UFC fighters who can win the championship belt for the first time in 2023

With major fights already scheduled for the next six months, it’s safe to say that 2023 could be a pivotal year for some fighters looking to become UFC champions for the first time.

Five fighters who could become UFC champions for the first time in 2023:

Yair Rodriguez – UFC Featherweight

Technically, Yair Rodriguez already holds the UFC interim featherweight title. However, as everyone knows, interim titles are more of a way to determine the best contender for a title fight, and so Rodriguez still has one major hurdle to overcome to become a true champion.

And no other fighter has been able to overcome this obstacle so far, because now Alexander Volkanovski reigns in the featherweight division.

Volkanovski is arguably the best featherweight fighter in MMA history right now, with wins over Max Holloway, Jose Aldo, Brian Ortega, the Korean Zombie and Chad Mendes.

Without weaknesses, with a well-thought-out style and an insane resilience, Volkanovski seems almost unstoppable. So does Rodriguez have a chance in their next title fight?

In fact, Rodriguez may have a better chance than many realize.

The Mexican is a wild and reckless fighter who is prone to counters, but he’s also probably the most explosive in the division and incredibly difficult to counter due to his unpredictability.

Beneil Dariush – Lightweight

Beneil Dariush is yet to win a UFC belt, but having won his last eight fights in the octagon, he’s probably just one step away.

Dariush next faces former champion Charles Oliveira in the co-main event of UFC 289 in June. If he can defeat the Brazilian, it’s very likely that the Iranian native will continue to fight current titleholder Islam Makhachev.

Makhachev is one of the few lightweight fighters with a longer winning streak than Dariusz. Dagestan haven’t lost a single fight in the octagon since 2015 and have won 12 straight, including over Oliveira, Dan Hooker and Alexander Volkanovski.

However, it’s safe to say that he has yet to face a fighter with such a dangerous skill set as Dariush.

Like Oliveira, Dariush is a good wrestler and a dangerous striker, but it’s highly debatable that he has more stamina than the Brazilian and is still inferior to him in the fight.

If he can defeat Oliveira and then fight Makhachev, he will almost certainly enter the fight as an underdog, but he still has a shot at the title.

Sean O’Malley – bantamweight

According to Dana White, the next UFC bantamweight title fight is scheduled for August, and champion Aljamain Sterling will fight with main contender Sean O’Malley.

So can O’Malley dethrone Sterling and become the promotion’s first-time champion? It’s entirely possible.

Sterling is arguably the most underrated UFC title holder right now. He is on a long winning streak starting in 2017 and has beaten Corey Sandhagen, Petr Yan, TJ Dillashaw and most recently Henry Cejudo.

However, he also feels like a vulnerable champion, having only defeated Jan and Cejudo via split decision.

O’Malley is a fast growing young fighter with punching power and good skills in all areas and most importantly he has the confidence of a champion.

Basically, Sterling should be favored in their upcoming fight, but given his vulnerability, as well as suggestions that he’s somewhat beaten, O’Malley could easily win.

Irene Aldana – UFC bantamweight

The only title fight next month will be in the women’s bantamweight division. Amanda Nunes will defend her title against Irene Aldana at UFC 289.

Nunes was originally supposed to defend the title against former champion Julianne Peña, but she got injured and now Irene Aldana will get the chance of a lifetime instead.

Notably, this fight might be tougher for Nunes than the fight against Peña, and there’s a good chance the Mexican will become champion for the first time.

Nunes is one of the strongest in women’s MMA history. She’s already knocked out legends like Ronda Rousey and Holly Holm. She strikes wildly, but in the first fight with Penya, it made her a cruel joke.

Peña landed more accurate shots, using them to set up a submission late in the fight, but Nunes still won by decision. Aldana is able to fight similarly and punish Nunes.

Alexandre Pantoja – UFC flyweight

Alexandre Pantoja is looking to become the next flyweight champion.

Not only does he have a date for a title fight, but he has already beaten the man who currently holds the belt, Brandon Moreno, twice.

Pantozha first faced Moreno in 2016 at TUF 24, choking him out in the second round. The Mexican then got a rematch in May 2018 and this time Pantoja beat him by decision.

Of course, it’s fair to say that Moreno has improved a lot since then. He picked up a few wins over former title holder Deiveson Figueiredo, stopping him last time by technical knockout, and also knocked out opponents such as Kai Cara-France and Brandon Royval.

Moreno is not only a good wrestler, but a great striker. Naturally, Pantozhe won’t be easy, but with the Brazilian on a three-fight streak, he should approach this fight with a lot of confidence. More importantly, those two previous wins over Moreno could give him the mental edge he needs to win the UFC belt for the first time.

Vyacheslav Gorbachev, Athletistic