Who Looks Primed To Win A UFC Title In 2021?
It’s already been a fast start to 2021 in UFC, with nine events already completed. Jan Blachowicz improved his pound-for-pound ranking with a victory over Israel Adesanya, while Amanda Nunes continues to be one of the most dominant female fighters in history.
With lots to look forward to for the rest of the year, here are three MMA stars who could claim a UFC title in 2021.
Francis Ngannou
When it comes to the hardest punchers in the UFC, they don’t come any bigger than Francis Ngannou. His victory over Alistair Overeem in 2017 earned him the Knockout of the Year award with Bleacher Report and ESPN.
Ngannou will get a second chance to win the UFC heavyweight title later this month against the same man he lost his only previous shot to, Stipe Miocic. He is the odds-on favourite in the Ngannou vs Miocic odds which indicates he has an excellent chance of reversing that result this time.
The Predator has been in excellent form over the last three years with victories coming over Curtis Blaydes, Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos and Jairzinho Rozenstruik. He deserves his opportunity against Miocic which should be a fascinating contest at UFC 260.
Leon Edwards
British fighter Leon Edwards is up to number three in the welterweight division. A lot of his success over the last few years has come in Europe. He did have an excellent win over Rafael dos Anjos in Texas on his penultimate appearance in the ring.
Edwards was back in the octagon in March where he met Belal Muhammad. Unfortunately for Rocky, that fight was deemed a no contest in the second round by the referee following an accidental eye poke.
Victory over Muhammad would have put Edwards a step closer to a title shot. Although that no contest is a setback, he remains unbeaten in nine fights now. It looks to be only a matter of time before he gets his chance to compete for a major belt.
Jessica Andrade
Former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade made an impressive start to her career in the flyweight division with victory over Katlyn Chookagian. She stopped her opponent in the first round after a series of body punches with forced a TKO.
Andrade won her first and only title in the UFC in 2019 when she beat Rose Namajunas with a KO in the second round of that contest. Unfortunately for the Brazilian, she was unable to defend her crown, losing to Zhang Weili in her next appearance.
Bate Estaca has the opportunity to win the UFC flyweight belt at UFC 261 as she will meet Valentina Shevchenko. This will be a tough test for the challenger as the champion is proven in the weight division. She has also defended her belt four times since she won it against Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Andrade is the underdog in the betting for this fight, however, she does have the power needed to have success in the flyweight division so don’t be too surprised if she causes an upset in this fight.
If the rest of the year follows the same drama and excitement that we have seen over the last few months, 2021 could be one of the best in the history of the UFC.
