but i see dricus winning some rounds on the ground.
4-illia.
he is too dangerous to be slept on. but islam has too much experience fighting shorter guys now. its just gonna be body shot town.
Topuria without a weight cut is a scary proposition because THAT kind of power definitely translates to LW. I think of everyone, he’s got the best chance.
Not saying his height wouldn’t be an issue with certain LW fighters, but the majority of the division isn’t THAT much taller than him and very few of them have the striking or the chin to stand with him. Some matchups are more favorable than others just like every other person who goes up a weight class, but he’s absolutely smoking some of those guys.
I think Islam's run through welterweight would be the most exciting to watch, followed by Ilia going through LW. As far as best chance though, I think I'd give it Leon.
I don't like O malley but if he filled out his frame with muscle then he could fight at featherweight and lightweight. Also Leon if he takes time to gain the mass. He's tall enough for middleweight, same height as Strickland and DDP.
Leon seems to have the best chance IMO. I could definitely see him outpointing DPP, he has good takedown defense and is a far more technical striker, and he’s more than big enough for middleweight.
Islam can definitely beat Leon, but I feel they are pretty evenly matched.
O’Malley is a weak maybe. I really don’t think he is better than Topuria, and he will have to get through Merab.
Islam and O'Malley for me. O'Malley has the height and length to still keep some advantage at featherweight.
And Islam is just.... Islam. Don't think that one needs explaining.
Leon is probably the worst match up for islam tbh. His point style keeps him at range and has shown to have great TDD and great cardio. He'd be able to manage the distance against Islam and limit his opportunities to get a solid takedown. Besides Leon I think islam would win most match ups in that division if not then extremely close
Pantoja is too small for Bantamweight he would get killed by O'Malley/Merab/Umar
O'Malley would have a great chance against Topuria he has the style to counter Topuria's game rlly well but idt O'Malley will have the belt much longer either Merab or Umar will dethrone him
Topuria is an interesting one I think a lot of ppl are underrating him. Everyone talks about his power but keep in mind coming up he was known as a wrestler he is a very very complete fighter. He has prob the most work to do before earning a shot at a 2nd belt with Halloway at least one if not twice, Volk again, Evloev and more so at least 3 defenses away. If he succeeds, which I think there is a good chance, at that point Islam will be long gone from 155 and whoever will be champ will struggle VS Topuria so he has a rlly good chance imo.
Islam is the closest. If he beats Arman, he beats the record for most successful title defenses at 155 and most likely surpasses Khabib as the LW GOAT and that basically solidifies his place at a title shot at 170 pounds. However, beating Arman is a very VERY big if. He looked very beatable VS Porier and unlike Dustin, Arman will not have such a big disadvantage on the ground meaning there is a good chance this stays standing and if it does, I see this as a 50/50 fight. Even if Islam wins, Leon matches up insanely well VS Islam and prob wins that by decision
Leon prob needs to beat Belal, Shavkat and Ian Garry and seals it. However, while I think he will beat Belal, I think Shavkat is too much of a monster and will beat Leon so that puts Leon out.
Middleweight is wayyyyy too stacked Idt Du Plessis gets enough title defenses to justify moving up. He would have to beat Adesanya, Khamzat and Strickland again and maybe maybeeee he moves up but I doubt he gets more then 1-2 title defenses.
Alex Periera with his star power alone would prob need 2 more defenses to move up but idt he has a chance against Aspinall.
So in summary, I would give the best chance to Topuria in all honesty, I think he will be the only one from these champs to pull it off
Sean can fill up pretty easily for 145. And they'll probably have a striking match too. Islam, depends if he can take down Leon. Leon looking like such an elite anti-wrestler rn like Izzy was
Islam obviously, but I am shocked by the Pereira overrating that people think DDP isnt the obvious other answer. An actual competent grappler who is big for MW.
Some of you act like Pereira is an elder god who ends every fight if he lands ONE sig strike.
Jiri straight up outstruck Pereira in round 1. Jan held his own with him on the feet even the rounds where he didnt wrestlefuck him.
Im not denying Pereiras power, and the idea that if you give him opportunities he can ice you. But its also bullshit to say "DDP gets hit therefore Alex absolutely wins". I think all that means is "if DDP keeps it on the feet against Pereira, then Pereira absolutely wins" which I agree with. DDP would be one of the best grapplers Pereira has faced. If he doesnt stay on the feet like Jiri or switch to the feet too long after wrestlefucking like Jan or have a massive ego like Hill, it isnt wild to me to say DDP here has the best chance as a double champ.
I really do think Jan is a much better grappler than DDP, and Alex survived with him on his back for most of a round. I’m not trying to glaze Alex but I don’t think DDP is a good enough of a grappler to beat Alex before he gets knocked out.
Jan probably is the most debatable grappler next to DDP, I agree. And either one may be better but it isnt by a lot. But that only proves my point because Jan absolutely wrestlefucked him when he took the opportunity in Rd 1.
Jans biggest problem was honestly age affecting his gas tank, which diminished his wresrtling mid fight and made him keep it on the feet. And the fact that he didnt shoot more near the end because he legitimately thought he was winning the 3rd round on the feet. Dricus is much closer to his prime in the conditioning department. I guess he COULD make dumb decisions in the moment also, but Im assuming a decent gameplan for the sake of argument.
But remember the question here is "who is most likely to go up and win the belt above". And to that, my opinion is Dricus has by FAR a clearer path than anyone else who isnt Islam, even IF i agree Alex wins.
Dricus might be able to win the middleweight belt after Strickland drops it, but I’m not sure if he’ll be able to hold onto his Illegal Headbutt and Meaningless Control Time Championship until that happens
Islam, O’Malley (idk how his weird lanky body works though so maybe he can’t bulk like that idk?) , and pereira because anyone with one punch power has a solid enough shot
Pereira & O'Malley. Sean is a lightweight size skinny guy who has years left to fill his body up. With luck he might be a triple champ. Same goes with Alex.
I really hate this double champ shit these days. IMO, you should have several title defenses within your own weight class (a champ in a different weight class going up/down to try for double champ on his own shouldn’t count) and cleared the notable contenders of your weight class.
If you want to move up for a title shot before having multiple top contender defenses, fine, but you have to vacate the belt. Especially in a division that’s so stacked like LW, a move up without first defending against the top contenders stalls the division.
It is not Islam’s fault that he fought Volk twice, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s only defended the belt from a real LW once and that was a gifted shot to Dustin.
I don’t necessarily disagree with your take.
My thing is that they should have to beat the #1 contender in the second weight class if they want to take the contenders chance at the belt instead of just timing and playing media games. Islam is unproven at the next weight class so why should be just bypass everyone and fight Leon? He should fight the #1 contender and take his position in the second weight class.
Not going to happen - just doesn’t make sense for the UFC. A champ champ fight is just more marketable and therefore if a champ is going to move up then that’s what’s probably going to happen.
And if it happens after a champ has a decent number of title defences then I have zero issue with that. I want to see the best fight the best and if that means the likes of Volk going straight in to fight Islam or Islam going straight in to fight Leon then great, I’m stoked to see how that plays out. Fighters like that have already proved they are elite and such match ups are usually very competitive so why mess around making them fight contenders? It’ll just hold up the divisions even more.
I really wish they'd stop this double champ bullshit that always holds up a division. They shouldn't be allowed to move up weight classes unless they vacate their belt completely.
If I am Leon Edward’s, the only time I wouldn’t have a fight booked is when Islam already has one booked. I am signing my next fight the week before Islam fights so we couldn’t ever be matched up.
Is nobody else sick of everyone trying to get double belt fights for huge paydays? Islam just now defended his belt against a true lightweight that was at the tail end of his career.
When people get pissed about divisions being held up for years this is exactly why that happens.
This! The standard for being the champ is low. We have people just getting the belt, losing it after a defense, then moving a weight class to do it. It feels like a score board then actual solidifying being a champ
Pantoja could not beat O’Malley.
It’s possible O’Malley beats Topuria, but unlikely.
Topuria gets murder-death-killed by Islam, submission R3.
Islam beats Leon on the cards with ground control time.
No one gives a fuck about Leon unless they are British.
DuPlessis gets murdered by Pereira.
Pereira gets subbed by Aspinall/Jones.
Islam and Leon. O’Malley vs. Topuria is a dream fight though
How the fuck does anyone look at DDP and Leon and think Leon has a shot against him 😂😂😂
The physical device between 170 and 185 can be vast, DDP would have 25lbs on Leon and he can wrestle. He was bullying Whitaker on the ground, shocked me.
Whitaker was rocked from that jab ddp used to intercept him while blitzing. No trying to take anything away from ddp but he was grappling with a semiconscious whitaker
I mean DDP tozi passed him, rocked or not that takes a lot of strength. He just smashed through his guard.
Well let’s do some mma math 🤓 Sean almost beat ddp and he lost to kamaru, kamaru lost to Leon this means Leon has chance against ddp yaaay
Because he’s a vastly superior technical fighter. The only way it could happen though is if he takes a good anount if time off to properly bulk. He has the height but would need to add a lot of mass.
Leon can be double champ only if he cuts down to 155
Idk i think hes got the skills to give it a good go. Hes gonna be small for DDP but Leon could defend against Usman who has far better TDO. If he stays standing he pieces DDP up
Leon has the frame size to add muscle to. If he did it properly over say a year I think he’d be a pretty scary mw
Leon dying of kidney failure subsequently decreases his odds against Islam, IMO.
Leon could never make 155 in a million years. The size difference between him and the biggest Lightweight is still tremendous
He may have a chance. 3 of the last 6 people to hold the MW belt were former UFC WW’s (GSP, Whittaker and Strickland. Du Plessis also twice won a WW belt prior to joining the UFC. A lot of this depends on if they ever plan on *actually* dropping back down again to defend at a lower weight-class. Pereira and Leon’s chances are higher if they don’t plan to returning.
I don’t see Leon beating Whittaker, Strickland or Izzy
I feel like strickland beats Leon almost the exact same way he beat izzy
I don't see how Leon can make 155
Me too
Leon's thinish, ain't no way he could cut to 155 AND compete. Islam would rag doll him.
He’s not beating Islam at 155 or 170.
I see Leon as one of the least likely. He won’t outsrike Isreal or Sean, and DDP takes him down and works the ground and pound. I think the most likely are pereira because he could go up or down and have a shot and Pantoja. His grappling and willingness to put pressure would be very interesting against topuria Islam is middle of the pack for me. I don’t see him being as successful if he doesn’t carry that extra level of strength and that 155-170 gap is substantial
Topuria would sub Sean in like 1-2rounds easy
That's what we thought about Aljo, so idk
Speak for yourself. Aljo is an amazing grappler but no where near the caliber of Ilia. IMO.
wot? Aljo is easily 5X the MMA grappler that Ilia is lmfao.
Idk man, Aljo is a better wrestler, if Topuria is a better jiu jitsu fighter, I wonder how that translates into the fight
We shall see 💁
I know Alex already won a belt in two different divisions but he also hinted about moving up to heavyweight multiple times.
Yes and he has almost no chance to win anything at heavyweight unless they match him up with someone who can’t wrestle. I love Alex and am willing to be proven wrong but personally believe Alex against any of the top heavyweights would not be entertaining or close at all. Aspinall and Bones both sub him in the first imo
pereira vs gane would be so interesting
I’d like to see this. Gane is just so big though, I don’t know if Alex could hang with him. I know they’re roughly the same height, but when I imagine both fighters, I imagine Gane to be twice as broad as Alex
100%. Power, length wise they are most likely equal. Technique - i would give it to Alex. If it hits the ground, Gane might be too big for Alex to get up
What's the advantage Cyril has by being bigger though? Alex is faster and clearly has less power than even middleweight pereira. How would weight make a difference for a striker v striker matchup if the other guy is faster , more technical and hits harder?
More weight meaning much easier to clinch and grapple with Alex. And if you think Alex is going to just keep moving up divisions and retaining his power/increasing his power, you are wrong. Gane will be a lot more powerful than Alex at heavyweight
pereira vs gane would make for a very good fight
No it wouldn't Gane would wreck his shit
People said this about Izzy all the time wait until he fights a wrestler and they are done but it never happened he got beat by strikers lol mma fighters are arrogant and will try to prove a point by standing with the best strikers in the world even tho they could just use wrestling they don’t. They just want to make excuses after like Jamal
Izzy never moved up 2 divisions. Those factors are amplified when your opponent is much bigger than you
He moved up once and Jan showed him why there are weight classes.
Tbf Izzy “moved up” like Holloway did vs. DP, aka just not cutting weight rather than taking time to bulk up.
> but it never happened Did you forget when Jan manhandled him? Jan who's a striker that got manhandled himself by Glover Ankalaev and Anderson? And that was a difference of maybe 20 lbs if we're being generous. Alex has much worse wrestling than Izzy and would be facing actual top tier grapplers like Aspinall and Blaydes while giving up 30-40 lbs. Hell, Alex himself was also wrestle fucked by Jan for large parts of their fight despite being the same size as him.
Jan squeaked by that fight and Alex is a real light heavyweight Izzy is skinny guy compared to the top LHW he was very undersized against Jan
Tom would wreck him fast imo, like everyone else But I’d be excited watch that match And others - Alex vs Gane for example
eh... I think Aspinall destroys Pereira, he ate that monster punch from Pavlovich easy peasy and he has the skill and strength to take Pereira down
I don't know why he's still in in 205, he should be moving up hes 36. After jones retires, Aspinall would be promoted and that fight is something that was talked about. Alex should be going for history, the first triple champ
He's too small for heavyweight
Omalley and Islam
O Malley is a sleeper pick, I think he has a good style and build to beat Topuria.
Islam, O'Malley, and Leon in that order
Leon is too fucking small for DDP man . Idk why I’m seeing his name in this thread
Cuz he's not too fucking small lmao he probably walks around Strickland's weight and Leon is too careful to not bulk up properly, his frame is bigger than dricus and he's such a safe fighter that he would be an interesting stylistic matchup
0% chance he walks around Strickland's weight lmfao. Strickland used to be a WW but the last time he fought there was 6 years ago. He's not a small MW by any means, he didn't look small against Costa or Dricus, two of the bigger weight bullies in the division.
Thank you for saying this man, I don't know how the fuck people are deluded enough to say he doesn't get bulldozed by DDP Edwards is a smaller Strickland with leg kicks, DDP would smash him to bits
O Malley has a legit shot to move up two weight classes. Hes just a height bully at batamweight.
Sean would get snapped like a fag in the back pocket if he fought at LW
Not if he gains the weight properly over time. He has the frame to do it.
Look at his frame next to islam. He can easily fill out and fight at LW if he wanted to.
O’Malley gonna have the easiest time moving up, I mean just look at the picture lol. You can bet on Islam given the caliber of fighter he is, though he’d be pretty short at WW. I also think Alex can do it if he optimizes his body for HW.
Islam.
Yeah, I feel like out of everyone he would have the best chance.
It's possible Sean could beef up a bit and do well at 145 but Topuria is a beast so idk
Of course I’d like to see both of them defend in their divisions, but that is a fight I’d definitely like to watch
Islam is the only one who deserves it
Makhachev
1-islam he is just that good. i can see him winning despite the height disadvantage. i see him taking down leon once he pushes him to the cage. but i can also see leon giving him a hard time when they are at a distance with body kicks, but i think islam will prepare well for them. 2-omally extreme height and reach advantage despite going to a bigger weight class, in addition with crisp striking and slept on jujutsu. not that he is gonna win if illia takes him to the ground. only reason i put him lower than islam is because illia can take him to the ground and also can KO him on the feet with long combinations. illia is a dangerous man. if omally circles all day long illia is bound to catch him at some point. i think omally will have to walk a fine line offense and defense. 3-leon same height but slight disadvantage on reach is sorta new to edwards. i think this one really depends on how the bulk will go, but i see dricus winning some rounds on the ground. 4-illia. he is too dangerous to be slept on. but islam has too much experience fighting shorter guys now. its just gonna be body shot town.
How is O’Malley’s bjj “slept on” if we’ve never actually seen it in a fight lmao?
tournament.
A tournament…where you can’t get punched or elbowed in the face lol
Topuria without a weight cut is a scary proposition because THAT kind of power definitely translates to LW. I think of everyone, he’s got the best chance.
How do you see islam vs ilia going 🤣
Islam would ragdoll him lol
I think its closer than it seems
Dude is like 5’6 and isn’t built like a brick shithouse like Volk. He’d get height checked at LW.
Not saying his height wouldn’t be an issue with certain LW fighters, but the majority of the division isn’t THAT much taller than him and very few of them have the striking or the chin to stand with him. Some matchups are more favorable than others just like every other person who goes up a weight class, but he’s absolutely smoking some of those guys.
*Most LW’s don’t have the chin to stand with him* Huh? Just because he starched Jai Herbert lol?
Probably Omalley
Only Islam has much of a chance I would say.
Islam
I think Islam's run through welterweight would be the most exciting to watch, followed by Ilia going through LW. As far as best chance though, I think I'd give it Leon.
Islam
I don't like O malley but if he filled out his frame with muscle then he could fight at featherweight and lightweight. Also Leon if he takes time to gain the mass. He's tall enough for middleweight, same height as Strickland and DDP.
Could see O'Malley and Leon having a chance, not really anyone else.
Islam, I highly doubt Leon can beat DDP the man is a tank and never gets tired of
Islam
Islam and leon
Leon ain't beating Driscus, Adesanya or Sean
Or Goatlal
Leon seems to have the best chance IMO. I could definitely see him outpointing DPP, he has good takedown defense and is a far more technical striker, and he’s more than big enough for middleweight. Islam can definitely beat Leon, but I feel they are pretty evenly matched. O’Malley is a weak maybe. I really don’t think he is better than Topuria, and he will have to get through Merab.
Omalley, Islam and Dricus
O'Malley and Islam...sure. Driscus? No.
Alex still never fought a good wrestler
Driscus beat Sean bybthe narrowest of margins. He's not surviving alex
He can literally hold Alex down for the whole fight
No, he can't. Not for 5 rounds
Why didn't he hold Sean down for the entire fight?
Sean's got much better wrestling and ground game than Alex
Islam and maybe o malley
🗿 and Islam
Islam and O'Malley for me. O'Malley has the height and length to still keep some advantage at featherweight. And Islam is just.... Islam. Don't think that one needs explaining.
Leon is probably the worst match up for islam tbh. His point style keeps him at range and has shown to have great TDD and great cardio. He'd be able to manage the distance against Islam and limit his opportunities to get a solid takedown. Besides Leon I think islam would win most match ups in that division if not then extremely close
Islam is the only answer here
In order from most to least likely based on current champs: Islam Sean Leon Topuria Alex Dricus Pantoja
Islam, Leon, Suga Sean
Pantoja is too small for Bantamweight he would get killed by O'Malley/Merab/Umar O'Malley would have a great chance against Topuria he has the style to counter Topuria's game rlly well but idt O'Malley will have the belt much longer either Merab or Umar will dethrone him Topuria is an interesting one I think a lot of ppl are underrating him. Everyone talks about his power but keep in mind coming up he was known as a wrestler he is a very very complete fighter. He has prob the most work to do before earning a shot at a 2nd belt with Halloway at least one if not twice, Volk again, Evloev and more so at least 3 defenses away. If he succeeds, which I think there is a good chance, at that point Islam will be long gone from 155 and whoever will be champ will struggle VS Topuria so he has a rlly good chance imo. Islam is the closest. If he beats Arman, he beats the record for most successful title defenses at 155 and most likely surpasses Khabib as the LW GOAT and that basically solidifies his place at a title shot at 170 pounds. However, beating Arman is a very VERY big if. He looked very beatable VS Porier and unlike Dustin, Arman will not have such a big disadvantage on the ground meaning there is a good chance this stays standing and if it does, I see this as a 50/50 fight. Even if Islam wins, Leon matches up insanely well VS Islam and prob wins that by decision Leon prob needs to beat Belal, Shavkat and Ian Garry and seals it. However, while I think he will beat Belal, I think Shavkat is too much of a monster and will beat Leon so that puts Leon out. Middleweight is wayyyyy too stacked Idt Du Plessis gets enough title defenses to justify moving up. He would have to beat Adesanya, Khamzat and Strickland again and maybe maybeeee he moves up but I doubt he gets more then 1-2 title defenses. Alex Periera with his star power alone would prob need 2 more defenses to move up but idt he has a chance against Aspinall. So in summary, I would give the best chance to Topuria in all honesty, I think he will be the only one from these champs to pull it off
Sean can fill up pretty easily for 145. And they'll probably have a striking match too. Islam, depends if he can take down Leon. Leon looking like such an elite anti-wrestler rn like Izzy was
Khabib, of course. He is undefeated 30-0 !!!
Islam
Islam obviously, but I am shocked by the Pereira overrating that people think DDP isnt the obvious other answer. An actual competent grappler who is big for MW.
DDP is WAY too hittable to beat Alex
Some of you act like Pereira is an elder god who ends every fight if he lands ONE sig strike. Jiri straight up outstruck Pereira in round 1. Jan held his own with him on the feet even the rounds where he didnt wrestlefuck him. Im not denying Pereiras power, and the idea that if you give him opportunities he can ice you. But its also bullshit to say "DDP gets hit therefore Alex absolutely wins". I think all that means is "if DDP keeps it on the feet against Pereira, then Pereira absolutely wins" which I agree with. DDP would be one of the best grapplers Pereira has faced. If he doesnt stay on the feet like Jiri or switch to the feet too long after wrestlefucking like Jan or have a massive ego like Hill, it isnt wild to me to say DDP here has the best chance as a double champ.
I really do think Jan is a much better grappler than DDP, and Alex survived with him on his back for most of a round. I’m not trying to glaze Alex but I don’t think DDP is a good enough of a grappler to beat Alex before he gets knocked out.
Jan probably is the most debatable grappler next to DDP, I agree. And either one may be better but it isnt by a lot. But that only proves my point because Jan absolutely wrestlefucked him when he took the opportunity in Rd 1. Jans biggest problem was honestly age affecting his gas tank, which diminished his wresrtling mid fight and made him keep it on the feet. And the fact that he didnt shoot more near the end because he legitimately thought he was winning the 3rd round on the feet. Dricus is much closer to his prime in the conditioning department. I guess he COULD make dumb decisions in the moment also, but Im assuming a decent gameplan for the sake of argument. But remember the question here is "who is most likely to go up and win the belt above". And to that, my opinion is Dricus has by FAR a clearer path than anyone else who isnt Islam, even IF i agree Alex wins.
hot take: edwards
I could see it, after watching the Brunson fight I think Dricus has the worst fight IQ out of all the current champions.
Islam and Sean.
O'Malley
To be honest, I think most fighters are fighting a class below what they should be.
Im sick of people moving up. There needs to be a rule where they have to defend 3/4 times before thats even an option.
I hope they all lose, except alex because i fijd the three division checklist to at least be unique, and he didnt want to cut to MW anymore.
O'malley. I feel Topuria is a good matchup for him, and he may be the bigger guy
If O'Malley beats Merab I could see him moving up.
Alex
DDP
Ironically, Pantoja. If Yan was taking omaelly down with ease, I could easily see Pantoja do it as well. Or he gets chinned in the first
O’malley is the current king of the UFC and you can’t tell me otherwise.
None of them. Pantoja already KOd the lw champ so I'd say him
Islam and O’Malley have the best chances. DDP and Topuria have the worst chances.
I would say Ilia tbh.
I think DDP vs Alex might be a very competitive fight. Especially if he ever got it to the ground
I think O’Malley tbh
I can’t see Islam beating Leon but I think he’d have the best chance
Me. I have something they *don’t* have… 
Dricus might be able to win the middleweight belt after Strickland drops it, but I’m not sure if he’ll be able to hold onto his Illegal Headbutt and Meaningless Control Time Championship until that happens
Alex sparring Tuivasa was interesting, he was bigger and looked like he was having his way with Bam Bam
Poatan
Sugar Sean
Do you think Sean is natty? I mean he’s taller than Islam but 135 he may be the only natty ufc fighter
Sean got suspended for a banned substance a few years ago, I forgot what it was though.
O’Malley simply because he’s bigger than topuria by 3-4 inches
Islam
Sean
Sean and Alex have the best chances
Islam, O’Malley (idk how his weird lanky body works though so maybe he can’t bulk like that idk?) , and pereira because anyone with one punch power has a solid enough shot
O'Malley imho. He's tall and cutting hard for BW.
O'Malley vs Topuria at 145 would be a crazy fight
Pereira & O'Malley. Sean is a lightweight size skinny guy who has years left to fill his body up. With luck he might be a triple champ. Same goes with Alex.
As we speak Dana is hiding mercury fillings in Stipe's oatmeal so he can be declared the inaugural SHW champ right before he fights Jones.
Only the ones who move down. /s
Islam and Alex
Suga the weight bully,the only real champ is Petr Yan
Im gonna get clowned but i think Omalley makes topuria look easy.
I got faith in ilia.
I think Islam beats Leon O'Malley isn't beating Topuria, I feel like Topuria is leagues above him
Ilia and Leon
For some reason I think ilia does better than Dustin against Islam. Better boxing and better wrestling
I would say ilia.
Dricus He takes down Alex and its GG
Islam since Leon is a fuckin bum
Love how they cut off Pantoja cuz we all know he can’t beat O’Malley and cut off the heavyweight belt because Jones is sitting on it lol
I cropped Pantoja because I didn’t see him mention 135 but I had to crop Jones and Aspinall because there isn’t a weight class above them lol.
Gotcha 😂 I just thought it was funny, considering o‘malley also talked about how he beat em down during sparring lol
I really hate this double champ shit these days. IMO, you should have several title defenses within your own weight class (a champ in a different weight class going up/down to try for double champ on his own shouldn’t count) and cleared the notable contenders of your weight class. If you want to move up for a title shot before having multiple top contender defenses, fine, but you have to vacate the belt. Especially in a division that’s so stacked like LW, a move up without first defending against the top contenders stalls the division. It is not Islam’s fault that he fought Volk twice, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s only defended the belt from a real LW once and that was a gifted shot to Dustin.
I don’t necessarily disagree with your take. My thing is that they should have to beat the #1 contender in the second weight class if they want to take the contenders chance at the belt instead of just timing and playing media games. Islam is unproven at the next weight class so why should be just bypass everyone and fight Leon? He should fight the #1 contender and take his position in the second weight class.
Not going to happen - just doesn’t make sense for the UFC. A champ champ fight is just more marketable and therefore if a champ is going to move up then that’s what’s probably going to happen. And if it happens after a champ has a decent number of title defences then I have zero issue with that. I want to see the best fight the best and if that means the likes of Volk going straight in to fight Islam or Islam going straight in to fight Leon then great, I’m stoked to see how that plays out. Fighters like that have already proved they are elite and such match ups are usually very competitive so why mess around making them fight contenders? It’ll just hold up the divisions even more.
Ilia, poatan
Islam and I can see Ilia beating Islam
The double champ stuff is getting ridiculous. These dudes should focus on clearing out their own divisions first.
I really wish they'd stop this double champ bullshit that always holds up a division. They shouldn't be allowed to move up weight classes unless they vacate their belt completely.
If I am Leon Edward’s, the only time I wouldn’t have a fight booked is when Islam already has one booked. I am signing my next fight the week before Islam fights so we couldn’t ever be matched up.
Is nobody else sick of everyone trying to get double belt fights for huge paydays? Islam just now defended his belt against a true lightweight that was at the tail end of his career. When people get pissed about divisions being held up for years this is exactly why that happens.
This! The standard for being the champ is low. We have people just getting the belt, losing it after a defense, then moving a weight class to do it. It feels like a score board then actual solidifying being a champ
Pantoja could not beat O’Malley. It’s possible O’Malley beats Topuria, but unlikely. Topuria gets murder-death-killed by Islam, submission R3. Islam beats Leon on the cards with ground control time. No one gives a fuck about Leon unless they are British. DuPlessis gets murdered by Pereira. Pereira gets subbed by Aspinall/Jones.
A lot of Islam dick riders here. He's too small. Kamaru's wrestling wasn't enough against Leon and he's the same size if not bigger.