The UFC is a sport with a constant cast of changing characters at the top. The favourites rise and fall, and new contenders take their place. It is a sport where the unexpected seems to happen constantly, which makes it wildly entertaining and thrilling to follow. The odds don’t always indicate what will happen in a fight, and new fighters constantly take down the old ones.
Several up-and-coming fighters seem likely to someday have a shot at taking the championship. While these fighters might not be the gambling favourite on sportsbooks like BetMGM Ontario to close the deal this year, they are likely to do it at least once in their careers. Let’s look at the big names who could get the job done someday.
Sergei Pavlovich is in a somewhat unfortunate position in the heavyweight division because the Russian giant deserves his chance at a title bout. But Jon Jones has agreed to fight Stipe Miocic for his next fight, and Pavlovich might have to fight backwards. However, this menacing fighter will get his chance someday, and when he does, he will likely seize it. He has knocked out the last six men in front of him in the UFC, including Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis. He could give anyone in the division a real problem.
Khamzat Chimaev is a Chechen fighter who has been pegged as a future champion for quite some time now. He is undefeated in his MMA career and has beaten established fighters like Kevin Holland and Gilbert Burns. However, he did lose some love from fans after the Nate Diaz debacle. For his next fight, Chimaev will go against another confounding fighter in, Paolo Costa, who once challenged for the middleweight belt. Chimaev will be the favourite, and if he continues to win, he could get a title shot in 2024.
Shavkat Rakhmonov is another fighter that UFC fans have been touting for a while as a future champ. Rakhmonov certainly has the goods. The Kazakh fighter has won all 17 of his professional fights and is a pure submission artist. He also can strike, but watching this fighter grapple for submissions is like watching a master at work. His next fight is scheduled for September, where he will take on Kelvin Gastelum. At this point, he is just waiting for his opportunity to go against the top names in the welterweight division.
Dricus Du Plessis is a rising name in the middleweight division who should be the favourite to go against Israel Adesanya or Sean Strickland, depending on who wins that next bout. Du Plessis shocked the world against Robert Whittaker, exhibiting real knockout power. He showed he is a legit title contender and someone who is capable of challenging Adesanya’s reign atop the middleweight division. Ignoring all the unpleasantries between him and Adesanya, it is the fight fans want to see stylistically. Du Plessis deserves his crack at the throne, and he will certainly get it soon.
Bo Nickal is very far away from his chance at the belt, but fans believe it is coming. Nickal has yet to fight anyone in the UFC middleweight division, but fans see him as destined for superstardom. None of his professional fights have made it out of the first round, and Nickal’s pedigree as a three-time division one champion wrestler makes him a scary face for the future. Thus far, Nickal’s fights haven’t been against any big names, but he will slowly work his way up the division until he has cemented himself enough for a real title shot. That day is coming.