While 2023 just started, it’s not a bad idea to look ahead to how the new year finishes. That’s because many top UFC betting sites are offering futures bets on who ends 2023 as UFC champions in different weight classes. We’ve honed in on several of these wagers and offered our expert advice on who to take!
UFC Men’s Welterweight Champion By End Of 2023
We begin in the welterweight class where Leon Edwards is currently the world champion. He stunned — literally and figuratively— Kamaru Usman to win the belt a few months ago. A third fight between the two (Usman won the first) feels imminent. That’s why it’s no surprise the oddsmakers have pegged the two with the top betting odds right now:
| Fighter |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Kamaru Usman | +150 | +150 |
| Leon Edwards | +200 | +200 |
| Khamzat Chimaev | +300 | +300 |
| Colby Covington | +450 | +450 |
| Shavkat Rakhmonov | +600 | +600 |
| Belal Muhammad | +800 | +800 |
The big holdup on a third Usman-Edwards fight is the challenger. Usman appears to be injured. No word has come from the former champion but Usman has been spotted wearing a hand brace this month. Joe Rogan also hinted on his podcast a surgery might be on the way for the Nigerian Nightmare. Usman is a few months away from 36 so at this age, injuries become harder and harder to deal with.
This is why we’re avoiding a bet on Usman. He might not get a title shot til the end of the year. By then, he might not be the same caliber fighter we’re used to. Heck, Edwards might not even be the champion by then either if he has to defend it against someone else, which is our assumption.
Our money is going on Colby Covington here. He’s in line for a title shot and outside of Usman, no one quite appears to be on his level in this division. If he gets a shot at Edwards, we could see Covington outwrestling Edwards to a decisive victory. And who knows, maybe Covington could even beat an older and beat-up Usman in a third match if it happens at the end of the year.
UFC Heavyweight Champion By End Of 2023
Francis Ngannou is the current UFC heavyweight champion of the world, however, he doesn’t have a contract with the UFC at the moment. Despite the uncertainty, Ngannou is still the betting favorite to hold the championship through 2023, as seen below:
| Fighter | | |
|---|---|---|
| Francis Ngannou | +125 | +125 |
| Cyril Gane | +250 | +250 |
| Sergei Pavlovich | +250 | +250 |
| Sergei Pavlovich | +450 | +450 |
| Curtis Blaydes | +750 | +750 |
| Stipe Miocic | +1000 | +1000 |
Ngannou has been a big critic of Dana White and the UFC’s power structure as a whole. We’re not completely convinced he’ll sign a new deal, unless UFC brass throws him to the kitchen sink to make a fight with Jon Jones happen. That’s usually not in White’s nature so we wouldn’t be surprised to see Ngannou get stripped of the belt this year.
In that scenario, Gane becomes the man to beat. He’s the best heavyweight not named Ngannou — and no one else even compares, including aging Jones if he does return in 2023. We’ll jump on Gane’s line here because we’re not optimistic Ngannou resigns.
Women’s Flyweight Champion By End Of 2023
Valentina Shevchenko has dominated the division for an extended period of time. That’s why she’s a heavy favorite to keep her flyweight title right now. However, we will be betting on someone to take Shevchenko’s flyweight championship by the end of the year. But first, let’s take a gander at the current betting odds in this category:
| Fighter | | |
|---|---|---|
| Valentina Shevchenko | -200 | -200 |
| Taila Santos | +450 | +450 |
| Manon Fiorot | +550 | +550 |
| Erin Blanchfield | +700 | +700 |
| Tatiana Suarez | +900 | +900 |
| Katlyn Chookagian | +1000 | +1000 |
The run Shevchenko is on right now is up there with the greats — Khabib Nurmagomedov and Alexander Volkanowski, to name a few. Outside of Amanda Nunes, no one has topped her in 14 fights in the UFC. Shevchenko is on a nine-fight win streak, but we disagreed with her latest outcome. Her only 2022 fight versus Taila Santos was disputed. Shevchenko officially won by split decision, but we disagreed with the ruling.
Dare we say the end is near for Shevchenko? She’ll be 35 come March and typically, a striking style like hers doesn’t age very well. We believe she’s due for an upset this year, but from who?
France's Manon Fiorot, that’s who. With a perfect 5-0 mark in the UFC, she’s shot up to No. 3 in the flyweight rankings. More than anything else, we’re enamored with Fiorot’s striking skills. Any fight versus Shevchenko will inevitably end up a stand-up slugfest and we’re confident Fiorot can hang — if not knock out Schvchenko completely. We’d jump on a Firiot upset happening this year.
How To Bet On UFC Futures
There’s a plethora of UFC futures betting opportunities beyond the three we covered above. You can find the same end-of-2023 championship futures wagers for every single weight class, male or female. To get them all, visit one of the sportsbooks featured underneath. These are all the “best of the best”, as evidenced by our latest sportsbook reviews.
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