Discussing Every Male UFC Champion’s Biggest Threat: From Flyweight Through Lightweight
Flyweight: Joshua Van
When Alexandre Pantoja won the UFC Flyweight Championship in 2023, few could imagine the reign the Brazilian would have. After basically clearing out the Flyweight Division with wins over Brandon Moreno, Brandon Royval, Steve Erceg, and Kai-Kara France, there are few Flyweights left with real cases to defeat Pantoja. However, with the recent emergence of number one contender Joshua Van, it seems as if the Pantoja Vs. Van fight is more a matter of when, not if. Van, a smart striker with crisp boxing, will represent the last hope within the Flyweight Division when it comes to taking the Flyweight Championship from Alexandre Pantoja.
Bantamweight: Petr Yan
Akin to the Flyweight Division, the champion of the division is seemingly miles better than everyone else. Petr Yan was dominated by champion Merab Dvalishvili in 2023, but has rebounded nicely with three straight victories. In Yan’s last three fights, he has beaten Bantamweight contenders Song Yadong, Deiveson Figueiredo, and Marcus McGhee. During Yan’s win streak, he has showcased how deep his respective skill set truly is. A skill set that other threats to Dvalishvili, such as Cory Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov, do not possess. With improved grappling and superior striking over the champion, a Petr Yan Vs. Merab Dvalishvili's rematch would be a lot closer than their first fight.
Featherweight: Jean Silva
UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski seems to be headed towards a rematch against Yair Rodriguez. A rematch that should have the same results as their first fight. With Mosvar Evloev’s championship aspirations in jeopardy following his fight with Aaron Pico falling through, the UFC Noche main event between Jean Silva and Diego Lopes seems to serve as a championship eliminator. Assuming Silva can defeat Lopes, he is Volkanovski’s worst stylistic matchup when discussing the potential fight. Silva, a real power puncher with great grappling and amazing accuracy, is a nightmare matchup for the aging Volkanovski.
Lightweight: Arman Tsarukyan
Since winning the Lightweight Championship, Ilia Topuria has made one thing abundantly clear: He will not be fighting Arman Tsarkuyan next. Despite Tsarukyan being undoubtedly the most deserving challenger to Ilia Topuria’s Lightweight Championship, Tsarukyan’s controversially pulling out from a fight with Islam Makhachev at UFC 311 has prevented the Georgian from challenging for the belt. Arman Tsarukyan presents a challenge Ilia Topuria has not yet faced. A dominant wrestler with amazing agility, Arman Tsarukyan is one of the only serious threats to the legendary Topuria. We have not yet seen Topuria paired against a true wrestle-first fighter, and that’s exactly who Arman Tsarukyan is.
