UFC Champions in 2000: 265lbs. Randy Couture (def. Kevin Randleman, UFC 28) 205lbs. Tito Ortiz (def. Wanderlei Silva, UFC 25) 185lbs. Vacant 170lbs. Pat Miletich (def. Mikey Burnett, UFC Ultimate Brazil) 155lbs. Vacant UFC Champions in 2005: 265lbs. Andrei Arlovski (def. Tim Sylvia, UFC 51) 205lbs. Chuck Liddell (def. Randy Couture, UFC 57) 185lbs. Rich Franklin (def. Evan Tanner, UFC 51) 170lbs. Matt Hughes (def. Georges St. Pierre, UFC 50) 155lbs. Vacant UFC Champions in 2010: 265lbs. Brock Lesnar (def. Randy Couture, UFC 91) 205lbs. Mauricio Rua (def. Lyoto Machida, UFC 113) 185lbs. Anderson Silva (def. Rich Franklin, UFC 64) 170lbs. Georges St. Pierre (def. Matt Hughes, UFC 79) 155lbs. Frankie Edgar (def. BJ Penn, UFC 112) UFC Champions in 2015: 265lbs. ? 205lbs. ? 185lbs. ? 170lbs. ? 155lbs. ? You tell me. Also, just a side note, with a successful defense of his title at UFC 125, Anderson Silva will have been champion for the last 60 UFC PPVs. That is fuckin' CRAZY.
Only two guys that I think I can say with certainty is Cain Velasquez and Jon Jones will probably be champions in their divisions one day. Velasquez might not beat Brock right not but he's still young enough that he could win it 5 years down the line. In the lightweight division my guess would be Charles Oliveira. GSP is the MW champ in 2015 and Rory Macdonald takes his spot on top of the WW ladder. Two Canadian champs baby!
As dominant as GSP, Silva, and Lesnar is. Going by these trends, I don't see any one of them being a champ in 2015; we can attribute this to age? but what am I to say? GSP has a outside shot at the MW crown come 2015.
Uhm... HW - Cain Velasquez LHW - Jon Jones or Ryan Bader...probably Jones MW - GSP ? WW - No idea... LW - Jose Aldo
Young guys in each weight class (25 and under)... 265lbs. Stefan Struve (22) 205lbs. Jon Jones (23), Alexander Gustafsson (23) 185lbs. Chris Camozzi (23), Court McGee (25), Brad Tavares (22), Dong Yi Yang (25) 170lbs. Jake Ellenberger (25), John Hathaway (23), Dustin Hazelett (24), Rory MacDonald (21), Nick Osipczak (25), Matt Riddle (24), Greg Soto (24), TJ Waldburger (22) 155lbs. Nate Diaz (25), Rafael dos Anjos (25), Mark Holst (25), Paul Kelly (25), Charles Oliveira (20), Jeremy Stevens (24), Thiago Tavares (25)
This is tough. I like the Aldo at 155 and GSP at 185 picks. I'd go with Junior Dos Santos at HW, Jon Jones at LHW, John Hathaway at WW.
Jones seems destined to take over the LHW division. He has talked about fighting at HW as well but I think 205 is where he will fare best. But four years is a very long time in MMA.