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#4. Current UFC interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane
The UFC heavyweight division’s fastest rising star is undefeated at 10-0. At UFC 265, the Muay Thai maestro dismantled Derrick Lewis over three rounds. Using his masterful striking and impressive agility to full effect, the unstoppable Gane landed 98 significant strikes compared to Lewis’ 16.
At 6’4” and around 250lbs, the freakishly powerful Gane has a long reach, good use of the eight limbs of Muay Thai and solid defensive reflexes. By the brutal standards of the heavyweight scene, Gane’s defense and quickness is top tier. With every fight ‘Bon Gamin’ takes, he seems to go from strength to strength, improving his abilities at a prodigious rate.
Gane's brisk technical striking ability and defense is going to be absolutely essential in his next fight. Current UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou doesn’t have striking defense as impressive as Gane’s. He makes up for it by being the hardest puncher in the world.
If Gane is to oust his former MMA Factory teammate from the top of the heavyweight mountain, he’ll need to move fast. Just one major shot from ‘The Predator’ can be a night ender as he’s shown consistently over the past three years. Gane’s strike avoidant ways are going to have to get even better than they were at UFC 265 if he’s to become the undisputed heavyweight champ.
#3. Current UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski
‘The Great’ may sound like a slightly arrogant nickname, but Volkanovski just about pulls it off. The current UFC featherweight champion trains extensively in boxing. He even took a professional boxing bout back in April 2015, scoring a unanimous decision win over Dillon Bargero at super welterweight.
The former ‘Hulk’ uses his penchant for pugilism expertly in the octagon. The speed with which the former rugby player slips and counters is high octane enough to give viewers fits.
Arguably the finest counter-striker in the featherweight division today, Volkanovski is also a Greco-Roman wrestling aficionado. When he’s not jumping in and out at a lightning pace on the feet, he’s able to slow his opponents down and keep them grounded. In turn, he makes it next to impossible to land any significant strikes from the mat.
He’s going to need his speed and upper body reflexes in fine form come UFC 266. There, he will be making his second defense of the featherweight gold against Brian Ortega. As Ortega demonstrated at UFC 222 against Frankie Edgar, he packs one hell of a punch should Volkanovski’s defense not be up to scratch.
