Predicting Every UFC Champion in 2019

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Women’s Strawweight

Incumbent champion: Rose Namajunas

Prediction: Namajunas fights and loses to Jessica Andrade in the first half of 2019. Andrade rematches Joanna Jedrzejczyk and beats her by decision.

Explanation: The 115-pound title was defended only once in 2019, with Rose beating Jedrzejczyk in a close decision in April before taking an extended hiatus due to injury. In that time, Andrade has established herself as the consensus number one contender, scoring dominant victories in her last three victories, including a terrifying one-punch KO over Karolina Kowalkiewicz in September.

My bet is that Andrade beats Namajunas largely on account of her wrestling prowess, then defeats Jedrzejczyk in a rematch.

Jacob Debets is a recent law graduate who lives in Melbourne, Australia. He has been an MMA fan for more than a decade and trains in muay Thai and boxing at DMDs MMA in Brunswick. He is currently writing a book analyzing the economics and politics of the MMA industry. You can view more of his writing at jacobdebets.com.