Brian Ortega

UFC champions that are likely to lose in 2021

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Corey Anderson

2020 was a great year if you were a UFC champion. Not a single champion lost their title in a title fight during 2020. There were some vacated title, however, nobody lost their title inside the octagon.

I don’t believe we are going to see the same thing for the UFC champions in 2021. There are some stacked divisions in the UFC and there are champions that have incredibly tough title defenses ahead of them.

There are a few champions who aren’t even going to be favored in their next title defense. Even if the champions get through their first difficult defense, many divisions have even tougher matchups awaiting the champions.

With that, I wanted to go through the divisions and pick out some UFC champions that I believe are at the highest risk in 2021. Some titles won’t change hands in 2021 while others are almost guarantees in my opinion.

Three UFC champions that will lose in 2021

Stipe Miocic

The first champion and in my opinion the most likely champion that I see losing his UFC title in 2021 is Stipe Miocic (20-3). The greatest heavyweight in the promotions history has a nightmare of a year in front of him in 2021.

Miocic’s first title defense will come against Francis Ngannou (15-3). The fight is a rematch from UFC 220. That night saw Miocic completely dominate Ngannou and overwhelm the dangerous challenger.

However, I believe that the rematch is going to go differently. Ngannou has rededicated himself to his career and I believe he’s going to enter their title fight better than ever. I can’t say the same thing for the UFC heavyweight champion.

I’m not sure we are going to see the best version of Stipe Miocic whenever they fight. Stipe is definitely capable of winning, but he’s going to need to be the best version of himself. Anything short of it and he’s getting put to sleep.

Let’s say that Stipe Miocic makes it through Ngannou. Well, then he has to face the greatest of all time in Jon Jones (26-1, 1 NC). Jones is moving to heavyweight after dominating the UFC’s light heavyweight division for over a decade.

So if Miocic makes it through Ngannou, he has an even tougher task in front of him in defeating Jon Jones. With those two challenges in front of him, I don’t see Miocic making it out of 2021 with the UFC heavyweight title.

Jan Blachowicz

The next UFC champion that will fall in 2021 is the new light heavyweight champion, Jan Blachowicz (27-8). Blachowicz has completely turned his career around the last few years and it culminated at UFC 253.

That night, Blachowicz took on Dominick Reyes (12-2) for the light heavyweight title. Reyes was the favorite, however, Blachowicz used his famous Polish Power to dominate Reyes and capture the title.

Blachowicz has all of the makings to be a UFC champion that could reign for a while. However, he has a nightmare of a matchup in his first defense. He will be taking on the middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya (20-0), at UFC 259.

Adesanya is moving up to try and become a two-division UFC champion. I believe this is an awful matchup for Blachowicz. The light heavyweight champion is going to go have to either grapple Adesanya or catch him with one big shot.

He’s definitely got the power to put Adesanya out, but in a pure striking matchup, I think he’s going to get lit up. While it’s been a great story, I think the reign of the Polish Power ends at UFC 259 at the hands of Israel Adesanya.

Alexander Volkanovski

The final UFC champion that I will touch on is the featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski (22-1). Volkanovski has been on an incredible run inside the octagon and he’s going to be defending his featherweight title for the second time in early 2021.

Volkanovski’s first title defense came at UFC 251 against former champion, Max Holloway (21-6). In the eyes of most, Holloway won that fight, but two of the judges gave the fight to Volkanovski.

It marked the second straight win for Volkanovski over Holloway. Had it not been the second straight win, we’d likely have seen an immediate rematch. Nevertheless, the division is moving forward to start the year.

First up for Volkanovski will be Brian Ortega (15-1, 1 NC). Ortega is fresh off of his victory over The Korean Zombie back in October. In my opinion, the Brian Ortega we saw that night was the best featherweight in the UFC.

His striking had gotten so much better since the last time we saw him. He’s big, he’s elite on the ground and now his striking is developed. He’s going to be an extremely tough out for the UFC champion.

However, should Volkanovski get by Ortega, there’s a number of difficult fights. I could see him having to fight Holloway again and after the second fight, I might lean towards Max Holloway in the trilogy.

Another tough fight for Volkanovski could be Zabit Magomedsharipov (18-1). Zabit didn’t fight in 2020, however, he’s looked at as one of the best contenders in the division. Zabit could cause a lot of problems for Volkanovski.

Out of the three champions I’ve listed, Volkanovski would be the one I’m the least surprised by keeping his UFC title. However, with the guys lined up behind him, I would bet on him falling in 2021.

State of the UFC’s featherweight division entering 2021

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One of the more dynamic divisions in the UFC over the last decade has been the featherweight division. The division had it’s first title fight back in 2011 when Jose Aldo (29-7) fought Mark Hominick at UFC 129.

Prior to that the featherweight division had been in the WEC. After the featherweight division moved over to the UFC, the division was ruled by Aldo until the end of 2015 when Conor McGregor knocked Aldo out in the first round.

While Aldo did end up winning an interim featherweight title after McGregor left the division, once Aldo’s reign was over, we transitioned to the blessed era. Max Holloway (21-6) became UFC featherweight champion in 2016.

Holloway went on a run that saw him beat Anthony Pettis, Aldo (Twice), Frankie Edgar, and Brian Ortega (15-1, 1 NC). However, the Blessed Express finally fell last December to the new king, Alexander Volkanovski (22-1).

Volkanovski entered UFC 245 as a betting underdog to Holloway. However, he used a steady attack to dethrone the featherweight king. The two ran things back at UFC 251 with Volkanovski barely edging Holloway by split decision.

With two consecutive wins over Max Holloway, Volkanovski is ready for new challenges in the UFC‘s featherweight division in 2021. Fortunately for him, it’s a division full of killers which is promising for a big year.

UFC’s featherweight division in 2021

Starting at the top, we should expect to see a UFC featherweight title fight pretty quickly in 2021. After Brian Ortega completely dominated Chan Sung Jung (16-6), he’s earned the next shot at Volkanovski.

Dana White has said that the title fight between those two will likely take place in February. The former champion, Holloway, is still near the top of the division. Holloway will kick off the UFC‘s action in 2021 on Fight Island.

UFC Fight Island 7 is being headlined by Holloway as he takes on Calvin Kattar (22-4). Kattar has risen to the top of the division having only lost once in the last couple of years. Whoever wins that fight should be in a really good position in the division.

The one UFC contender people need to watch out for is Zabit Magomedsharipov (18-1). The Russian didn’t get to fight in 2020 and he’s not currently booked, but he’s been perfect at 6-0 since joining the UFC.

Had he picked up a win in 2020, he could’ve gotten a title shot before Brian Ortega. I would expect the UFC to get Zabit a fight relatively early in 2021. The top contender needs to get back in the octagon sooner than later.

The featherweight division is absolutely stacked and Volkanovski is going to have his hands full in 2021. To be completely honest, I really don’t know who will leave 2021 as the UFC featherweight champion. Should be a very fun year in that weight class.

UFC books Max Holloway – Calvin Kattar

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The UFC announced today a banger of a matchup that will take place on January 16th. Former featherweight champion, Max Holloway (26-6), will be returning against Calvin Kattar (22-4) in the headliner of the January 16th card.

It will be Holloway’s first matchup since he lost in a controversial way to Alexander Volkanovski back in July. The former UFC champion fought the current champion to a razor close split decision. Many, including Dana White, felt that Holloway won the fight.

With Holloway having fought Volkanovski twice in a row, the UFC decided not to run the fight back. Many have been wondering who the blessed express will take on next, and now we got our answer.

Back on the first trip to Fight Island, Calvin Kattar also competed. He headlined a card with Dan Ige. The two men fought in a war that Kattar took by unanimous decision. It was Kattar’s second consecutive win.

UFC January 16th

Both of these men are itching to get to the UFC title. Holloway is looking to get back to try to fight Volkanovski for a third time. Meanwhile, Kattar is looking to secure the biggest win of his career in this matchup with Holloway.

Since October of 2018, the only man to have gotten the better of Kattar in the UFC was Zabit Magomedsharipov. However, many people believe that Kattar would have won that fight if it would have been a traditional five round main event.

Instead, Zabit’s early lead carried him to the decision over Kattar. Kattar has looked sensational as of late. However, he’s going to get the biggest test of his career against Max Holloway.

The former champion is one of the very best in the world. Since 2013, Holloway has only lost to Volkanovski, Dustin Poirier, and Conor McGregor. If he’s able to knock off Kattar on January 16th, he might be next in line after Brian Ortega.

UFC’s Volkanovski vs Bellator’s Pitbull: Who’s the best featherweight?

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This past week at Bellator 252, Patricio Pitbull Freire (31-4) knocked out Pedro Carvalho to defend his featherweight crown. After the fight was over, Pitbull and Scott Coker both claimed that Pitbull was the best featherweight in the world.

Of course these comments were met with some criticism. Including from current UFC featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski (22-1). Volkanovski just rolled his eyes in a Tweet after hearing the comments from the Bellator champion.

There has been a lot of debate in the MMA community about the UFC’s champions and Bellator‘s champions. Now, most if not all of the time, people are going to say that the UFC has the best champion.

The arguments are completely justified considering the talent pool in the UFC compared to Bellator. There is no questioning the fact that it’s tougher to get to the UFC crown versus getting to the Bellator crown.

However, Patricio Pitbull definitely belongs in the conversation as one of the best in the world. He’s currently ranked fourth in the world according to ESPN’s MMA divisional rankings. So the question is, how would Pitbull do in the UFC?

UFC vs Bellator

Conventional wisdom would give Volkanovski a huge advantage over Pitbull considering the competition level. Pitbull has had some tough fights in Bellator, but those have mainly come at lightweight versus featherweight.

It should also be known that Pitbull has been defeated at featherweight in Bellator (Daniel Straus). Volkanovski has never lost in the UFC’s featherweight division. If Pitbull was to go over to the UFC, how would he do?

The crazy thing is, I think Pitbull has a better chance against Volkanovski than he does against other top UFC contenders. Pitbull has a ton of power and is basically the same size as Alexander Volkanovski.

We’ve seen the UFC champion hurt at times, particularly in his last fight with Max Holloway. Neither man is unbeatable, and I think Pitbull would have a good chance at beating Volkanovski. Not saying he would, but he’d have a shot.

However, given his style, I think Pitbull would struggle with other guys in the division. I think Max Holloway and Brian Ortega are bad matchups for Pitbull. Frankly, I think Brian Ortega is a bad matchup for anyone in the world right now at featherweight.

At the end of the day, Pitbull belongs in the conversation with the best in the UFC. However, he is not the best featherweight in the world. Unfortunately for him, he cannot lay claim to that title while fighting in Bellator.

The competition level just isn’t there. There is one clear best featherweight in the world right now, and that is Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski. That is my opinion, but there is an argument for both sides.

Brian Ortega’s transformation has led him to a UFC title shot

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Brian Ortega, UFC

This past Saturday at UFC Fight Island 6, we saw a new and improved Brian Ortega (15-1, 1 NC). Ortega hadn’t fought in nearly two years, and I figured he might be a little rusty. His opponent Chan Sung Jung (16-6) appeared to be the favorite entering Saturday.

Ortega has always been known for his slick skills on the ground. His guillotine chokes are legendary. However, his striking always seemed to be lacking behind. He showed promise in that area especially when he knocked out former UFC champion, Frankie Edgar.

However, most believed that a standup fight would favor the Korean Zombie on Saturday. What we saw at UFC Fight Island 6 was the complete transformation and evolution of T-City. Brian Ortega looked like a world beater on Saturday night.

From the opening bell, Ortega controlled the striking. With leg kicks from the outside and crisp shots down the middle, Ortega never allowed TKZ to get comfortable. When the Zombie charged forward in round two, he was met with a spinning elbow that floored him.

Ortega completely dominated the fight from the opening bell to the closing bell. I figured if the fight remained standing, the Zombie would have a big advantage. However, Ortega proved me and all of his doubters wrong on his way to securing a UFC title shot.

Clarity in the UFC’s featherweight division

The UFC‘s featherweight division has been in a little bit of a limbo state over the last few months. The champion, Alexander Volkanovski, just defeated Max Holloway for the second time back at UFC 251. Holloway had earned an immediate rematch after losing the title in December.

The fight was razor close, however, the judges gave the nod to the current UFC champion. With those two having fought back-to-back, there needed to be a new top contender. The UFC booked two fights that could produce a number one contender.

Due to injuries, the only fight that came to fruition occurred at UFC Fight Island 6. Brian Ortega is the new number one contender in the featherweight division, and he’s going to pose some problems for Alexander Volkanovski with the way he looks now.

What’s next for Chan Sung Jung after UFC Fight Island 6?

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The Korean Zombie is one of the more popular fighters in the UFC‘s featherweight division. His dynamic striking and power along with his incredible heart make him a fan favorite. However, he didn’t show off what makes him special this past Saturday.

At UFC Fight Island 6, Chan Sung Jung (16-6) really struggled in his fight against Brian Ortega (15-1, 1 NC). Ortega had been out of the cage for nearly two years while the Zombie had been relatively active last fighting in December.

However, it looked like Jung was the fighter who had been inactive. All night long, Jung stayed on the outside and didn’t appear aggressive. Ortega used his improved striking to just pick apart Chan Sung Jung from the outside. Jung was even dropped twice.

In the end, the judges gave the shutout victory to Ortega at UFC Fight Island 6. A fight that was billed to be a war ended up being a largely one-sided affair. It was a big disappointment for the Korean Zombie. So what’s next for Chan Sung Jung inside the octagon.

What does the UFC do with TKZ?

Losing to the top contender in the division doesn’t set Jung back to far. However, it is disappointing as Jung was hoping to secure a UFC title shot with his victory. The one-sided nature of the loss will cause him to have to put together a string of wins to get back into the title picture.

In looking at the UFC‘s featherweight division, I think a decent next option could be a matchup with Josh Emmett (16-2). Emmett has won three straight and five out of his last six to get to the seventh ranking in the division.

Emmett is coming off of a bad knee injury, but he recently started resuming training. Jung didn’t appear to have any serious injuries, but it will take him a bit to recover from the loss. I think pairing these two could be a very good option for the UFC.

Brian Ortega dominates TKZ at UFC Fight Island 6

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Brian Ortega, UFC

The UFC hosted their sixth fight night from Fight Island tonight. The night was filled with incredible fights, but everyone was interested in the main event of the evening. Brian Ortega (15-1, 1 NC) was finally set to take on The Korean Zombie, Chan Sung Jung (16-6).

There was some bad blood leading up to their contest at UFC Fight Island 6. Dana White also said earlier this week that the winner of this contest would be the number one contender. The UFC‘s featherweight champion and the world had their eyes on this one.

Both men were very measured as the action got underway. Ortega started the striking off with a few powerful leg kicks. Jung wasn’t able to get in range early on in the UFC Fight Island 6 main event. Ortega looked sensational in the striking with straight shots and leg kicks.

Just before the first round ended, Ortega dropped Jung with a big left hook. A big first round for Brian Ortega. The second round started very similarly to the first. However, Jung really pressed forward and landed some good shots to get the action started in the second.

Ortega tried for a takedown in the first couple of minutes, but Jung defended nicely. Jung looked much more comfortable and confident in the second round. His pressure wasn’t letting Ortega get his striking off. Jung landed a very nice uppercut which got Ortega’s attention late in the second.

With about a minute left in the round, Ortega dropped Jung with a massive spinning elbow. Jung got back up and the two men traded massive shots. Ortega landed a takedown which sealed the second round for Brian Ortega.

All Brian Ortega

As the third round got underway in the UFC Fight Island 6 main event, both men seemed a little tentative. After that spinning elbow in round two, both men took some massive shots. Ortega went back to work with leg kicks and jabs.

The Korean Zombie looked really tentative after he got hurt. Ortega really controlled the third round with solid shots. There was limited action in the third, however, Ortega was able to bank his third round by pulling away on strikes.

In the fourth round, Jung really attempted to turn up the pressure, however, Ortega was still controlling the striking. Ortega shot in for a takedown and in the process he landed a massive right that cut Jung. He followed that up with a massive elbow that staggered Jung.

Ortega was looking ready for another UFC title shot in this one entering the fifth round. Jung started the fifth with pressure sensing that he was done 4-0. However, Ortega’s ability to mix things up really kept throwing the Korean Zombie off.

Ortega continued to snap Jung’s head back with straight left hands. Jung tried to close the distance, but Ortega was just touching him up. Ortega’s jabs, kicks, and straight lefts flustered Jung throughout the fifth. I had it 5-0 for Ortega and the judges gave him the fight (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)

UFC Fight Island 6 Fallout

UFC Fight Island 6 was a massive statement for Brian Ortega. In his first fight in almost two years, Ortega looked absolutely sensational. He didn’t even look like the same fighter that lost in his UFC title shot against Max Holloway.

His striking was crisp and his defense looked great. This version of Brian Ortega is going to be a massive problem for anyone in the UFC‘s featherweight division. That includes the current champion, Alexander Volkanovski. Ortega’s next fight is going to come against Volkanovski.

For the Korean Zombie, this was a crushing defeat. Many people, including myself, thought Jung was going to have the striking to carry him to a decision. However, that just wasn’t the case. Jung is still a top contender, but he was just outclassed tonight.

UFC Fight Island 6 Preview: Will Ortega or Jung become number one contender?

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Brian Ortega, UFC

One of the most highly anticipated UFC fights of the fall comes our way tomorrow night. Top featherweight contenders Brian Ortega (14-1, 1 NC) and Chan Sung Jung (16-5) will battle to determine who is the top contender in the UFC‘s featherweight division.

This fight was initially scheduled to take place back in December of 2019. However, due to an injury, Ortega was unable to compete. At that December event, Jung took on Frankie Edgar and knocked Edgar out in the first round of their fight.

These two men have had a ton of bad blood leading up to UFC Fight Island 6. They do not like each other, and there is a ton on the line in this matchup. Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has already made it known that he’s got his eyes on this one. 

Not too mention the fact that UFC President Dana White announced that the winner would be the number one contender. This fight has everything you’d want in a main event. There’s a ton on the line, and there’s a lot of bad blood between the two.

UFC Fight Island 6 Prediction

This fight is incredibly fascinating on a number of levels. We haven’t seen Brian Ortega compete inside the UFC since his title loss to Max Holloway back in 2018. Ortega used his all around skills to rise to the status of top contender.

Ortega knocked out Frankie Edgar with strikes, however, it’s his submissions that keep everyone on edge. He possesses arguably the best guillotine choke in the entire UFC. If Ortega grabs your neck, there’s a good chance that you’re not getting it back.

The Korean Zombie has looked sensational since returning from his military stint. He’s 3-1 with three first round knockouts. His one UFC loss came to Yair Rodriguez in a very flukey knockout. Jung was clearly winning the fight, and got caught with a hail mary strike at the buzzer.

Jung has very good striking skills. He’s very quick and he holds a ton of power in his hands. The Korean Zombie is also incredibly strong and will be well prepared for wherever this fight goes. Both men are so talented that it’s tough to pick a winner.

Brian Ortega is such a good pick because of his incredible submission skills. However, I’m not completely sold that he can win the standup fight with Jung. Ortega has really good striking, however, I think his striking won’t best the Zombie over five rounds. Expect a war tomorrow night.

Prediction: Chan Sung Jung by Split Decision

Alexander Volkanovski has his eyes on UFC Fight Island 6

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The UFC‘s featherweight champion of the world certainly has his eyes on this weekend’s main event. Alexander Volkanovski (22-1) has been sitting on the sidelines since his split decision win over Max Holloway back at UFC 251 in July.

Since then, the UFC‘s featherweight champion has been waiting for a worthy top contender to emerge. Volkanovski has been waiting for the highly anticipated matchups to occur between Brian Ortega and Chan Sung Jung as well as the Zabit Magmedosharipov and Yair Rodriguez.

The Zabit – Rodriguez fight has been sidelined with injuries to Rodriguez. However, Jung and Ortega will take center stage this weekend at UFC Fight Island 6. The main event of the evening will likely produce the top contender in the featherweight division.

You have to imagine that Volkanovski is chomping at the bit to get back in the octagon. There were more questions than answers provided in his last title defense at UFC 251. Saturday night a new and dangerous contender will emerge in the featherweight division.

UFC Fight Island 6’s Title Eliminator

There’s already bad blood that exists between Brian Ortega (14-1, 1 NC) and Chan Sung Jung (16-5). Throw in the fact that the winner is likely going to get the next shot at UFC gold and you have the perfect recipe for a fantastic main event.

It’s almost been two years since we have last seen Ortega inside the octagon. Ortega last fought for the UFC title against Max Holloway. It was a fight that showed off a lot of areas where T-City needed to improve. The world should expect a much better Brian Ortega Saturday night.

Saturday night will also mark the first fight of 2020 for the UFC‘s Korean Zombie. Jung will enter the cage on a two fight winning streak. Jung has knocked out Frankie Edgar and Renato Carneiro in his last two UFC contests.

Volkanovski will be glued to his TV come Saturday night. This matchup between top five UFC featherweight contenders will give Alexander The Great something that he’s been waiting for all year. A challenger not named Max Holloway.

 

UFC: Alexander Volkanovski eyes two key fights for next title defense

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Everything has been pretty quiet at the top of the featherweight division since UFC 251. Champion Alexander Volkanovski (22-1) has been in a state of limbo since he defeated the former champion, Max Holloway (21-6), for the second time.

The second fight was razor close, and at first, the UFC seemed interested in putting on the trilogy. However, Volkanovski didn’t seem interested as he had just defeated Holloway twice in his eyes. Can’t really blame the guy for wanting to move on.

Since then, the UFC has abandoned the idea. Now, Volkanovski is eyeing two key featherweight contests to determine who will face him next. Those two contests are the Chan Sung Jung – Brian Ortega fight and the Zabit Magomedsharipov – Yair Rodriguez fight.

Who will be the next contender for the UFC featherweight crown?

On the upcoming fights, the UFC featherweight champion said to MMA Junkie, “I want these guys to go out and take their number one contender spot. Right now, if someone was just given the shot, it’s not a big fight.” Volkanovski wants his next fight to generate a ton of interest.

“At the end of the day, it’s what the UFC and fans want. It also depends on their performances. If someone has a big knockout, submission or a dominant performance, it can solidify them as the next guy,” Volkanovski said.

Brian Ortega (14-1, 1 NC), Chan Sung Jung (16-5), Zabit Magomedsharipov (18-1), and Yair Rodriguez (13-2, 1 NC) would all be deserving of a UFC title shot with a win. But whoever wins those contests must do it impressively. Sound like the most impressive could get the next shot at the champ.

What about Holloway?

As I pointed out above, originally the UFC was interested in a trilogy fight with Holloway. However, Volkanovski wants to see Holloway get active again in the division before he grants him another shot at the title. He does seem interested in the trilogy eventually.

“Even though I’m 2-0, there still seems to be unfinished business. I think it could definitely happen, but not anytime soon,” Volkanovski told MMA Junkie. My guess is that Holloway is going to be paired up with someone like Calvin Kattar (22-4) before the year is over.

There is a lot of fluidity right now in the featherweight division. The UFC champ is happy to just watch it all play out. Whatever fight generates the most interest after all these matchups, Volkanovski will be ready for it and ready to defend.