Five UFC Champions In Danger Of Losing Their Belts In 2018

The UFC Octagon is an unforgiving place, and in a mixed martial arts fight, specifically at the highest levels, anything can happen. We’ve seen massive upsets over the years and we’ll likely continue to see more in the coming years.

Moving forward in 2018, it’s apparent that some UFC champions may have tough roads ahead. That’s not to say that each champion listed below will end up losing his/her title, but it could also be difficult to keep a tight grasp on UFC gold in the new year.

Taking into account current challengers, potential future challengers, and other outside factors, let’s take a look at five UFC champions who could be in stark danger of losing their titles in 2018:

Stipe Miocic

UFC heavyweight champion Miocic has been on a tear as of late, winning five straight bouts with all five of those wins coming by way of T/KO.

He’s one title defense away from setting the record for most consecutive defenses made by a heavyweight champion, but his next fight will take place against bulldozing knockout artist Francis Ngannou at UFC 220 on Jan. 20 in Boston, Massachusetts.

“The Predator” is 6-0 inside the Octagon with five, of those victories coming by way of T/KO and one victory coming by way of submission. He appears to improve each time out and he possesses the type of power that when he connects, opponents often go to sleep.

Miocic is likely the more well-rounded fighter, but he’ll have to avoid Ngannou’s big shots or it could end up being a short night for him.

Robert Whittaker

Whittaker has proven to be one of if not the middleweight division’s best talents, as he’s racked up eight consecutive victories. He’s coming off of back-to-back victories over top contenders Ronaldo Souza and Yoel Romero as well, although his next fight could prove to be a difficult one.

After Georges St-Pierre vacated his 185-pound title earlier this month, Whittaker was promoted to undisputed champion, and he’ll defend his title for the first time at UFC 221 in February against ex-titleholder Luke Rockhold.

Whittaker is young, well-rounded, and riding an incredible wave of momentum, so it’s possible that he’ll reign over the division for quite a while, but Rockhold is a tough out for anyone at 185 pounds.

He lost his title via shocking knockout to Michael Bisping in 2016, but many still consider him to be one of the best in the world.

This fight between Whittaker and Rockhold will likely be an incredibly close one, and one I could see going either way.

Conor McGregor

McGregor’s situation is a bit different than some other fighters on this list because it’s possible that he could lose his 155-pound title in 2018, but it may not come from a fight.

McGregor hasn’t competed inside the Octagon since winning the title at UFC 205 in November 2016.

He took on Floyd Mayweather this past August in a boxing match, and his fighting future is now uncertain. With that being said, it’s certainly a realistic possibility that McGregor could vacate his title or be stripped of it in 2018.

If he does elect to defend it, he won’t have an easy road either.

He’ll likely have to take on interim champion Tony Ferguson or top contender Khabib Nurmagomedov, two fighters who present incredibly difficult stylistic match-ups for McGregor.

Demetrious Johnson

Now, I know what you’re thinking.

Johnson is the only flyweight champion in the history of the UFC, and he holds the record for most consecutive title defenses made by a UFC champion.

So who has a shot to dethrone the 125-pound king in 2018?

Well, if the UFC can succeed in booking a bout between Johnson and bantamweight titleholder TJ Dillashaw, “Mighty Mouse” may be in trouble.

Dillashaw has been campaigning for the bout and UFC president Dana White has said that it will be taking place, although Johnson has been relatively quiet regarding the idea.

If it does come to fruition, Dillashaw, one of the top fighters on the UFC roster, would undoubtedly be the toughest test Johnson has faced during his title run. However, he is the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, so it would be an interesting fight to say the least.

Nicco Montano 

Nicco Montano recently won the 26th season of The Ultimate Fighter to become the inaugural women’s flyweight champion, but she’ll likely face some tough fights in 2018.

Former bantamweight title challenger Valentina Shevchenko is dropping down to 125 pounds and if she’s successful in her divisional debut, she could land a title shot.

Ex-strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk has also expressed interest in competing at flyweight, and if she did make the jump, she too wouldn’t be far off from a title shot.

Montano is a talented fighter, yet she only possesses a 4-2 professional record. She lacks experience and likely hasn’t faced the type of competition she will during a UFC title run.