Free Expert UFC Picks

It’s all action in the Octagon when the big men get stuck into each other – and heavyweight fights are among the most popular when it comes to UFC betting. Fighters from Brazil and the US have dominated this division since 2005, with America’s Stipe Miocic taking the title for the second time in 2019.

Miocic had lost his crown to compatriot Daniel Cormier in 2018, but took revenge the following year when he beat his fellow American with a fourth-round technical knockout. However, Miocic's second title reign came to a crashing end at the heavy hands of Francis Ngannou, the Cameroonian fighter has the hardest recorded punch in UFC history, and is still improving his all-round MMA game, a scary thought for the rest of the division.

For almost a decade, this division was the kingdom of Jon Jones. The American won the title in 2011 and held it for the best part of 10 years. Jones was a controversial figure who was stripped of the title three times by the UFC before vacating it in 2020 after a row with with the promotion. But Jones’s exploits brought a huge profile to his division and to UFC as a whole.

Jan Błachowicz of Poland stepped into the breach left by Jones but, despite turning back the challenge of then-undefeated middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, lost his title to Brazilian veteran Glover Teixeira, who became the oldest first-time UFC champion by taking the 205-pound title at the age of 42.

The middleweight division saw the longest unbroken reign by any UFC champion. The great Anderson Silva of Brazil claimed the crown in 2006 and didn’t relinquish it for nearly seven years.

Nigerian-born Israel Adesanya joined the ranks of his successors in 2019 when he claimed the title, defeating Kelvin Gastelum via unanimous decision in a matchup widely described as the best of the year. But Australian Robert Whittaker, a former champion, is still one of his closest rivals, as is Paulo Costa of Brazil.

North American fighters dominated the welterweight division of UFC for many years. Several US stars held the title, while the great Canadian Georges St-Pierre was top dog for more than 2,200 days.

That all changed when Kamaru Usman of Nigeria claimed the crown in 2019. He is rated as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the UFC. The list of welterweight contenders includes the experienced, and outspoken, Colby Covington and the UK's Leon Edwards, as well as Brazilian grappling ace Gilbert Burns.

The lightweight division was previously the domain of one of the finest fighters in UFC history, Khabib Nurmagomedov, who retired from the sport undefeated with a stellar record of 29 wins, zero losses.

The Russian superstar was rated the best pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC, with an unblemished record of 29 wins and zero defeats. He was the first Muslim to win a UFC title and is the most followed Russian on Instagram, with more than 27 million followers.

You can’t mention the featherweight division without talking about the impact of Conor McGregor. The Irish fighter has brought millions of new fans to the sport with his aggressive brand of fighting and trash talking. He is the biggest pay-per-view (PPV) draw in MMA history, headlining five of the six highest-selling UFC PPV events.

Currently, Alexander Volkanovski is the man to beat in the featherweight division of UFC. The Australian came to mixed martial arts after starting life as a wrestler and then playing semi-pro rugby league.

Bantamweight is another UFC division that was dominated for many years by fighters from the States and Brazil. Men like Dominick Cruz and T.J. Dillashaw, both of the US, carved out formidable reputations as they ruled the world at this weight.

However, Petr Yan broke that domination when he took the title with victory in Abu Dhabi in 2020. The power-punching Russian was expected to enjoy a lengthy title reign, but disqualification in his first title defense saw him lose his title to American Aljamain Sterling.

For many years, the flyweight division was dominated by one man. Demetrious Johnson of the US held the crown for more than 2,100 days and saw off a string of contenders in that time.

However, the man to beat at flyweight now is Deiveson Figueiredo of Brazil. He claimed the crown in July 2020 and defended it in an epic clash with Mexico’s Brandon Moreno later that year. Figueiredo was ahead on all three cards after five thrilling rounds, but was docked a point for a low blow, turning a clear victory into a majority draw.